Arkansas’s first alternative firearms season opens Oct. 19, and many hunters are excited at the increased opportunity to use a rifle with straight-walled ammunition this year instead of their old black-powder muzzleloader.

Alternative firearms season, created this year to replace traditional muzzleloader season, was inspired by Arkansas Game and Fish Commissioners’ desire to offer more opportunities to hunters who pursue deer.

“There are a lot of people who have an old .45/70 lever action or other straight-walled cartridge gun that was handed down to them by a father or grandfather and this season gives them the opportunity to enjoy those rifles again,” Commissioner Bill Jones of Pine Bluff said during the Commission’s May 16 rulemaking meeting. “Modern muzzleloaders are able to shoot accurately just as far as some of these guns and this might add a little excitement to the season. These rifles are also easier to learn how to load and shoot properly, so maybe it will get a few more people in the woods who were intimidated by the process of learning a muzzleloader.”

There are always a few loose ends to tend to when new seasons and opportunities are introduced in the hunting world, and this year’s alternative firearms season is no exception to that rule. Here are a few things to bear in mind before you hit the woods this season:

Alternative options

According to Page 50 of the 2024-25 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook, the following firearms are allowed during alternative firearms (formerly muzzleloader) season:

• Muzzleloading rifles with a barrel 18 inches or longer and of .40 caliber or larger;
• Muzzleloading handguns with barrels 9 inches or longer and at least .45 caliber if they shoot conical bullets 200 grains or heavier, or .530 caliber if shooting round balls;
• Large bore air rifles at least .40 caliber that shoot a single, expandable slug, produce at least 400 feet/pounds of energy at the muzzle and are charged from an external tank; and
• Non-semiautomatic centerfire firearms (including non-semiautomatic handguns with barrels 4 inches or longer) that fire a straight-walled metallic cartridge .30 caliber or larger.

Scrap the Scattergun
The first thing to note about the new regulation is that shotguns, while legal during modern gun season, will not be allowed during the alternative weapons season. All cartridges used during the alternative weapons season must be metallic cartridges. Matthew Warriner, assistant chief of the AGFC’s Wildlife Management Division, said that a few shotgun-reloading enthusiasts have come forward with examples of shotgun shells that are entirely made of metal, but they will not be considered a straight-wall rifle cartridge for the hunt.

“There are a few specialized full-length brass shotgun shells available on the market, mostly for loading shot and not slugs, but even if they are reloaded with a slug they still will fall under the ‘no shotgun’ rule for the alternative firearms hunt,” Warriner said.

Straight to the Point

Anyone having difficulty deciding whether a cartridge falls under the straight-walled definition can simply look at its profile. If the case of the cartridge is the same diameter from the base to the connection with the bullet, it is legal. If there is any taper, shoulder or decrease in diameter from the base of the cartridge to the junction of the cartridge and bullet, it’s not a straight-walled cartridge.

Semiautomatic Switcheroo

Semi-automatics, while legal during modern gun season, are not included in the new alternative firearms season.

A variety of drop-in conversion kits are available for some AR-style rifles that shoot straight-walled rifle cartridges to use the rifle’s charging handle to operate the bolt, but only those that replace the entire upper assembly will be considered legal for the new alternative firearms season.

“Conversion kits that simply disable the semiautomatic function of the rifle are not enough,” AGFC Enforcement Major Steve Paul said. “It needs to convert it to a traditional bolt action that’s visible from a distance. Other styles of drop-ins retain the rifle’s action, they just make it temporarily disabled and can be swapped back in a matter of seconds in the field.”

Warriner and Paul both agree that these clarifications don’t preclude owners of these firearms from hunting with them during the regular modern gun season coming in November.

“The new season is about expanding opportunities for hunters, not taking anything away,” Warriner said. “Semiautomatic rifles and shotguns firing slugs can still be used during the regular modern gun season just like they always have. They just were not included in the expansion of the alternative firearms season.”

Visit www.agfc.com/hunting/deer for a complete list of season dates and deer-specific regulations or download your copy of the 2024-25 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook at www.agfc.com/guidebooks.