Arkansas Deer Season 2026-27: Archery & Gun Dates

Q: When does deer season open in Arkansas in 2026-27?

It depends which season you mean, which is why this page splits them. Archery: September 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Modern Gun: November 14, 2026 to December 28, 2026. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission publishes both, and the full zone tables on this page were read from its own page on September 2, 2026.

Q: When is modern gun season in Arkansas?

November 14, 2026 to December 28, 2026, varying by zone across 5 rows in the agency table. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission calls it the Modern Gun season; the exact wording matters because states name the same thing differently, and this page keeps the agency's own name for it.

Q: Does Arkansas have a separate muzzleloader or youth deer season?

Alternative Firearms: October 17, 2026 to December 21, 2026. Youth Modern Gun Hunt: November 7, 2026 to January 3, 2027. Both were read from the same agency source as the archery and firearms windows.

Q: Which deer zone am I in, in Arkansas?

Arkansas sets different dates by zone, and the boundaries are the agency's own, drawn along highways, rivers and county fragments, and they can differ between weapon seasons inside the same state. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

Q: Where are the bag limits, antler restrictions and license rules for Arkansas?

At Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, whose regulations page is linked on this page. Those rules are legally binding, change annually and vary by zone and by land ownership. This page carries the season windows themselves, with source and read date attached.

Q: Can these Arkansas deer dates change?

Yes. Agencies amend proclamations, add or drop zones, and occasionally correct their own published tables mid season. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact Arkansas Game and Fish Commission page it read on September 2, 2026. Treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.

September 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Archery

published

November 14, 2026 to December 28, 2026

Modern Gun

published

October 17, 2026 to December 21, 2026

Alternative Firearms

published

5 zone rows

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

The four questions in one

Arkansas deer seasons, 2026-27

“When does deer season open” is four questions wearing one coat. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission dates white-tailed deer seasons separately by weapon, so each one is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Archery

published

Archery is OPEN now in the All deer zones, through February 28, 2027.

Arkansas archery, as published by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All deer zones	September 26, 2026	February 28, 2027	Same dates in every zone per the AGFC zone tables

Dates read from Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, accessed 2026-09-02.

One long archery season uniform across all zones. The separate Early Buck-only Archery window in late August is listed under other seasons.

Modern Gun

published

Modern Gun opens in 26 days, on November 14, 2026 (Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11).

Arkansas modern gun, as published by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 (segment 1)	November 14, 2026	December 6, 2026
Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 (segment 2)	December 26, 2026	December 28, 2026
Zones 4, 5 (segment 1)	November 14, 2026	November 22, 2026
Zones 4, 5 (segment 2)	December 26, 2026	December 28, 2026
Zones 4A, 5A, 14, 15 (segment 1)	November 14, 2026	December 13, 2026
Zones 4A, 5A, 14, 15 (segment 2)	December 26, 2026	December 28, 2026
Zones 9, 12, 13 (segment 1)	November 14, 2026	December 20, 2026
Zones 9, 12, 13 (segment 2)	December 26, 2026	December 28, 2026
Zones 16, 16A, 17	November 14, 2026	December 28, 2026	Continuous season

Dates read from Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, accessed 2026-09-02.

AGFC publishes dates zone by zone for its 20 deer zones; zones listed together here carry identical dates in the agency's own zone tables, all opening Nov 14, 2026 with closing dates varying by zone.

Alternative Firearms

published

Alternative Firearms is OPEN now in the Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, through October 25, 2026, with 3 zone segments open.

Arkansas alternative firearms, as published by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 (segment 1)	October 17, 2026	October 25, 2026
Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 (segment 2)	December 12, 2026	December 14, 2026
Zones 4A, 5A, 14, 15 (segment 1)	October 17, 2026	October 25, 2026
Zones 4A, 5A, 14, 15 (segment 2)	December 19, 2026	December 21, 2026
Zones 9, 12, 13, 16, 16A, 17	October 17, 2026	October 25, 2026	October segment only

Dates read from Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, accessed 2026-09-02.

Arkansas names its muzzleloader window the Alternative Firearms season. The AGFC zone tables show it Closed in Zones 4 and 5. Zones listed together carry identical dates in the agency's own zone tables.

Youth Modern Gun Hunt

published

Youth Modern Gun Hunt opens in 19 days, on November 7, 2026 (All deer zones).

Arkansas youth modern gun hunt, as published by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All deer zones (segment 1)	November 7, 2026	November 8, 2026	AGFC notes public land youth hunters should check WMA listings for exceptions
All deer zones (segment 2)	January 2, 2027	January 3, 2027

Dates read from Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, accessed 2026-09-02.

Two statewide youth weekends, one before the modern gun opener and one in early January.

For which days to sit, the Arkansas deer movement forecast rates the next 7 days Slow to Prime from the weather and first light.

Archery: Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, read September 2, 2026. Read it at the source

The rest of the calendar

Other Arkansas deer seasons the agency names

Beyond the four main windows, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission dates one further season for deer. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a tag actually covers.

Early Buck-only Archery

published

Early Buck-only Archery has closed for the season year; the last segment ended August 31, 2026.

Arkansas early buck-only archery, as published by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
All deer zones	August 29, 2026	August 31, 2026

Dates read from Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, accessed 2026-09-02.

Three day late August archery window ahead of the regular archery season, uniform across zones.

Zones

Arkansas deer zones

Arkansas does not have a deer season. It has 5 of them, and the boundaries between them were drawn by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission along highways, rivers and county fragments rather than anything you can see from a stand. In several states those boundaries are not even the same from one weapon season to the next.

This page publishes the agency’s zone names and links the agency’s own zone map, which is where a hunter’s zone is determined. A wrong zone answer is a wrong season date.

Alert white-tailed buck standing in bare late fall brush at dusk — A buck on the move in bare November brush at Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. Photo: Liz Julian/USFWS. “White-tailed Deer, Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota” — Liz Julian / USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

Rules

Arkansas deer hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Arkansas regulations

Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours, tagging and reporting, and license and permit requirements for Arkansas are set by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: current regulations

Two hunters in blaze orange and camouflage beside a wheelchair at the edge of bare winter woods, one helping the other with gear — Getting ready at the edge of the winter woods on a mobility assisted deer hunt. Many states date a season specifically for hunters with disabilities, and those windows are on the state pages. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. “USMC-11410” — U.S. Marine Corps (official photo, marines.mil) — Public domain

Deer season dates in other states

Arkansas deer movement forecastThe next 7 days rated Slow to Prime for deer movement, from the forecast and first light.Arkansas deer rutThe biology beside the calendar: when deer actually breed here, from the agency conception studies. Dates are this page; the rut is that one.Arkansas turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Arkansas duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Arkansas fall foliagePeak color and the archery weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Arkansas deer season questions

When does deer season open in Arkansas in 2026-27?

When is modern gun season in Arkansas?

Does Arkansas have a separate muzzleloader or youth deer season?

Which deer zone am I in, in Arkansas?

Where are the bag limits, antler restrictions and license rules for Arkansas?

Can these Arkansas deer dates change?

Buck with antlers in velvet standing in tall summer grass in golden light — A buck still in velvet in late summer. The earliest archery openers land within weeks of antlers hardening. “White-tailed Deer Buck in Velvet (48804848567)” — USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission page linked beside it, read on September 2, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours and license rules are set by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national deer season guide and the Arkansas rut timing page.