Arkansas · Deer · 2026–27 Edition
Arkansas Deer Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by method
| Method | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Early buck-only archery | Statewide | Aug 29 – Aug 31 |
| Archery (regular) | Statewide | Sep 26 – Feb 28 |
| Alternative firearms (muzzleloader / straight-wall) | Statewide (windows vary by zone) | Oct 17 – Oct 25 |
| Youth modern gun (early) | Statewide | Nov 7 – Nov 8 |
| Modern gun (opener) | Statewide (length varies by zone) | Nov 14 – Dec 6 |
| Modern gun (Christmas) | Statewide | Dec 26 – Dec 28 |
| Youth modern gun (late) | Statewide | Jan 2 – Jan 3 |
02 — Bag limits
| Statewide | Set by zone (typically 3–6 deer/season with antlered restrictions) — see AGFC Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone |
|---|
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 29, 2026) 06:11 — 20:09
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. AGFC Code 05.02 makes it 'unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night', and Code 01.00-C defines NIGHT as 'the time period 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise' — the inverse of that window is legal hunting time. agfc.com blocks automated access; read from the Code Book PDF mirrored on AGFC's own S3 bucket (agfc-omnibus.s3.amazonaws.com).. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
04 — License
An Arkansas hunting license and deer permit are required. Costs, age rules and where to buy are on our license page below.
Arkansas hunting license cost & deer permits →
Where to hunt public land in Arkansas — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a property before Arkansas's opener usually means glassing terrain and running a trail camera through the summer and early fall.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does deer season start in Arkansas?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is August 29, 2026 — Early buck-only archery, statewide. Other weapons and zones start later — see the table above.
When does deer season end in Arkansas?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is February 28, 2027. Individual methods and zones close on their own dates.
When does bow season start for deer in Arkansas?
Early buck-only archery opens August 29, 2026 (Statewide). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does rifle season start for deer in Arkansas?
Alternative firearms (muzzleloader / straight-wall) opens October 17, 2026 (Statewide (windows vary by zone)). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does muzzleloader season start for deer in Arkansas?
Alternative firearms (muzzleloader / straight-wall) opens October 17, 2026 (Statewide (windows vary by zone)). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
How many deer can you shoot in Arkansas?
2026–27 bag limits: Statewide — Set by zone (typically 3–6 deer/season with antlered restrictions) — see AGFC Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting deer in Arkansas?
On opening day (August 29, 2026) legal light runs 06:11 to 20:09. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. AGFC Code 05.02 makes it 'unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night', and Code 01.00-C defines NIGHT as 'the time period 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise' — the inverse of that window is legal hunting time. agfc.com blocks automated access; read from the Code Book PDF mirrored on AGFC's own S3 bucket (agfc-omnibus.s3.amazonaws.com). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Arkansas sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt deer on my own land in Arkansas without a license?
No — Arkansas's own regulation is unconditional: a resident must carry a hunting license to hunt by any means, with only two listed exceptions (licensed game-bird shooting resorts, and a narrow age-based carve-out) — neither is a landowner exemption. This directly contradicts a claim that circulates on several third-party sites.
Verified · Arkansas Game and Fish Commission · Last verified 2026-08-27
Publisher's note. Re-verified 2026-08-27 against AGFC's own 'Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone' page, fetched directly with a browser user agent - the automated-access block recorded elsewhere in this project for agfc.com did not recur. The page carries 20 zone blocks (1-17, including 4A, 5A and 16A), each with its own dates and bag limit. This file models the statewide-common rows, and a zone-by-zone comparison run that day shows exactly which parts that is honest for. IDENTICAL in every zone checked: Early Buck-only Archery Aug. 29-31, 2026; Archery Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027; Youth Modern Gun Hunt Nov. 7-8, 2026 and Jan. 2-3, 2027. VARIABLE, and therefore only approximated here: Alternative Firearms (Zones 1 and 2 get a second window, Oct. 17-25 plus Dec. 12-14, 2026, while Zones 12 and 17 get Oct. 17-25 only) and Modern Gun, whose end date moves by zone - Nov. 14-Dec. 6 and Dec. 26-28 in Zone 1, Nov. 14-Dec. 20 and Dec. 26-28 in Zone 12, Nov. 14-Dec. 28 in Zone 17. Anyone using the modern gun or alternative firearms rows must check their own zone. Bag limits are set per zone too, quoted here from Zone 1 as the shape they take: 'Two antlered bucks with archery, alternative firearms or modern gun, Four antlerless deer with archery, Three antlerless deer with alternative firearms and modern gun combined.' The youth modern gun hunt is flagged on the page as public-land, with WMA exceptions.