GULF MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA
Located in Van Buren County west of Clinton, this 10,000-plus-acre WMA adjoins the Bayou Ranger District of the Ozark National Forest. The primary access is into the southern part of the WMA off Highway 95 at Scotland. Access to the more remote northern section of the area is by gravel road off Highway 16 at the tiny community of Rupert.

Gulf Mountain WMA’s wildlife openings and brushy areas combine with a hardwood-dominated forest type to produce excellent habitat for deer, bear and turkeys alike, and this area is among the top picks in the state for a bowhunter looking for a better-than-average chance of bagging either of these other two species while deer hunting. Deer herd quality is good, with a healthy buck-to-doe ratio, and each year by gun hunters and bowhunters alike take some respectable racks.

The Little Red River’s South Fork flows across Gulf Mountain WMA, and the area south of the river receives the bulk of the hunting pressure. But a rough, primitive road crossing provides access to the north portion of the WMA, and as already mentioned, you can also come in from Rupert.

Camping is allowed in designated campsites only, all six of which are on the southern portion of the WMA. The nearest motels are in Clinton, approximately 15 miles east.

HAROLD E. ALEXANDER WMA
Located near Hardy, the 13,444 acres contained within the boundaries of Harold Alexander WMA represent the only public hunting land in Sharp County. The gun and muzzle-loader deer hunts are by permit only, and it’s a popular draw. There are usually five times as many applicants as permits (450 for the muzzle-loader hunt, 350 for the gun hunt), but archery hunting is legal outside the dates of the permit gun hunts for all comers, and a good many of the annual deer kill comes from bowhunting.

Harold Alexander is a mixture of hardwoods and open land, and while the steady pounding of the annual permit hunts keeps the overall buck size from reaching its full potential, there are still a few pretty good deer taken here every year.

Primitive camping is allowed in designated areas, and there are motels in Hardy and Mammoth Spring.

HOBBS STATE MANAGEMENT AREA
All but Hobbs State Park, which comprises about a thousand acres of this 11,644-acre area, is open for bowhunting. Hobbs sits where Madison, Benton and Carroll counties meet, about 10 miles east of Springdale. As with nearby Madison County WMA, Hobbs is open to permit-only gun deer hunting and is popular with bowhunters from northwest Arkansas. This tract has a reputation for yielding exceptionally long-tined racks, and there’s enough rough country to allow a few of the bucks to get some age on them.

Campers are welcome in the state-park section of Hobbs SMA. No camping is allowed on the management area proper.

LAKE OUACHITA
This 40,000-acre lake is the largest man-made impoundment in Arkansas, and it also has the most undeveloped shoreline. Most of the lake is bounded by the Ouachita National Forest and has been left in natural condition.