Of the top 20 Arkansas counties for 2007 turkey harvests, only Sharp County reported more than 400 birds, and just five counties posted harvests exceeding 300 kills.

Sharp County led the state with 419 turkeys checked, followed by Fulton with 392 and Baxter with 325. If you take a look at the list of top kill counties, you will note that Arkansas’ northeastern counties have taken the place of southern Ozarks counties atop the harvest numbers. The reason is simple: lots of clear-cutting has taken place in that region as more and more people move in to retire. This new “edge” creates ideal feeding situations for turkey and deer as well.

Regionally, the Ozarks continues to lead the state in terms of overall harvest, but it is also the region that showed the biggest decline in raw harvest numbers in 2007. The Gulf Coastal Plain continued its run as the state’s second-place turkey region. With a decrease of only 11 percent, this region stayed well ahead of the Ouachitas, where the annual harvest dropped by 20 percent.

Statistics aside, decent hunting opportunities exist in each of the state’s regions. Here’s a look at a few spots where your chances of bagging a longbeard are better.

THE DELTA
St. Francis National Forest WMA
A recent survey done by the AGFC showed that only 44 percent of delta gobbler hunters target the delta, with the other 56 percent presumably hunting other regions. Some of them may want to rethink their choice of hunting grounds.

The decrease in harvest numbers in this region was far less than that of any other area. Secondly, in a largely agricultural area, the availability of food sources is far less of a problem than in the uplands, where mast during the fall of 2007 was greatly reduced by the previous spring cold snap. While there is less public hunting land available in the delta, there is above-average habitat, and the flocks will be somewhat concentrated on those spots.

St. Francis National Forest Wildlife Management Area is a 21,201-acre area lying along the southern end of Crowley’s Ridge and has long been a staple for mid-delta hunters. Since public hunting is at a premium in this region, it is hunted hard, particularly early in the season.

Also keep in mind that the entire delta region, traversed not only by the Mississippi River but also by the White, Cache and Arkansas rivers, is essentially a drainage. In years of heavy rain, much of the land is under water, and the St. Francis National Forest WMA, which is relatively elevated for this region, can attract birds looking for higher ground.

The topography here consists of fairly steep ridges and narrow hollows covered primarily with a variety of hardwoods. Access is obtained via a NFS road that runs virtually the entire length of the WMA, connecting to state Route 44 on the north end near Marianna and state Route 242 on the south end near Helena. Forest Service maps of the area can be helpful; they can be obtained by calling 1-877-734-4581.

THE OZARKS
Sylamore WMA
Great beauty and almost unlimited public hunting -- that pretty much sums up both the Ozarks and the Ouachitas. The downside is that hunting pressure is heavy in the more accessible spots, especially near Fort Smith and the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers triplex, both of which have high numbers of hunters.

Sylamore Wildlife Management Area actually lies farther east than better-known areas such as White Rock and Piney Creeks WMAs. Like those two areas, Sylamore is a big area, comprising 170,000 acres in Baxter, Marion, Stone and Searcy counties. It also contains several walk-in turkey areas, the most notable being Leatherwood, which lies along the western edge near the Buffalo River. Such areas, where all motorized traffic is prohibited, are exactly the type of spots that will attract an old gobbler, particularly during the latter parts of the season.

Like most mountain areas, Sylamore is rugged and rough in areas, so a note or two of caution is prudent. If you’re overweight and out of shape, or if you have heart or respiratory problems, you probably need to choose another location. Also, you need to check and break in your equipment, particularly your boots, before setting out. It will save you a lot of blisters.