Arkansas deer Zone 3: 2026-27 seasons, counties and harvest
Arkansas deer Zone 3 covers 2,474,543 acres, by AGFC's zone map, across 9 counties. Off WMAs, refuges and urban zones, hunters checked 16,484 deer in it in the 2024-25 season, 8,633 antlered bucks among them (AGFC's deer check records). 7 WMAs with 36,894 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 3AGFC WMAsNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
When is deer season in Zone 3?
| Season | Dates, 2026-27 |
|---|---|
| Early Buck-only Archery | Aug. 29-31, 2026 |
| Archery | Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027 |
| Alternative Firearms | Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 12-14, 2026 |
| Youth Modern Gun Hunt | Nov. 7-8, 2026 and Jan. 2-3, 2027 |
| Modern Gun | Nov. 14-Dec. 6 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
- Three antlerless deer with alternative firearms and modern gun combined.
Zone notes
- No dogs allowed for deer hunting.
- 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 Baxter, Boone, Independence, Marion, Sharp and Randolph 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 3?
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 10% above 2022-23.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Per square mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 16,484 | 8,633 | 1,293 | 6,558 | 4.3 |
| 2023-24 | 15,893 | 8,134 | 1,318 | 6,441 | 4.1 |
| 2022-23 | 14,945 | 7,592 | 1,152 | 6,201 | 3.9 |
Source: AGFC deer check records, 2022-23 to 2024-25. Per square mile uses the zone's 3,866 square miles.
Which counties are in Zone 3?
| County | Acres in Zone 3 | County deer, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 397,038 | 2,789 |
| Sharp County | 388,152 | 2,951 |
| Izard County | 373,632 | 2,124 |
| Randolph County | 344,674 | 2,775 |
| Independence County | 302,951 | 3,220 |
| Baxter County | 286,768 | 2,448 |
| Lawrence County | 177,665 | 1,412 |
| Marion County | 159,879 | 2,185 |
| Boone County | 43,312 | 1,565 |
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 3?
| WMA | Acres in the zone | Deer on the whole WMA, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA | 13,629 | 114 |
| Norfork Lake WMA | 10,579 | 101 |
| Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA | 8,202 | 39 |
| Slippery Hollow Natural Area WMA | 1,404 | 3 |
| Jones Point WMA | 1,217 | 1 |
| Robert L. Hankins Mud Creek WMA | 1,052 | 18 |
| Devil's Knob Natural Area WMA | 811 | 9 |
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season in Arkansas Zone 3 for 2026-27?
Early Buck-only Archery: Aug. 29-31, 2026. Archery: Sept. 26, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027. Alternative Firearms: Oct. 17-25 and Dec. 12-14, 2026. Youth Modern Gun Hunt: Nov. 7-8, 2026 and Jan. 2-3, 2027. Modern Gun: Nov. 14-Dec. 6 and Dec. 26-28, 2026.
What counties are in Arkansas deer Zone 3?
Fulton (397,038 acres), Sharp (388,152 acres), Izard (373,632 acres), Randolph (344,674 acres), Independence (302,951 acres), Baxter (286,768 acres), Lawrence (177,665 acres), Marion (159,879 acres) and Boone (43,312 acres), measured on AGFC's zone map. A county can lie in more than one zone.
How many deer are killed in Zone 3?
Hunters checked 16,484 deer in Zone 3 in 2024-25, not counting WMAs, refuges and urban zones, which AGFC records apart: 8,633 antlered bucks, 1,293 button bucks and 6,558 does.
Get a Arkansas hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Arkansas included.
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.
Arkansas hunting All Arkansas deer zones Fulton County Sharp County Izard County