Arkansas — where you can actually hunt
Arkansas sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (Arkansas Game & Fish (AGFC) reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 65.8% | National Forest 53% · State Game Lands / WMA 12.7% | 1,993 | |
| Scott | 64.4% | National Forest 55.6% · State Game Lands / WMA 8.8% | 1,920 | |
| Newton | 47.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 47.7% | 1,319 | |
| Johnson | 46.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 46.5% | 3,160 | |
| Yell | 43.3% | National Forest 24.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 19.1% | 4,055 | |
| Pope | 39.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 39.2% | 4,046 | |
| Polk | 37.9% | National Forest 28.3% · State Game Lands / WMA 9.7% | 3,669 | |
| Perry | 32.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 21.2% · National Forest 11.2% | 2,484 | |
| Franklin | 31.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 31.7% | 2,190 | |
| Logan | 29.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 25.5% · National Forest 4.1% | 2,541 | |
| Garland | 26.4% | National Forest 25.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 3,392 | |
| Crawford | 24.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 24.4% | 2,893 | |
| Sebastian | 22.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 17% · National Forest 5.4% | 1,409 | |
| Baxter | 19.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.2% | 2,448 | |
| Stone | 17% | State Game Lands / WMA 16.4% · National Forest 0.6% | 2,116 | |
| Searcy | 15.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 15.2% | 1,976 | |
| Cleburne | 14.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.5% | 2,369 | |
| Saline | 13.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.8% | 4,566 | |
| Van Buren | 12.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.9% | 2,851 | |
| Madison | 12.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.2% | 2,590 | |
| Clark | 11.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.3% | 5,965 | |
| Pike | 9.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.2% · National Forest 2.7% | 3,908 | |
| Howard | 9.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.6% | 2,550 | |
| Benton | 9.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.2% | 3,480 | |
| Conway | 8.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.7% | 2,547 | |
| Marion | 7.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.7% | 2,185 | |
| Drew | 7.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.4% | 4,496 | |
| Hot Spring | 7% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.9% | 3,834 | |
| Ashley | 6.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.1% | 3,899 | |
| Arkansas | 6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6% | — | |
| Sevier | 5% | State Game Lands / WMA 5% | 2,478 | |
| Hempstead | 5% | State Game Lands / WMA 5% | 2,996 | |
| Little River | 5% | State Game Lands / WMA 5% | 2,253 | |
| Prairie | 4.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.8% | 2,118 | |
| Miller | 4.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.5% | 1,386 | |
| Washington | 4.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.5% | 4,337 | |
| Poinsett | 4.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.4% | 490 | |
| Clay | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 1,148 | |
| Lafayette | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 2,081 | |
| Calhoun | 4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4% | 3,557 | |
| White | 3.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.9% | 4,215 | |
| Sharp | 3.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.5% | 2,951 | |
| Nevada | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 3,706 | |
| Desha | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 3,180 | |
| Monroe | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 1,525 | |
| Faulkner | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 2,774 | |
| Pulaski | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 2,761 | |
| Ouachita | 3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3% | 3,929 | |
| Lawrence | 3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3% | 1,412 | |
| Lee | 3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3% | 1,424 | |
| St. Francis | 3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3% | 1,269 | |
| Phillips | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 1,054 | |
| Craighead | 2.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.6% | 843 | |
| Greene | 2.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.2% | 1,825 | |
| Randolph | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 2,775 | |
| Mississippi | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 193 | |
| Woodruff | 1.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 1,199 | |
| Independence | 1.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 3,220 | |
| Carroll | 1.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 1,115 | |
| Lonoke | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 2,043 | |
| Union | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 6,937 | |
| Jefferson | 1.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.2% | 2,807 | |
| Fulton | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 2,789 | |
| Cleveland | 0.3% | — | 3,901 | |
| Columbia | 0.3% | — | 4,044 | |
| Bradley | 0.2% | — | 4,784 | |
| Izard | 0.2% | — | 2,124 | |
| Jackson | 0.1% | — | 782 | |
| Cross | 0.1% | — | 846 | |
| Chicot | 0% | — | 1,428 | |
| Dallas | 0% | — | 4,016 | |
| Grant | 0% | — | 3,978 | |
| Boone | 0% | — | 1,565 | |
| Crittenden | 0% | — | 287 | |
| Lincoln | 0% | — | 2,462 |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (Arkansas Game & Fish (AGFC) GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = Arkansas Game & Fish (AGFC) reported deer harvest by county. Turkey = AGFC spring turkey harvest by county (2025), reconciled to the Turkey Program Annual Report statewide total (11,332); the live tool includes late/amended check-ins. National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
Arkansas — best of, ranked