As is the case everywhere, turkeys are where you find them. However, the lake's west (upper) end is the least developed and the hardest to reach, and hunters looking for solitude and less-pressured turkeys could do worse than to concentrate their efforts here. Launching at the Little Fir access at the end of Highway 188, 12 miles northeast of Mt. Ida, will put you close to a lot of turkey-rich, road-poor national forest land on the Ouachita River arm of the lake. Launching at the Denby Point, Tomkins Bend or Joplin accesses (off Highway 270 eight, nine and 10 miles from Mt. Ida, respectively) will put you in the same kind of country on the South Fork arm of the lake.

However, don't overlook the big stretch of roadless shoreline around Crystal Springs Public Use Area and Brady Mountain Public Use Area on the south shore of the lower end of the lake. These are also reached via access roads off Highway 270, just west of Royal.

Camping is pretty much unrestricted around the lake, but don't forget that you're on national forest property, and that firewood cutting is restricted to dead, downed stuff. The numerous islands (most of them are in the lower half of the lake) provide plenty of secluded, scenic campsites.

Free maps of Lake Ouachita are available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 700 West Capitol, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 324-5551, or from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, (501) 223-6351.

SMALLER BOATS FOR SMALLER WATERS A water-based turkey hunt doesn't have to take place on a big lake. Using a canoe or shallow-draft johnboat can put you into some pristine country and first-rate turkey hunting along many small to moderate-sized streams throughout the Arkansas hill country.   One of the most remote expanses of public turkey hunting country in the state lies along the lower 22 miles of the Buffalo River in Baxter, Marion and Searcy counties. This stretch of river flows between Lower Buffalo Wilderness Area and Leatherwood Wilderness Area, and there's no road access between the last put-in place at Rush (off Highway 14 south of Yellville) and White River.   There's a 10-horsepower limit on outboards on this section of the Buffalo, and no glass containers are allowed. In low-water conditions this is an easy float, but if the river is up, only experienced canoeists should attempt the trip. A high-quality map of the river and updated water conditions are available from the National Park Service at 402 North Walnut Street, Suite 136, Harrison, AR 72601, phone 870-741-5443.   There are many more scenic streams in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. Among them are the upper Ouachita River, the Fourche la Fave River above Lake Nimrod, Piney Creek and Mulberry River in the central Ozarks, and Lee Creek in southwest Washington and northwest Crawford counties.

Since Lake Winona is only about four miles long, it doesn't have anywhere near as much shoreline as does huge Lake Ouachita. But that doesn't mean that the hunting is of any lower quality. The ridges and points that ring Winona are home to a healthy turkey population, and this is the best public turkey hunting area within easy driving distance of Little Rock.

Because this is a water-supply lake, no body-contact sports like water-skiing are allowed, but that's an advantage rather than a disadvantage for a turkey hunter, because it cuts down on the boat traffic and the noise.

Almost all the human activity here is concentrated around the dam site at the lower (east) end of the lake, with a lesser amount at the boat ramp near the upper (west) end. Camping along the lake's shore is prohibited, but there are many good campsites on national forest property nearby.

There are Forest Service roads fairly close to both the north and south shores of Winona, but the road on the south side is rough, and veers away from the shore about halfway up the lake. Therefore, the hardest-to-reach portion of Lake Winona is the upper half of the lake, particularly the south shore. However, don't overlook the more-easily accessed lower section, because several times I've heard turkeys gobbling while I was standing in the dam site park.

Still, there's a buffer of Corps property almost completely encircling the lake, and although this strip of public land is only a couple of hundred yards wide in places, it provides good opportunities for turkey hunting. In addition, the main body of Beaver Lake curls around 11,700-acre Hobbs State Management Area in southeast Benton County, and several tendrils of the lake extend into the management area.

Aside from Hobbs SMA, there's no outstanding "best" area of Beaver for turkey hunting: Just pick a spot and go. Free Beaver Lake maps are available from either the Corps or the AGFC at the addresses given earlier.