Register Now for the Arkansas Urban Archery Deer Hunt

Arkansas Urban Archery Deer Hunts will be held in nine communities beginning September 1, 2025. (Photo by Tony Campbell)

Arkansas hunters who’d like to participate in the 2025-26 Urban Archery Deer Hunts can register now. The hunts, which begin September 1, 2025, are held in nine communities in Arkansas to help control deer populations and manage human/wildlife conflicts. The venison provided through the hunts helps feed families in need.

Ralph Meeker, the deer program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), says the deer population has flourished in the state over the past several decades, but when too many deer and people try to coexist in the same area, problems can arise.

“Urban hunts are the best tool wildlife managers and cities have to reduce these deer populations to acceptable social levels,” Meeker said in an AGFC release. “Most deterrents devised for wild animals don’t work in the long term, and the few methods that do work can be very expensive to a community or landowner. Hunting is safe, efficient and effective.”

Those who participate in the hunts must follow stringent guidelines to ensure the safety of hunters and local landowners. All participants must have passed the International Bowhunters Education Program course, attend an orientation to go over the added regulations and pass an archery proficiency test with the bow they intend to use.

Participants must also donate their first adult deer to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry program.

“We’ve been able to supply thousands of families over the years with fresh protein through these venison donations,” Meeker said. “The first deer any hunter harvests is required to go to the program, and many hunters donate even more.”

Deer harvested during urban hunts do not count toward a hunter’s seasonal limit. There are no limits to the number of deer that can be harvested in urban hunts and all antler restrictions are lifted. All deer harvested must still be checked to the appropriate urban deer zone.

Visit www.agfc.com/urbanhunt for more information on Arkansas’s Urban Archery Deer Hunts.