THE CROPLANDS
Arkansas Deer Zone 4
When discussing the delta, the best bowhunting probably occurs not in a particular place, but within a particular region. In the 1980s, the AGFC shut down all hunting in Arkansas Deer Zone 4 due to low herd numbers. While the direct effects of that hiatus are long gone, the down-range effects are not. For roughly a decade, the bigger, older bucks did much of the breeding there, thanks to a lack of hunting pressure. Today, the following generations of those deer are still roaming the croplands of Arkansas Deer Zone 4.

Two decades later, gun hunting is still limited throughout the entire region. The two-day youth hunt in early November; a two-day firearms season in mid-November and the Christmas Holiday Hunt comprise the only firearms opportunities in Zone 4. Bow season, however, follows state guidelines, running from Oct. 1-Feb. 29.

Thanks to these regulations, Zone 4 has become a bowhunting paradise. Every year, numerous Pope & Young bucks are taken in this relatively small part of the state. But, as is often the case, much of the best Zone 4 hunting occurs on private property. When it comes to public areas, there are only one or two that stand out in Zone 4.

“Virtually all hunting throughout this part of the state is controlled by water levels,” said James DeSpain, a long-time Pope & Young scorer and avid bowhunter. “We’re a low-water area, and during rainy periods everything up in Missouri runs down on us. So, about every winter our season is closed at times due to high water.

“Big Lake Wildlife Management Area and Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Mississippi County) lie side-by-side and together total about 24,000 acres. They’re not overrun with deer, but if you hunt hard and put in your time, you have a chance of taking a good buck there. I would also consider the St. Francis Sunken Lands down between Lake City and Marked Tree. That entire area -- I would guess about 25,000 acres -- was completely clear-cut some years ago. Today it’s a grown-up mess, so thick you can’t walk through it in a lot of places. That definitely makes it another good big buck area.”

Bow season at Big Lake NWR runs Nov. 1-Dec. 31, and since the land here is federally owned, the state-imposed 3-point restriction is not in effect. On the WMA side of Big Lake, and also on the Sunken Lands, the season runs Oct. 1 through the end of February, and the 3-point rule is in effect.

White River NWR
The other delta hotspot is the famed White River National Wildlife Refuge, 160,000 acres of bottomland wilderness lying in Arkansas, Monroe, Phillips and Desha Counties. Several years ago, I highlighted this area as hosting the best big-buck hunting in the state; that’s probably still true today. The prime reason? Genes. Big bucks have been there virtually since the refuge’s opening in the 1960s, are there now, and will be there in the future. The AGFC area biologist, Richard Hines, pointed out that over the last 40 years, the buck-to-doe harvest ratio has been virtually 1:1, and that has served to ensure a buck-to-doe herd ratio most areas do not even approach. Throw in the nutrition supplied by the row crops that ring the unit’s perimeter, and you have everything a buck needs.

In 2007-08, archers at White River took 252 deer -- 129 bucks and 123 does. Archery season runs from Oct. 1 through Jan. 31 in the north unit and Dec. 31 on the south unit. The locals say that hunting, particularly for trophy bucks, is best during December and into January, after the gun season.