Photo by D. Toby Thompson

The first gobbler I ever killed came to the gun a long time ago, up a steep ridge in the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas, not far from Mt. Ida.

We set up on my first-ever bird before he flew down that fine spring morning, but my guide that day didn't know much more about turkey hunting than I did, and as a result, we made some serious mistakes. Looking back, it's obvious to me that we not only crowded the bird too much while he was still on the roost, but we called to him too much. It's little wonder that he pitched out away from us down the slope instead of uphill to our setup. The only puzzling thing about the whole situation is that he eventually walked back up the hill and let me kill him.

Never mind just how long ago that was; it's been awhile. Let's just say that back then, if you wanted to hunt Arkansas gobblers on public land, you went to the Ouachita Mountains -- the only public lands within the state's boundaries that held a viable turkey population.

Luckily for us, that situation has changed. Sure, the Ouachita Mountains and the Ouachita National Forest of western Arkansas still have a good turkey population; in fact, harvest statistics show that public hunting in the Ouachitas is even better now than it was back then. What's changed is that the rest of the state has caught up.

Today, the Ouachita region ranks third behind the Ozarks and Gulf Coastal Plain as a producer of spring gobblers. Only the Delta lags behind, and only because there's so little suitable turkey habitat left in that heavily farmed region. In most places where suitable habitat still exists in the Delta, turkey hunting is as good as anything the Natural State has to offer anywhere.

Much of the best turkey hunting in Arkansas is on private land, of course, and that's especially true in the Delta, the Gulf Coastal Plain and the portion of the Ozarks that lies east of White River. Even so, there's good public-land turkey hunting available in every quadrant of the state.

NORTH
Piney Creeks WMA: This big, rugged area in the central Ozarks offers the turkey hunter more than 180,000 acres of space to bump around in, and most of it is excellent turkey habitat. Piney Creeks Wildlife Management Area lies north of Russellville on both sides of Highway 7. The land belongs to the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and is managed cooperatively by the Forest Service and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Private inholdings totaling more than 5,000 acres are scattered throughout the area, and while these inholdings provide habitat diversity in the forms of fields and pastures, most of them are also posted against hunting. Hunting near an inholding can be an advantage, but be mindful of the boundaries and stay on public land.

Like many of Arkansas' cooperative WMAs, Piney Creeks WMA is not a place for the out-of-shape or the weak of heart. There's an extensive network of Forest Service roads and ATV trails, but many of the roads are blocked and are off limits to motorized vehicles. Even where driving is permitted, there's a lot of rough real estate between roads. If you're flabby, you're not going to like hunting here. But if you like turkeys, you will.

There are several developed campsites on Piney Creeks. Beyond developed areas, though, practically all the area is open to camping, and scenic campsites are as common here as ticks on a hound dog.