Arkansas hunting maps: public land, units and season dates
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) divides Arkansas into 20 deer zones. Across them, about 11% of the land is public: Forest Service 7.6%, state land 1.3%, Fish & Wildlife Service 1.2%.
- 20deer zones
- 11%public land
- 53,190square miles mapped
- 4general seasons tracked
Units measured Oct 12, 2026 · sources
Who manages Arkansas’s public land
- U.S. Forest Service7.6%
- National Park Serviceunder 1%
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1.2%
- Department of Defenseunder 1%
- State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)1.3%
Share of the area covered by Arkansas’s deer zones.
Public land share per unit. Tap a unit to open it.
All 20 deer zones, by public land
Sorted by public land share. Tap a column to re-sort.
| Deer Zone 11 | 56% | 3,996 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 6 | 32% | 3,680 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 2 | 20% | 3,212 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 7 | 14% | 2,207 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 5A | 11% | 301 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 9 | 10% | 4,466 | Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Deer Zone 10 | 7.6% | 1,005 | Dept. of Defense |
| Deer Zone 16 | 4.7% | 1,141 | state land |
| Deer Zone 14 | 4.3% | 1,000 | Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Deer Zone 13 | 4.2% | 2,762 | state land |
| Deer Zone 17 | 4.1% | 737 | state land |
| Deer Zone 15 | 3.3% | 1,176 | state land |
| Deer Zone 4 | 3.2% | 4,858 | state land |
| Deer Zone 1 | 2.7% | 2,099 | Forest Service |
| Deer Zone 12 | 2.3% | 10,875 | Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Deer Zone 3 | under 1% | 3,865 | state land |
| Deer Zone 5 | under 1% | 808 | state land |
| Deer Zone 8 | under 1% | 2,640 | state land |
| Deer Zone 4A | under 1% | 1,314 | — |
| Deer Zone 16A | 0% | 1,052 | — |
Arkansas hunting season dates, 2026
Statewide general seasons from WikiHunt’s season table (updated Sep 2, 2026). Units, zones and draw hunts can differ, so confirm in the Arkansas regulations.
| Species | Season | 2026 dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery DeerArchery | Sep 26 – Feb 28 | Uniform across all deer zones 2026-27; runs into late Feb 2027. Separate early buck-only archery Aug 29-31 also exists. |
| Deer | Muzzleloader DeerMuzzleloader | Oct 17 – Oct 25 | AGFC 'Alternative Firearms.' Most-common-zone dates. Split: Oct 17-25 plus late Dec 12-14. Zones 4/5 closed to muzzleloader. |
| Deer | Modern Gun DeerRifle | Nov 14 – Dec 6 | Most-common-zone dates (zones 1,2,3,6,7,8,10,11). Split season: main Nov 14-Dec 6 plus late Dec 26-28. Zones 4/5 end Nov 22; zones 9/12/13 to Dec 20. |
| Black bear | BearAny legal weapon | Sep 9 – Dec 25 | Range spans earliest archery start (Zones 1-2 Sept 9) to latest modern-gun end (Zones 3-5A Dec 19-25). Highly zone-specific, quota early-closures. OTC bear tag auto-issued with license, no draw. |
When is the rut in Arkansas?
White-tailed deer
Questions
How much of Arkansas is public land?
About 11% of the area covered by Arkansas’s deer zones is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, led by U.S. Forest Service, State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Which Arkansas units have the most public land?
Deer Zone 11 (56%), Deer Zone 6 (32%), Deer Zone 2 (20%). The full table above sorts every unit.
When is deer season in Arkansas in 2026?
Archery Deer: Sep 26 – Feb 28; Muzzleloader Deer: Oct 17 – Oct 25; Modern Gun Deer: Nov 14 – Dec 6. Unit and zone dates can differ; check the regulations.
Does WikiHunt have property lines for Arkansas?
Yes. Parcel boundaries for Arkansas are part of the Single State ($19.99 a year) and All States ($39.99 a year) plans in the app and on the web map.
Sources
- Unit boundaries: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1, Fee Managers (public domain), measured per unit on a ~250-cell grid after ~100 m simplification.
- Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026; regulations: www.agfc.com/hunting.
- Rut dates: each row links to its source (state agency, study or press).