LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas’s modern gun deer hunting season begins Saturday, Nov. 8, drawing an estimated 290,000 hunters to the woods
The season is divided into segments, with hunters already harvesting and checking more than 47,700 deer during archery season, alternative firearms season, and last weekend’s youth deer hunt. These early seasons serve as precursors to the main modern gun period, where historically over 30,000 deer are checked in the opening two-day weekend.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) staff anticipate many hunting camps will extend their opening weekend activities due to Veterans’ Day falling on Tuesday, Nov. 11. For more information about deer and deer hunting in Arkansas, visit www.agfc.com/deer.
Before heading out, hunters should double-check the following essentials:
- Ensure your hunting license is up-to-date and download free deer tags through the AGFC’s website or mobile app. If purchased this year, tags should appear automatically, but youth hunters and lifetime license holders may need to download theirs. Instructions are available at www.agfc.com/licensingsupport.
- Verify your firearm is legal for the zone or Wildlife Management Area (WMA) being hunted. In Deer Zones 4 and 5, and some WMAs, options are limited to shotguns .410 and larger with slugs, muzzleloaders, rifles firing straight-walled cartridges .30-caliber or larger, and legal air rifles. A complete list is on Page 48 of the 2025-26 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook.
- Check the AGFC’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) zones and testing locations. Only deboned meat, cleaned skulls, antlers, and finished taxidermy may leave CWD zones. Testing is free and voluntary at drop-off points and taxidermists. Learn more at www.agfc.com/cwd.
- Confirm you have your Hunter Education card or “HE-Verified” status in your license account via the AGFC’s website or app. Hunter Education is required for hunters 16 and older born after 1968. Those under 16 or with a Deferred Education Code (DHE) may hunt but must stay within arm’s reach of a licensed hunter. Visit www.agfc.com/huntered for requirements and course options.
- Wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange or safety chartreuse above the waist, plus a matching hat, visible outside coats and clothing at all times—even inside blinds. Accidents can occur if overlooked during excitement, like retrieving a deer.
- Inspect straps, welds, and bolts on tree stands for wear. Stands left up year-round can deteriorate from weather, and rodents may damage straps. Replace anything suspect before climbing 15-20 feet up.
- Familiarize yourself with your safety harness at home. Label straps and check the tether and lineman’s belt for condition to avoid fumbling in the dark.
- Inform a responsible person of your location and expected return time. They could be crucial in emergencies like falls or other issues.
- Save the AGFC’s radio room number (833-356-0824) in your phone. Game wardens provide free assistance for emergencies or poaching reports. Visit www.agfc.com/enforcement to learn more about wardens’ roles.
When harvesting a deer, check it within 12 hours. If cellular service allows, check via phone, website, or app before moving it—no physical tag needed if the deer stays with you. Otherwise, make a paper tag with your name, CID from your license, sex of the animal, and date, time, and county of harvest. This must accompany the deer until checked. For drop-offs at processors, camps, or taxidermists, use a carcass tag. Examples are on pages 115-121 of the 2025-26 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook.
