ARKANSAS BLOOD
TRAILING NETWORK
Statewide tracking teams helping Arkansas hunters recover wounded deer across The Natural State.
TRACKING LAWS FOR THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
Know the rules before you track. These Arkansas laws help ensure ethical recovery, respect for landowners, and the future of our hunting rights.
Arkansas permits no more than two dogs to be used simultaneously when locating wounded big game. Tracking dogs may work on or off lead. Dogs working off lead must be equipped and monitored with devices that provide remote location tracking and allow the handler to correct the dog’s behavior through an audible signal or physical stimulation. The hunter who wounded the animal must be present throughout the recovery.
Hunters and people accompanying them must wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange, chartreuse, or blaze camouflage above the waist, along with a head covering in one of those safety colors, when modern gun or alternative firearms deer, bear, or elk seasons are open in that area. Tracking teams must comply whenever the hunter-orange requirement is in effect.
Arkansas does not require a separate state-issued blood tracking dog certification. However, anyone providing hunting assistance must possess a valid Arkansas hunting license. People who guide, aid, or assist another person for pay or other consideration may also need the appropriate Arkansas guide license, with additional requirements applying to paid services on Wildlife Management Areas.
Arkansas allows wounded big game to be tracked after legal hunting hours, and artificial light may be used to help locate the animal. If the animal is found alive after hours, it may be dispatched only with legal archery tackle or a legally possessed handgun with a barrel no longer than six inches and a caliber no larger than .45.
Using a tracking dog does not authorize entry onto neighboring property. If the wounded animal leaves the property where it was legally shot, the hunter must obtain documented permission from every affected landowner before the hunter, tracker, or dog crosses or enters that property.
Arkansas hunters and drone operators should verify current AGFC wounded-game recovery and drone rules before using a drone, especially on AGFC-owned or managed property.
* Disclaimer: The information provided by TRAKR is intended as a general summary of state tracking laws and regulations and is not legal advice. Because laws and regulations may change, hunters and trackers should always verify current statutes, regulations, and agency guidance before using dogs, drones, or other recovery methods in their state.
Average Deer Tracking Fees in Arkansas
Deer tracking services in Arkansas are provided almost entirely by trained dog tracking teams. Many Arkansas trackers offer recovery assistance at no charge or operate primarily through tips and donations, while a smaller number advertise fixed fees or calculable rates.
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Approximately 57% of Arkansas dog tracking teams offer free services or operate primarily for tips or donations.
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Among Arkansas dog tracking teams that list a fixed or calculable paid fee, excluding free and tip- or donation-based services, the average listed price is approximately $125.
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The available Arkansas dataset did not include any drone teams. Therefore, drone rate averages could not be calculated.
How Arkansas Deer Tracking Rates Were Calculated
These averages are based on rates and pricing instructions supplied by trackers through their TRAKR profiles. When a tracker listed mileage charges or travel-based pricing, the estimated rate was calculated using a standard travel distance of 50 miles each way.
Fee ranges were calculated using the midpoint. Separate recovery or finder fees were added to the initial tracking fee. When separate rates were listed for bucks and does, the buck rate was used because more than 80 percent of tracking requests involve bucks.
The rates shown are estimates based on available information and do not represent fixed, required, or recommended prices. TRAKR does not set tracker fees and does not guarantee the accuracy or availability of any listed rate. Individual trackers independently determine their own pricing, service areas, travel charges, deposits, recovery fees, and other terms. Arkansas deer tracking pricing data last updated August 2026.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ARKANSAS BLOOD TRAILING NETWORK
Arkansas Blood-Trailing Network is a statewide wounded-game recovery community that connects hunters with tracking dog handlers who help locate deer that cannot be recovered through conventional tracking.
The network was started on Facebook in 2015 by Arkansas tracker Brad Besancon after he experienced growing demand for tracking assistance from hunters. In a 2022 profile, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported that approximately 70 tracking teams were listed with the network and available to assist hunters throughout the state.
The network does more than simply maintain a list of handlers. Besancon told AGFC that he personally met with prospective network trackers and evaluated both the handler and dog before adding them to the public list. Handlers who had not developed sufficient tracking experience could be asked to gain more experience before being listed.
Size and Impact
Some publicly available Arkansas Blood-Trailing Network information includes:
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The network was founded on Facebook in 2015 by Arkansas tracker Brad Besancon.
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The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported approximately 70 listed tracking teams in 2022. This should be treated as a historical count rather than the network’s current total.
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Prospective network teams have been evaluated for tracking experience before being added to the public tracker list.
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The network has helped recover hundreds of deer that might otherwise have remained lost.
Why Arkansas Allows Tracking Dogs
Arkansas regulations distinguish between using dogs to hunt or pursue healthy deer and using trained dogs to locate a specific big-game animal that has already been wounded. Deer hunting with dogs is generally restricted by season and location, while Code 08.09 provides a separate controlled process for wounded-game recovery.
This approach supports responsible hunting by giving hunters an additional opportunity to recover wounded animals after visible blood becomes sparse or disappears. Trained dogs can follow scent through forests, creek bottoms, steep terrain, thick vegetation, agricultural land, and other conditions that make conventional tracking difficult.
Certification and Training
Arkansas does not require tracking dogs or handlers to pass a state-administered blood-tracking certification test. Handlers are responsible for training, controlling, and evaluating their own dogs while complying with Code 08.09.
Arkansas Blood-Trailing Network has historically applied its own experience standards when deciding which handlers and dogs to include on its public list. These network evaluations are not government certifications, but they are intended to help connect hunters with teams that have demonstrated practical tracking experience.
Some Arkansas handlers may also participate in voluntary tracking tests, seminars, or educational programs offered by organizations such as United Blood Trackers, the American Blood Trackers Association, breed organizations, or private tracking programs.
Interesting Facts About Arkansas Blood Trailing Network
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Arkansas Blood-Trailing Network began in 2015 after its founder experienced more tracking requests than one team could reasonably handle.
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Many handlers participate primarily because they enjoy helping hunters and working their dogs, although tips and travel reimbursement may be accepted.
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Arkansas currently allows tracking dogs to work off lead when they are equipped with the required remote tracking and behavior-correction equipment.