This situation provides excellent deer hunting opportunities for hunters who are willing to boat to their hunting areas. The numerous islands and peninsulas on the lake provide excellent deer habitat that’s often hard to reach overland, and when you do kill a deer here, it’s almost always a downhill drag to your boat.

The north shore of the lake generally receives less hunting pressure than the south shore, since it’s farther from Hot Springs and from heavily traveled U.S. Highway 270, which passes not far from the south shore. But you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the low hunting pressure no matter where on the lake you choose to hunt.

MADISON COUNTY WMA
At 13,270 acres, this rugged chunk of real estate is one of the most picturesque of the AGFC’s WMAs. Located off Highway 23 between Huntsville and Eureka Springs, Madison County WMA is well away from the major population centers of the state and lies well off the major highways that traverse the Ozarks. It can be reached from the west off Highway 23, and from the northeast via Highway 221 from Berryville.

Due to its location this sizable WMA is nearly deserted during most of Arkansas’ long bow season. For the dedicated bowhunter, it’s a delightful situation: a large, scenic, diverse area of pine, hardwoods, thickets and wildlife openings. There’s a very good deer population, a good percentage of quality bucks and very little human traffic or competition from other hunters.

This is especially true in the smaller, more northern portion of the WMA, which has fewer roads and is therefore more difficult to penetrate. This roughly 5,000-acre section of the area is made to order for a bowhunter who’s looking for solitude.

There are nearly two dozen primitive campsites scattered around the area, and camping on the WMA is allowed only on these sites. The nearby towns of Eureka Springs, Huntsville and Berryville have motel facilities, and campsites with hook-ups are available at several state parks and Corps of Engineers campgrounds on and around Beaver Lake, approximately 15 miles to the west.

SYLAMORE WMA
This 150,000-acre chunk of national forest land occupies parts of four counties between the White and Buffalo Rivers -- Marion, Searcy, Stone and Baxter. Most of it is steep and hard to reach, but still receives heavy hunting pressure because it’s the closest national forest land available to east Arkansas hunters. Even so, most hunters stick close to the roads and ATV trails, leaving most of the area virtually untouched. Consequently, the area has good trophy potential, and several real wall-hangers come from here each season.

Access routes into the interior of the area are numerous, consisting of Forest Service and county roads off Highways 9, 14 and 341. Two major campgrounds are available within the area, but as with national forest WMAs elsewhere, camping is allowed almost everywhere here. Motels are available at Allison, Mountain View and Calico Rock.