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Arkansas elk season 2026: dates and free maps

Season dates

  • Youth hunt, Core Elk Management Zone (first): Saturday, October 3 to Sunday, October 4, 2026

    Private land: antlerless only.

    Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

  • Regular hunt, Core Elk Management Zone (first): Monday, October 5 to Friday, October 9, 2026

    Public land by drawn permit; private land by Private Land Elk Permit, either sex until the quota is met.

    Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

  • Youth hunt, Core Elk Management Zone (second): Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, October 25, 2026

    Private land: antlerless only.

    Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

  • Regular hunt, Core Elk Management Zone (second): Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30, 2026

    Private land: antlerless only.

    Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Checked on the agency's site November 6, 2026. Licenses, units, bag limits and shooting hours differ, and dates can vary by unit: the regulations are what count, so read them before you go.

Legal shooting hours for big game in Arkansas, generally: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

Elk hunting covers a lot of ground, far from roads and cell service. Download the maps for your unit ahead of time and Cartahaven shows your GPS position on them offline, so you know which side of a boundary you are on and how to get back to camp.

Arkansas deer zones, elk zones, bear zonesOpen the map app

Free public land maps in Arkansas

All free maps in Arkansas

Before you go

Cartahaven is not affiliated with or endorsed by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Season dates come from the agency pages linked above.