Arkansas deer Zone 8: 2026-27 seasons, counties and harvest
Arkansas deer Zone 8 covers 1,689,571 acres, by AGFC's zone map, across 10 counties. Off WMAs, refuges and urban zones, hunters checked 10,126 deer in it in the 2024-25 season, 4,939 antlered bucks among them (AGFC's deer check records). 10 WMAs with 84,347 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 8AGFC WMAsNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
When is deer season in Zone 8?
| 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
- Dogs allowed for deer hunting Nov. 14-Dec. 6.
- Nonresidents may use dogs for deer hunting only during the last nine days of the regular modern gun season (Nov. 28-Dec. 6).
- 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 Cleburne, Conway, Independence, Jackson, Johnson, Pope and Van Buren 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 8?
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 2% below 2022-23.
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Button bucks | Does | Per square mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 10,126 | 4,939 | 761 | 4,426 | 3.8 |
| 2023-24 | 9,948 | 4,539 | 814 | 4,595 | 3.8 |
| 2022-23 | 10,381 | 4,900 | 779 | 4,702 | 3.9 |
Source: AGFC deer check records, 2022-23 to 2024-25. Per square mile uses the zone's 2,640 square miles.
Which counties are in Zone 8?
| County | Acres in Zone 8 | County deer, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cleburne County | 282,201 | 2,369 |
| White County | 281,176 | 4,215 |
| Conway County | 259,739 | 2,547 |
| Faulkner County | 242,687 | 2,774 |
| Van Buren County | 184,165 | 2,851 |
| Pope County | 180,357 | 4,046 |
| Independence County | 109,704 | 3,220 |
| Jackson County | 77,624 | 782 |
| Johnson County | 41,052 | 3,160 |
| Perry County | 30,866 | 2,484 |
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 8?
| WMA | Acres in the zone | Deer on the whole WMA, 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Greers Ferry Lake WMA | 37,767 | 20 |
| Cherokee WMA | 16,035 | 237 |
| Jim Kress WMA | 13,515 | 69 |
| Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA | 8,880 | 119 |
| Dardanelle WMA | 3,507 | 129 |
| Brewer Lake/Cypress Creek WMA | 2,485 | |
| Lake Overcup WMA | 1,339 | |
| Rainey WMA | 485 | 11 |
| Cove Creek Natural Area WMA | 229 | |
| River Bend WMA | 105 | 4 |
Questions hunters ask
When is deer season in Arkansas Zone 8 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 8?
Cleburne (282,201 acres), White (281,176 acres), Conway (259,739 acres), Faulkner (242,687 acres), Van Buren (184,165 acres), Pope (180,357 acres), Independence (109,704 acres), Jackson (77,624 acres), Johnson (41,052 acres) and Perry (30,866 acres), measured on AGFC's zone map. A county can lie in more than one zone.
How many deer are killed in Zone 8?
Hunters checked 10,126 deer in Zone 8 in 2024-25, not counting WMAs, refuges and urban zones, which AGFC records apart: 4,939 antlered bucks, 761 button bucks and 4,426 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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