Arkansas Alternative Firearms Season: Zones, Weapons, and Limits

The Arkansas alternative firearms season for deer runs October 18–26, 2025 statewide, with a second window in December for most zones. Formerly known as the muzzleloader season, it now covers muzzleloaders, straight-wall cartridge rifles, certain handguns, and big bore air rifles, all subject to caliber and configuration rules set by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Two zones stay closed to this season entirely, and a 12-hour game check deadline trips up more hunters than any other rule.

Season Dates by Zone

The October window is the same everywhere the season is open: October 18 through October 26. The December window depends on your zone.

  • Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11: Oct. 18–26 and Dec. 13–15
  • Zones 4A, 5A, 14, and 15: Oct. 18–26 and Dec. 20–22
  • Zones 9, 12, 13, 16, 16A, and 17: Oct. 18–26 only
  • Zones 4 and 5: closed to alternative firearms hunting

Zones 4 and 5 cover much of the flat agricultural delta in eastern Arkansas. No alternative firearms season is held there, though the neighboring 4A and 5A zones get both windows.1Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Deer Seasons and Limits by Zone Zone boundaries shift, so pull the current AGFC zone map before you go. The zone where you park the truck is not always the zone where you end up hunting.

Legal Weapons and Equipment

AGFC Code 06.03 lists every firearm type prohibited during this season and then carves out specific exceptions. Five categories are legal.

  • Muzzleloading long guns: .40 caliber or larger, barrel at least 18 inches, firing single projectiles or No. 4 buckshot or larger. Flintlock, percussion cap, and inline ignitions all qualify as long as loading is through the muzzle.
  • Muzzleloading handguns: any caliber muzzleloading handgun or cap-and-ball revolver is legal when carried alongside a legal muzzleloading long gun. Used as the primary weapon, a muzzleloading handgun must have a barrel of at least 9 inches, be .45 caliber or larger, and fire a projectile of at least 200 grains.
  • Straight-wall cartridge rifles: non-semiautomatic centerfire rifles chambered for a straight-walled metallic cartridge in .30 caliber or larger. Lever-action and single-shot rifles in rounds like .45-70, .450 Bushmaster, or .350 Legend qualify.
  • Cartridge handguns: non-semiautomatic handguns with barrels at least 4 inches long, chambered for straight-wall centerfire cartridges in .30 caliber or larger. Revolvers in .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum are common choices. Rimfire handguns and semiautomatic pistols are both prohibited.
  • Big bore air rifles: .40 caliber or larger, producing at least 400 foot-pounds of muzzle energy, firing a single expandable slug, and charged from an external air tank.

Regular breech-loading shotguns are prohibited during this season, even with slugs.2Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 06.03 – Certain Firearms Prohibited During Alternative Firearms Season Scopes and magnifying optics are legal on all permitted weapons. Suppressors are legal for hunting in Arkansas if you hold the required federal tax stamp under the National Firearms Act.3Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 01.00-C – Definition of Terms

Using a prohibited weapon during the season is a Class 1 offense, carrying a fine of $100 to $1,000 and up to 30 days in jail.4Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 01.00-I – Penalties Upon Conviction

Blaze Orange Requirement

Whenever you are in the field during a zone’s open firearm deer season, you must wear at least 400 square inches of daylight fluorescent blaze orange or fluorescent chartreuse (hunter safety green) as an outer garment above the waistline, plus an orange or safety green hat. This applies whether you are hunting or just accompanying a hunter.5Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 05.20 – Hunter Orange/Safety Green Clothing Requirements

If you hunt from a portable pop-up ground blind on public land, each visible side must display at least 144 square inches of orange or safety green, positioned at least 3 feet above the ground.5Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 05.20 – Hunter Orange/Safety Green Clothing Requirements

Bag Limits by Zone

There is no single statewide bag limit. The maximum across all methods combined is six deer, but your zone limit is often lower, and no zone allows more than two legal bucks.

  • Zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 17: five deer total. Up to two antlered bucks and up to three antlerless with firearms (alternative firearms and modern gun combined).
  • Zones 9, 14, 15, 16, and 16A: four deer total. Up to two legal bucks and up to two does with firearms.
  • Zones 4A and 5A: three deer total. Up to two legal bucks and up to two does with firearms.
  • Zones 4 and 5: three deer total, but alternative firearms is closed here. Deer can only be taken during archery and modern gun seasons.

Some counties within certain zones have modified antlerless limits, particularly in CWD management areas. Check the zone-specific details on the AGFC site for the county where you plan to hunt.6Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. A1.01 – Deer Season and Limits Certain Wildlife Management Areas also enforce a three-point antler rule for legal bucks, so if you are hunting a WMA, verify its specific rules before opening day.7Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 21.03 – Buck Deer Restrictions on Certain WMAs

Tagging and the 12-Hour Game Check

The moment you recover a deer, you have two options: check it through an AGFC-approved method before moving it, or tag it on the spot and check it later. A tag must be legibly written in ink with your name, the date, the zone or WMA number, and the time of harvest, and attached securely to an antler, ear, or leg before the carcass moves.8Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code 002.01.24 Ark. Code R. 006 – 05.17 Alligator, Bear, Deer, and Turkey Tagging Requirements

After tagging, you must complete the game check within 12 hours of recovering the deer from the site of harvest. The AGFC mobile app is the most convenient option. A successful check generates a confirmation number that must stay with all portions of the deer until final storage.8Legal Information Institute. Arkansas Code 002.01.24 Ark. Code R. 006 – 05.17 Alligator, Bear, Deer, and Turkey Tagging Requirements This is where hunters get tripped up most often. Twelve hours feels like plenty of time until you are field dressing at dusk and don’t check the deer before going to sleep. Missing the deadline can result in a suspension of hunting privileges.

Chronic Wasting Disease Carcass Rules

Arkansas has a CWD Management Zone covering dozens of counties, split into Tier 1 (higher risk) and Tier 2 areas. If you harvest a deer inside the zone, strict carcass transport rules apply. You cannot move an intact carcass out of the CWD Management Zone, and you cannot move an intact carcass from a Tier 1 county into a Tier 2 county.

What you can transport out of the zone is limited to low-risk materials:

  • Deboned meat
  • Antlers, or antlers attached to cleaned skull plates with no meat or tissue attached
  • Cleaned teeth
  • Hides and tanned products
  • Finished taxidermy mounts

Intact carcasses from a Tier 1 county can move freely between other Tier 1 counties. Tier 2 carcasses can move between Tier 2 counties or into Tier 1 counties. The same low-risk-only rule applies to any deer, elk, moose, or caribou carcass brought into Arkansas from out of state.9Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. CWD Regulations Zone boundaries expand as new cases are detected, so verify the current map before your hunt. A deer processed at a local butcher inside the zone causes no issues; the problems start when you try to haul a whole carcass across a county line.

License and Hunter Education

Resident hunters need at minimum a Resident Wildlife Conservation License at $10.50, which expires June 30. Many opt instead for the $25 Resident Sportsman’s Permit, which bundles additional privileges. Non-residents need the Non-Resident Annual Hunting License at $410, which covers up to six deer.10Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. D1.01 – Licenses, Permits, Stamps, Tags, Costs, and Expiration Dates

Anyone born after 1968 must carry a valid Arkansas hunter education certificate while hunting. Other states’ certificates are generally accepted, but confirm with the AGFC before purchasing your license.11Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 03.16 – Hunter Education Certificate Requirements Licenses can be bought through the AGFC website, authorized retail vendors, or the AGFC mobile app, which also stores digital copies of your permits and certificate.