Arkansas deer Zone 12: 2026-27 seasons, counties and harvest
Arkansas deer Zone 12 covers 6,958,074 acres, by AGFC's zone map, across 21 counties. Off WMAs, refuges and urban zones, hunters checked 61,358 deer in it in the 2024-25 season, 28,062 antlered bucks among them (AGFC's deer check records). 23 WMAs with 189,463 acres lie inside it.
Data updated October 2026. Zone: AGFC's deer zone map. Harvest: AGFC's deer check records, 2022-23 to 2024-25. Seasons: AGFC's 2026-27 deer seasons by zone.
Zone 12AGFC WMAsNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
When is deer season in Zone 12?
| Season | Dates, 2026-27 |
|---|---|
| Early Buck-only Archery | Aug. 29-31, 2026 |
| Archery | Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Alternative Firearms | Oct. 17-25, 2026 |
| Youth Modern Gun Hunt | Nov. 7-8, 2026 and Jan. 2-3, 2027 |
| Modern Gun | Nov. 14-Dec. 20 and Dec. 26-28, 2026 |
Zone bag limit
Four deer, no more than two antlered bucks, which may include:
- Two antlered bucks with archery, alternative firearms or modern gun
- Four antlerless deer with archery, alternative firearms or modern gun combined.
Zone notes
- Dogs allowed for deer hunting Nov. 14-Dec. 20.
- Nonresidents may use dogs for deer hunting only during the last nine days of the regular modern gun season (Dec. 12-20).
- Outside the CWD Management Zone, legal bucks must be button bucks or have at least three points on one side of their rack.
- Inside the CWD Management Zone, there are no antler restrictions.
- Button bucks count as antlerless deer, but must be checked as a button buck.
- In Ashley, Bradley, Grant and Union counties, CWD regulations apply.
Source: AGFC deer seasons and limits by zone, read October 2026. WMAs inside the zone set their own dates.
How many deer are taken in Zone 12?
AGFC files deer taken on WMAs, refuges and in urban zones under those areas, so these counts are the rest of the zone. 2024-25 was 15% above 2022-23.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Per square mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 61,358 | 28,062 | 3,475 | 29,821 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | 57,056 | 26,150 | 3,925 | 26,981 | 5.2 |
| 2022-23 | 53,497 | 24,350 | 2,936 | 26,211 | 4.9 |
Source: AGFC deer check records, 2022-23 to 2024-25. Per square mile uses the zone's 10,872 square miles.
Which counties are in Zone 12?
| County | Acres in Zone 12 | County deer, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Union County | 675,311 | 6,937 |
| Drew County | 498,707 | 4,496 |
| Ashley County | 495,196 | 3,899 |
| Columbia County | 490,801 | 4,044 |
| Ouachita County | 473,522 | 3,929 |
| Dallas County | 427,398 | 4,016 |
| Bradley County | 417,829 | 4,784 |
| Grant County | 405,124 | 3,978 |
| Calhoun County | 404,732 | 3,557 |
| Nevada County | 397,178 | 3,706 |
| Hempstead County | 390,691 | 2,996 |
| Cleveland County | 383,251 | 3,901 |
| Clark County | 366,042 | 5,965 |
| Jefferson County | 200,704 | 2,807 |
| Hot Spring County | 195,447 | 3,834 |
| Lafayette County | 194,512 | 2,081 |
| Lincoln County | 186,240 | 2,462 |
| Saline County | 149,207 | 4,566 |
| Pulaski County | 94,813 | 2,761 |
| Pike County | 77,008 | 3,908 |
| Howard County | 32,311 | 2,550 |
Acres measured by FilledTag on AGFC deer zones and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. County counts include WMA deer.
Which WMAs are in Zone 12?
| WMA | Acres in the zone | Deer on the whole WMA, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Casey Jones WMA | 48,173 | 238 |
| Big Timber WMA | 31,601 | 240 |
| Poison Springs WMA | 25,086 | 199 |
| Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA | 16,016 | 214 |
| Lafayette County WMA | 12,350 | 124 |
| Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA | 10,770 | 98 |
| Cut-Off Creek WMA | 8,779 | 15 |
| Warren Prairie Natural Area WMA | 6,311 | 24 |
| Longview Saline Natural Area WMA | 6,053 | 16 |
| Rick Evans Grandview Prairie WMA | 4,926 | 17 |
| Falcon Bottoms Natural Area WMA | 4,156 | 4 |
| Seven Devils WMA | 4,019 | 16 |
| Nacatoch Ravines Natural Area WMA | 2,127 | 6 |
| Hope Upland WMA | 2,113 | 35 |
| Crossett Experimental Forest WMA | 1,679 | 4 |
| Little Bayou WMA | 1,303 | 4 |
| Two Bayou Creek WMA | 1,219 | 14 |
| Hall Creek Barrens Natural Area WMA | 648 | 4 |
| Ozan WMA | 578 | 4 |
| Little River WMA | 552 | 10 |
| Terre Noire Natural Area WMA | 481 | 7 |
| Kingsland Prairie Natural Area WMA | 395 | 3 |
| Blevins WMA | 128 | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season in Arkansas Zone 12 for 2026-27?
Early Buck-only Archery: Aug. 29-31, 2026. Archery: Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027. Alternative Firearms: Oct. 17-25, 2026. Youth Modern Gun Hunt: Nov. 7-8, 2026 and Jan. 2-3, 2027. Modern Gun: Nov. 14-Dec. 20 and Dec. 26-28, 2026.
What counties are in Arkansas deer Zone 12?
Union (675,311 acres), Drew (498,707 acres), Ashley (495,196 acres), Columbia (490,801 acres), Ouachita (473,522 acres), Dallas (427,398 acres), Bradley (417,829 acres), Grant (405,124 acres), Calhoun (404,732 acres), Nevada (397,178 acres), Hempstead (390,691 acres), Cleveland (383,251 acres), Clark (366,042 acres), Jefferson (200,704 acres), Hot Spring (195,447 acres), Lafayette (194,512 acres), Lincoln (186,240 acres), Saline (149,207 acres), Pulaski (94,813 acres), Pike (77,008 acres) and Howard (32,311 acres), measured on AGFC's zone map. A county can lie in more than one zone.
How many deer are killed in Zone 12?
Hunters checked 61,358 deer in Zone 12 in 2024-25, not counting WMAs, refuges and urban zones, which AGFC records apart: 28,062 antlered bucks, 3,475 button bucks and 29,821 does.
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Sources: AGFC deer zones; AGFC deer check records, 2022-23 to 2024-25; AGFC deer seasons and limits by zone. FilledTag is not part of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
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