Arkansas publishes deer harvest in a form FDR could rank for 102 public hunting areas and 20 hunt units. Trusten Holder WMA is highest at 13.5 deer harvested per square mile in 2025. Robert L. Hankins Mud Creek WMA has 11.2 in 2025 and Hope Upland WMA has 10.6 in 2025. The rankings describe reported harvest and do not measure access or hunting pressure.
KEY FINDINGS
- Trusten Holder WMA has the highest harvest per square mile at 13.5. The agency reported 172 deer on 8,173 acres in 2025.
- 102 public hunting areas are ranked. Ranks compare areas measured between 2020 and 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
- 20 hunt units are ranked too. Deer Zone 17 has the highest harvest per square mile at 7.0 in 2025.
- 8 federal areas are ranked on their own. Holla Bend NWR has the highest harvest per square mile at 10.6 in 2025.
Arkansas public land rankings
Best public land in Arkansas
Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Seasons measured 2020 through 2025. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Download all ranked rows (CSV)
Public hunting areas
Top 15 of 102 ranked public hunting areas by deer harvest per square mile. Each row shows its own newest year.
15 of 102 areas shown
| 1 | Trusten Holder WMA | Arkansas, Desha | 8,173 | 2025 | 172 | 13.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Robert L. Hankins Mud Creek WMA | Randolph | 1,025 | 2025 | 18 | 11.2 |
| 3 | Hope Upland WMA | Hempstead | 2,115 | 2025 | 35 | 10.6 |
| 4 | Beryl Anthony Lower Ouachita WMA | Ashley, Union | 7,020 | 2025 | 98 | 8.9 |
| 5 | Bell Slough WMA | Faulkner, Pulaski | 2,366 | 2025 | 33 | 8.9 |
| 6 | Ed Gordon Point Remove WMA | Conway, Pope | 8,854 | 2025 | 119 | 8.6 |
| 7 | Jamestown Independence County WMA | Cleburne, Independence | 971 | 2025 | 13 | 8.6 |
| 8 | Moro Big Pine Natural Area WMA | Calhoun | 16,000 | 2025 | 214 | 8.6 |
| 9 | Freddie Black Choctaw Island WMA/Deer Research Area East Unit | Desha | 9,501 | 2025 | 123 | 8.3 |
| 10 | Spring Bank WMA | Lafayette, Miller | 701 | 2025 | 9 | 8.2 |
| 11 | Bayou Des Arc WMA | Prairie | 953 | 2025 | 12 | 8.1 |
| 12 | Camp Robinson SUA | 4,029 | 2025 | 50 | 7.9 | |
| 13 | Two Bayou Creek WMA | Ouachita | 1,250 | 2025 | 14 | 7.2 |
| 14 | Devil's Knob Natural Area WMA | Izard | 822 | 2025 | 9 | 7.0 |
| 15 | Kirk Dupps Beaver Lake WMA | Benton, Carroll, Madison, Washington | 8,007 | 2025 | 82 | 6.6 |
Hunt units
Top 15 of 20 ranked hunt units by deer harvest per square mile. Hunt units include private land, so the public share column shows how much of each unit is public land open to hunting.
