LOWER BUFFALO WILDERNESS AREA
Literally thousands of outdoorsmen "float the Buffalo" during the spring and summer -- and with good reason. This picturesque river winds through some of the most beautiful country that this state has to offer. But during the winter those crowds largely disappear, leaving this expanse of wilderness virtually devoid of humans. Where do deer go when hunting pressure is highest? Where human contact is the lowest.

So one chilly December day I arranged for a canoe (the owner of which looked at me like I might be just a little bit crazy) and spent the day floating and looking. Such a float can be challenging -- the river within the wilderness area flows slower and shallower than it does upstream -- and since I only had the one day, I didn't actually hunt. But I did find a lot of hunting opportunity.

The Buffalo itself is basically the only means of accessing the WA's interior, so you can forget about 4x4s and ATVs. As I paddled along (the water was low), I would simply stop to put ashore at spots that looked good; at several of these I found sign enough to set my heart beating faster.

This one falls under the "adventure" category -- but isn't that what all outdoorsmen crave? So take two or three days and make your camp somewhere along the river itself. From your camp, hunt the flat spots, not forgetting the tops of those higher ridges mentioned earlier. If nothing else, you'll likely find the solitude that all hunters seek -- and maybe some backstrap to go along with it.

PINEY CREEKS WMA & WHITE ROCK WMA
Now why would you put these two areas in an article about out-of-the-way hunting spots? After all, both are well known to hunters statewide, and have been highlighted in numerous go-to articles over the years.

But keep in mind that these two tracts' areas together total nearly a half-million acres of hunting possibility. Piney Creeks lies north of Russellville and, along its western edge, reaches to within shouting distance of White Rock, north of Interstate 40 in Johnson, Franklin and Crawford counties. To put these dimensions into perspective: If you so desired, you could park your truck on Scenic Route 7 somewhere between Dover and Jasper and walk the 100 miles to Fayetteville, remaining within the boundaries of one of these two areas for the better part of your trek.

What does this example suggest about unhunted spots? Well, the human being is a lazy animal, and one, apparently, quite intimidated by unfamiliar country. Consequently, very few hunters ever stray more than a mile from their vehicles.

Get out a topo map and mark off those spots more than a mile from any road or trail. Once you're done, you'll be amazed at the amount of territory out beyond that limit, much of which is, for just that reason, underhunted. Take along your GPS, leave behind all the other junk you've accumulated and set out on an experience that few hunters today have a chance to enjoy.

CHINQUAPIN MOUNTAIN WALK-IN TURKEY AREA
I'm highlighting Chinquapin for this particular article, but in reality the plusses for this area 40 miles or so west of Little Rock along state Route 10 are about the same as those for every other walk-in area in this state: solitude and beauty combined with an opportunity to hunt within the deer's natural element, free from pressure and other outside influences.