State Route 341 south from Norfork runs almost the entire length of the area, and numerous forest service access roads branch from it into rougher country. This will be one of the areas most affected by the forest service ban on ATVs. Information and maps are available by calling 1-877-297-4331.

THE OUACHITAS
Winona WMA
velers from both Little Rock and Hot Springs is 160,000-acre Winona WMA, in Garland, Prairie and Saline counties. It is perhaps better known for the quality of its bear hunting, but turkeys abound there, too.

If you’ve ever gone to the horse races at Oaklawn, at least from the direction of Russellville, Scenic Route 7 takes you along the western edge of Winona. Like most upland areas within Arkansas, the topography at Winona consists of steep ridges cut by deep hollows, so the same cautions that I mentioned earlier about health and equipment apply here. If you venture into the more remote areas, a GPS unit is desirable. Winona is also where a game camera belonging to Don Scott of Little Rock caught the image of a mountain lion in August 2006. Since the big cats demand seclusion, the picture speaks to the remoteness of this particular territory.

The Flatside Wilderness Area lies near the middle of the area, and along its eastern end hooks up with the Chinquapin Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area. Together, those two areas offer some 25,000 acres of unspoiled and largely underexploited territory within which the hunter looking for quiet and seclusion may well find both. Chinquapin is easily accessible from state Route 9 running south from Perryville. Turkey numbers throughout the entire area are not high, but flocks will be concentrated around the old fields in the spring. Information and maps are available by calling 1-877-525-8606.

GULF COASTAL PLAIN
Leased-Land WMAs
The Gulf Coastal Plain region is firmly entrenched as Arkansas’ second-best turkey-producing area. The downside to this region is that virtually all of the better hunting land lies on timber company holdings that are leased to clubs. Public-land hunters may have tough sledding.

For that reason, probably the best option lies in purchasing a $20 leased-land permit, which entitles you to hunt on privately owned properties scattered throughout the region. Unfortunately from a pocket-book viewpoint, each leased-land area named below requires a separate permit.

Casey Jones WMA lies along the line separating Ashley and Drew counties, both known throughout the region for the quality of their turkey hunting. The land is actually owned by Plum Creek and consists of some 56,908 acres accessible by taking state Route 180 west from Fountain Hill. Big Timber WMA consists of 41,111 private acres lying in Clark County, southwest of Gurdon. Gum Flats WMA (16,661 acres) and Provo WMA (11,327 acres) both run along the Arkansas-Oklahoma line in Little River and Sevier counties. Gum Flats is east of Foreman, and Provo is north of Lockesburg. That leaves Lafayette County WMA (16,739 acres), which lies, naturally, in Lafayette County near the town of Bradley.

Most of these tracts are managed for pine and/or hardwood timber. Prescribed burning is employed on most, and the other timber management practices in effect typically result in good turkey habitat. Check the AGFC regulations booklet for information and contact numbers for each area.

LOOKING AHEAD
The lower jake kill last spring should signal more mature birds this time around. Likewise, fewer birds taken in 2007 should result in more birds available in 2008.

But in the end, it will be the draw of merely spending time afield that attracts most hunters. Whether it’s putting off “honey-do” lists, response to the lack of football on television or merely wanting to be surrounded by the wonder of annual woodland rebirth, thousands of Natural State hunters will head afield that second weekend in April.

I’ll be one of them. Hope you will too!

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
At their October meeting, the AGFC commissioners adopted the following season dates and bag limits for 2008, virtually mirroring 2007. The Arkansas youth hunt is slated for April 5-6 in all zones except for Zone 17, where it will be held March 29-30.

The statewide season is scheduled for April 12-May 2 in zones 1, 2, 4B, 5, 5B, 7, 7A, 8, 9 and 10. Season dates will be April 12-25 for zones 1A, 4, 4A, 5A and 9A. Zone 17, which is inside the levees of the Mississippi River, is scheduled for an April 5-27 season.

Arkansas hunters may harvest two bearded turkeys, only one of which may be a jake. Only one turkey may be taken per day.

Find more about Arkansas fishing and hunting at: ArkansasSportsmanMag.com