The Buffalo National River WMA, consisting of 95,000 acres and located along the famous waterway in Newton, Searcy, Marion and Baxter counties, is largely a walk-in area that is both rugged and awe-inspiring. Because vehicles are prohibited, the interior of this WMA is mostly under-hunted. Access is easiest by state Highway 21 out of Clarksville, or even "Scenic 7," which runs between Russellville and Harrison. When the weather is nice, consider taking a canoe and floating the river itself, back into some remote areas where you won't have to listen to the sounds of vehicles all day.

The famed White River NWR lies, naturally enough, along the White River in Arkansas, Monroe, Phillips and Desha counties. Year in and year out, this 160,000-acre area probably has the best trophy potential of any public spot in the state. Decades of harvests virtually half-and-half with respect to gender have led to a buck-to-doe ratio that few spots, even on private lands, can match. Deep hardwood timber surrounded by numerous row crops, along with limited hunting pressure, helps ensure big deer in the harvest.

Gun hunting is by permit only, and both modern gun and muzzleloader hunts consist of three-day segments. There also is a youth hunt in December on the Cooks Lake unit, and a mobility-impaired hunt one week later. Bowhunting has become doubly popular on the refuge since the season was extended until Dec. 31 on the South Unit. Access is somewhat limited, with state Highway 1 west from DeWitt offering the best bet, along with Highway 17 out of Holly Grove.

A relatively new public hunting area is Choctaw Island WMA, which was purchased in 2001. The area is unique in that its 7,676 acres lie inside the levee of the Mississippi River, southeast of McGehee in Desha County.

Even prior to its purchase only select-cut timber harvest was done on Choctaw, and thus most of the mast-producing trees there were spared. Today it is designated by the AGFC as a deer-research facility, and thus there are some unique rules in place. For instance, a doe must be harvested before a legal "Type A" buck may be harvested. A Type A buck is defined as having 5 or more points on one side, or an inside spread of 15 inches. In reality, this is about as close to trophy management as you will find on a state-operated area.

Gun hunting is by permit only, with a three-day muzzleloader segment in October and a pair of three-day gun segments in November and December. Only 50 permits are available for each, and they are hard to get. There is also a quota doe hunt in January, and a three-day youth hunt in late November.

Access is possible by taking state Highway 159 southeast from McGehee and turning east onto state Highway 4 at Trippe Junction. The WMA is just east of town Arkansas City. Call 1-877-367-3559 for more information.

Finally, don't pass on an opportunity to hunt a managed area within the delta, whether public or private. Places like Cache River NWR, Wattensaw WMA, Henry Gay/ Hurricane WMA, Dagmar WMA and Bald Knob NWR are all places where your chances of taking an out-sized buck are higher than the statewide average. In all cases, the food source is the primary reason. Deer are what they eat.

That concludes our look at the prime trophy spots for the coming season. Remember that recent years have seen B&C bucks appear in areas where they never had been before. Also, we are seeing more good deer produced on an annual basis than at any point in the past. Those two facts give provide hope for the future. The "good old days" of Arkansas big buck hunting are taking place right now!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Freelance writer/photographer Kenn Young lives in Clarksville. He owns the ARDeerHunting Web site -- www.ardeerhunting.com-- the Monster Whitetails of Arkansas traveling big-buck display, and is the editor of Arkansas' Biggest Bucks of All Time, the state record book for whitetail deer. E-mail him at kyoutdoors@centurytel.net