15 of 20 hunt units shown
| 1 | Deer Zone 17 | 351,187 | 2025 | 3,864 | 7.0 | 24.1 | 4.4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Deer Zone 13 | 1,729,724 | 2025 | 16,859 | 6.2 | 121.0 | 4.5% |
| 3 | Deer Zone 12 | 6,900,845 | 2025 | 61,381 | 5.7 | 242.9 | 2.3% |
| 4 | Deer Zone 5 | 513,247 | 2025 | 3,877 | 4.8 | 18.1 | 2.3% |
| 5 | Deer Zone 3 | 2,408,728 | 2025 | 16,488 | 4.4 | 39.9 | 1.1% |
| 6 | Deer Zone 10 | 613,443 | 2025 | 4,097 | 4.3 | 74.8 | 7.8% |
| 7 | Deer Zone 8 | 1,644,901 | 2025 | 10,127 | 3.9 | 16.6 | 0.6% |
| 8 | Deer Zone 14 | 607,200 | 2025 | 3,575 | 3.8 | 44.0 | 4.6% |
| 9 | Deer Zone 6 | 2,342,195 | 2025 | 13,457 | 3.7 | 1,161.4 | 31.7% |
| 10 | Deer Zone 1 | 1,307,964 | 2025 | 7,459 | 3.6 | 71.0 | 3.5% |
| 11 | Deer Zone 7 | 1,350,296 | 2025 | 6,944 | 3.3 | 304.2 | 14.4% |
| 12 | Deer Zone 5A | 188,680 | 2025 | 860 | 2.9 | 32.3 | 10.9% |
| 13 | Deer Zone 11 | 2,500,203 | 2025 | 11,172 | 2.9 | 2,225.7 | 57.0% |
| 14 | Deer Zone 9 | 2,762,079 | 2025 | 11,157 | 2.6 | 443.2 | 10.3% |
| 15 | Deer Zone 2 | 2,047,402 | 2025 | 7,565 | 2.4 | 623.8 | 19.5% |
Federal areas
Top 8 of 8 ranked federal areas by deer harvest per square mile. Each row shows its own newest year.
8 of 8 federal areas shown
| 1 | Holla Bend NWR | 7,000 | 2025 | 116 | 10.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Cache River NWR | 54,000 | 2025 | 383 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Felsenthal NWR | 65,000 | 2025 | 424 | 4.2 |
| 4 | Bald Knob NWR | 15,000 | 2025 | 57 | 2.4 |
| 5 | Pond Creek NWR | 27,000 | 2025 | 98 | 2.3 |
| 6 | Overflow NWR | 13,000 | 2025 | 36 | 1.8 |
| 7 | Wapanocca NWR | 5,485 | 2025 | 8 | 0.9 |
| 8 | Big Lake NWR | 11,038 | 2025 | 5 | 0.3 |
01Public hunting areas
102 areas ranked on harvest per square mile
Trusten Holder WMA has the most deer harvested per square mile at 13.5 in 2025. Robert L. Hankins Mud Creek WMA has 11.2 in 2025 and Hope Upland WMA has 10.6 in 2025.
The top 15 run from 13.5 down to 6.6 deer harvested per square mile.
02Hunt units
20 hunt units ranked on harvest per square mile
Deer Zone 17 has the most deer harvested per square mile at 7.0 in 2025. Deer Zone 13 has 6.2 in 2025 and Deer Zone 12 has 5.7 in 2025.
Harvest in a hunt unit includes private land, so the public share is shown next to each unit. The public share is the part of each unit that is public land open to hunting.
03Federal areas
8 federal areas ranked on harvest per square mile
Holla Bend NWR has the most deer harvested per square mile at 10.6 in 2025. Cache River NWR has 4.5 in 2025 and Felsenthal NWR has 4.2 in 2025.
04Basis of this report
Sources and method
FDR divided the agency's deer harvest by the area's size to get harvest per square mile. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Ranks compare areas measured between 2020 and 2025 and each row shows its own newest year.
Success rate is the agency's published figure or harvest divided by hunters. Tied values share a rank and the order uses the unrounded values.
A ranking does not evaluate an individual property and does not confirm that it is open to hunting for you.
Sources
- ar-licensing.s3licensing.com
- agfc.com (archived copy)
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Derived FDR figures from state agency numbers. Seasons measured 2020 through 2025. Captured October 18, 2026. Harvest per square mile is the agency's deer harvest divided by the area's size. Success rate is the agency's published rate or harvest divided by hunters. Areas smaller than one square mile are left out of the rankings. Order uses the unrounded values and tied values share a rank. Blank cells mean the agency did not publish the figure.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. FDR rankings are independent analysis of state agency numbers. A ranking does not evaluate an individual property.
Keep reading
FDR Scout puts research like this on the map of the ground you hunt. Open Scout →