First of all, gun hunting is regulated. Last year, a two-day blackpowder permit hunt was held in October and a pair of two-day modern gun permit hunts took place in November -- and that was it. Meanwhile, the bow season runs from Oct. 1 through the end of January.
Likewise, the three counties in which Felsenthal is located are among the state’s leaders in overall kill almost every year, and each has, at one time or another, produced a B&C buck. It’s not often that higher numbers and quality coexist, but they do in this part of the state.
The thing that I like most is that this refuge has great diversity of terrain. There are ridges on the north, hardwood feeding areas in the bottoms and deep swamps farther south. Many of the best hunting areas, particularly after the gun seasons take place, lie within the swamps and require at least hip waders and preferably a boat for access. This is definitely mosquito country, so if you hunt there early in the fall, a ThermaCell will keep you from being eaten alive.
Pond Creek NWR
In the western part of the Gulf Coastal Plain lies Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, some 27,000 acres of grown-up thicket lying north of Ashdown and south of DeQueen. The area gained quite a bit of celebrity two years ago, when Jerry Gennings took his huge Pope & Young bow kill here, and there have been quite a few other good bucks taken over the years.
Again -- a recurring theme here --gun hunting is limited. A week of blackpowder action in October, a two-day youth hunt a week later and a two-day gun hunt just before Thanksgiving make up the firearms options here. Like Felsenthal, the bow season runs Oct. 1 through the end of January, and no antler restrictions are in place.
I’ve hunted Pond Creek several times. The first time I spent about the entire three days I was there lost. This is moderately rolling country, most of it over-grown with brush and vegetation, and on cloudy days there are very few landmarks. The second time I went, I took along my GPS and fared much better. Hunting is good around openings (if you can find any), and if there are acorns, the deer migrate to them. Hunting funnels and travel routes is the preferred method among the locals, along with setting up over rut sign.
The refuge requires that you kill does, which is a sign that their male-to-female ratio is a bit skewed. It also means that if you’re looking to fill your freezer, your chances are good.
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And that’s a look at some (obviously, not all) of our prime bowhunts for the coming season. Remember: It’s hard to find a bad bowhunting spot in Arkansas. When in doubt, toss a dart at a state map -- chances are good that you’ll find deer there.
Arkansas’ 75,000 or so bowhunters really are among the luckiest in the country. A long season, lots of deer, more big bucks -- what else could we ask for?
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