The river bed is not advertised as public hunting land, but by definition it is because the Arkansas River is a public river, whether it is flowing or dry (which is the case in my area). Hunting is permissible in it as per the state website. Yes, it would step on some toes. But, for you to say that it was private land that was in question is a false statement. The land owners only own up to the high bank, the rest is public domain. The problem is that the area is highly sought after for deer leases, and the court cases the landowners/lease owners have filed have scared everybody away from trying to hunt on it for fear of the hassle of going to court and spending money fighting it.