White Rock WMA: Another monster area, this is the largest chunk of public hunting land in Arkansas. White Rock WMA covers 280,000 acres of Ozark National Forest property north of Ozark on both sides of Highway 23, the southern leg of the Pig Trail.

If anything, White Rock is even more rugged than is Piney Creeks, but in general White Rock's mountains have better-defined benches, which makes getting around in this area a little more manageable. However, if you hear a gobbler on the next mountain, you're still going to have a workout trying to cross the valley to get to him. Experienced White Rock gobbler chasers know it's usually more productive -- not to mention much easier -- to stay fairly high on a mountain and follow the benches sideways along the slope rather than crossing the deep valleys and trying to reach a gobbler on the next mountain.

SOUTH
Bayou Meto WMA: Lying in both Arkansas and Jefferson counties, southwest of Stuttgart, 34,000-acre Bayou Meto WMA is known primarily for the quality of its flooded-timber duck hunting. But many east Arkansas residents know that Bayou Meto is also home to a decent turkey population. These swamp gobblers lure hunters in each spring despite the ravenous swarms of mosquitoes. "I'd rather go turkey hunting down here without my shotgun shells than without my bug dope," said one veteran Bayou Meto turkey chaser. Probably an exaggeration -- but not by very much.

In general, Bayou Meto WMA's turkey populations are centered in the east-central and west-central portions of the area, near grand Cypress Lake on the east and Mulberry on the west, but any part of this sprawling WMA is likely to hold a few willing gobblers. The Buckingham Flats area on the south end is another potential hotspot.

Depending on the amount of late-winter and early-spring rainfall, Bayou Meto WMA can be bone-dry or nearly fully flooded when turkey season rolls around. The AGFC tries to dewater the area in February to keep from killing trees, but nature doesn't always cooperate. When the flatwoods are flooded or partially so, it adds another dimension to an already complicated sport. Trying to figure out which neck of dry land your bird is gobbling from can be a frustrating thing.

Camping at Bayou Meto WMA is restricted to designated campgrounds only, but there are plenty of them. It's primitive camping only; no hookups are available anywhere on the area.

Poison Springs WMA: Purchased in 1957 by the Arkansas Forestry Commission, Poison Springs is the only state forest in Arkansas. It lies in western Ouachita and eastern Nevada counties, 20 miles west of Camden.

At 19,500 acres, Poison Springs WMA is smaller than Bayou Meto WMA but is still a decent-sized area. However, for hunters not adept at map-reading and on-the-ground reckoning, this area's checkerboard composition makes it tricky to hunt. Hunters who know how to navigate with map, compass and GPS can find high-quality, uncrowded hunting on the scattered chunks of land that make up this unusual area. Most of the land surrounding Poison Springs WMA's scattered property is corporate timberland leased to hunting clubs, so staying within the management area boundaries is important.

This is typical Gulf Coastal Plain country, with flat or gently rolling terrain and mixed pine and hardwood creek bottoms. The largest blocks and most of the acreage of Poison Springs' land mass borders upper and lower White Oak lakes. One good way to hunt this area is by launching a boat in either the upper or lower lake and listening for gobbling birds while you're on the water. However, much of the WMA's acreage lies far from the lakes, and therefore can't be hunted by boat. Driving the roads from block to block and trying to strike a willing gobbler can be a productive way of hunting at Poison Springs.