Deer and bear rifles for Arkansas

Arkansas hunting is a tale of two countries. East of Little Rock the Delta and the river bottoms give long looks across fields and green timber; west and north the Ozarks and Ouachitas are steep, tight and thick, and most shots happen inside a hundred and fifty yards. A rifle that works well in both places is not hard to find, but it helps to know what the seasons ask of it.

How the seasons work

The Game and Fish Commission divides the state into deer zones, and each zone has its own dates and bag limits. For 2026-27 most of the state opened modern gun on November 14, 2026, with a statewide Christmas hunt December 26 to 28. Closing dates are the part that varies: some northern zones closed within about nine days, the river valley zones ran into early December, and southern zones carried into late December. The youth modern gun hunt was November 7 and 8, 2026 and January 2 and 3, 2027.

Faulkner County, and with it Conway, sits in Zone 8: archery September 26, 2026 to February 28, 2027, an early buck-only archery hunt August 29 to 31, alternative firearms October 17 to 25 and December 12 to 14, and modern gun November 14 to December 6 plus December 26 to 28. The Zone 8 limit is four deer with no more than two antlered bucks. Zone boundaries and limits can be redrawn between seasons, so check the current AGFC zone map and guidebook for the county you hunt.

Antler rules and CWD

Outside the chronic wasting disease management area, a legal buck in most of Arkansas must either be a button buck or carry at least three points on one side of the rack. Inside the CWD zone the antler restriction is lifted, and carcass transport, baiting and feeding rules apply instead. The CWD zone has grown over the years and it now covers a large block of north and west Arkansas, so read the current CWD regulations before you plan a trip out of your home county.

Bear

Arkansas rebuilt one of the best black bear populations in the South, and it hunts them on a quota. Bear zones one and two in the Ozarks and Ouachitas carry archery, muzzleloader and modern gun seasons in the fall; the southern zones run a short, small-quota season in December. Every bear zone closes as soon as its quota is filled, which can happen days before the printed end date, so hunters call the harvest line the evening before a hunt to hear how many bears have been checked. Read the current bear regulations for the year rather than relying on last year's dates.

Rifles that fit Arkansas

For whitetails almost any common cartridge does the job here, and nothing in state law restricts calibers during modern gun season. Practical choices:

• .243 Winchester for young hunters and anyone recoil-shy, and plenty for Arkansas deer with a good bullet.
• 6.5 Creedmoor and 7mm-08 for a flat, mild-recoiling rifle that shoots well from a rest and does not beat you up at the range.
• .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield for the traditional all-round rifle, and the .30-06 doubles as a bear rifle with a heavy bullet.
• .308 Winchester in a short, light bolt gun, the closest thing to a default Arkansas deer rifle.
• .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster in an AR-pattern or bolt rifle for thick cover and short ranges.
• .30-30 Winchester and .45-70 Government in a lever gun, still the right tool for hardwood hollows and bear over short distances.

Savage, Ruger, Winchester, Remington, Browning, Mossberg and Henry cover most of what leaves the counter here, and a used bolt gun with a decent scope is a better buy than a new rifle with a bad one.

Alternative firearms and muzzleloaders

Arkansas keeps a separate alternative firearms season, in Zone 8 October 17 to 25 and December 12 to 14 in 2026, and it is the quietest, least crowded hunting of the year. A fifty calibre in-line muzzleloader with a low-power scope or a good peep sight is the common choice, and modern sabot bullets make a hundred and fifty yard shot reasonable. Some zones allow other single-shot options during that season, so read the current guidebook rather than assuming a rule from another state applies here.

Optics and set-up

A two to seven or three to nine power scope with a simple reticle handles the whole state. Higher magnification costs you field of view in the timber and gains you nothing on a two-hundred-yard field shot. Sight in at one hundred yards, confirm at two hundred if you hunt open ground, and check zero after the drive to camp. The free national forest ranges at Jessieville, Bear Mountain, Peeler Gap, Pleasant Hill and Sylamore exist mostly for this, and the Game and Fish ranges at Conway and Jonesboro have rifle lines with benches.

Where to hunt

Public deer ground is thinner in Arkansas than in some western states, but it is there: the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests, the big wildlife management areas, Corps of Engineers land around the lakes, and federal refuges along the rivers. Camp Robinson Special Use Area north of Little Rock, Gulf Mountain near Clinton and the Petit Jean River bottoms near Morrilton all put a Conway hunter on public land within an hour. Much of the rest of the state hunts private leases and family ground.

Buying before the season

Rifles and ammunition tighten up in October. Order early, pick your dealer, and pass the check at the counter. Start in the catalog, read the Arkansas gun law overview for the paperwork, and see the Conway buying guide for how a transfer works locally. If waterfowl is more your season, the duck shotgun guide is next door, and the city pages cover the rest of Arkansas.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.