Arkansas Hunting & Fishing
Season Calendar 2026

Arkansas archery-only deer season opens Sep 27 and runs through Feb 28, making it one of the longest archery seasons in the South; any legal bow including compound, recurve, and crossbow is authorized statewide. Hunters 16 and older must possess a valid Arkansas hunting license with a deer tag; youth 15 and under hunt under a youth license. The statewide season limit is two antlered bucks and a variable number of antlerless deer depending on zone; some WMA units have antlerless restrictions — verify specific WMA regulations. The White River and Ozark bottomlands produce exceptional trophy-class whitetails that enter hard rut in mid-November.

Arkansas modern gun deer season runs Nov 14–Dec 5; legal firearms include centerfire rifles, shotguns with slugs or buckshot, handguns, and air rifles of .30 caliber or larger. All hunters 16 and older must have a valid Arkansas hunting license and deer tag; antlered buck bag limits and antlerless quotas are zone-dependent — consult the current AGFC regulations for your specific county. Season dates align with the peak breeding period for Arkansas whitetails, offering excellent rut hunting with active scrapes, rubs, and daylight buck movement. Public land hunters on Game Management Areas must comply with quota restrictions and hunter check-in requirements.

Arkansas muzzleloader season runs Oct 17–Oct 25, providing a dedicated primitive weapons opportunity targeting bucks in pre-rut staging; only legal muzzleloading firearms are permitted — percussion and flintlock, with projectile and powder loaded from the muzzle. Scopes are permitted on muzzleloaders. The season bag limit aligns with the statewide framework; all standard Arkansas hunting license and deer tag requirements apply. This October window catches bucks establishing scrape lines and chasing does in early pre-rut — a productive time for hunters who enjoy the challenge of single-shot, close-range hunting in hardwood bottoms and crop field edges.

Arkansas spring turkey season runs Apr 15–May 4 targeting gobblers and bearded hens; shotguns, archery equipment, and crossbows are all legal during the spring season, and hunters may use electronic calls subject to current AGFC rules. The daily bag limit is two gobblers per day with a season limit of two per license year; all hunters 16 and older must possess a valid Arkansas hunting license with a turkey tag. Spring turkey hunting coincides with peak gobbling activity during the breeding season — Ouachita and Ozark forests as well as agricultural edges hold excellent populations of eastern wild turkey.

Arkansas duck and waterfowl season typically runs late November through late January in alignment with federal frameworks; hunters must possess a valid Arkansas hunting license, Arkansas Waterfowl Permit, and a Federal Duck Stamp. HIP certification is required before taking any migratory waterfowl. Daily bag limits follow federal frameworks — typically six ducks with species-specific sub-limits on pintail, redhead, canvasback, and scaup. Arkansas's Cache and White River bottomlands are among the most productive mallard habitat in the Mississippi Flyway, attracting hundreds of thousands of birds during peak migration.