First in our sights is Bayou Des Arc WMA. You can take advantage of a late muzzleloader season there in Prairie County on Dec. 29-31.

Bayou Des Arc WMA is located five miles north of the city of the same name, and is found just off of Arkansas Route 11. It encompasses 953 acres and was purchased in 1966 by the AGFC to construct the 320-acre public fishing lake, Lake Des Arc. Outside the levees of that impoundment, the WMA consists of prime White River bottom hardwoods.

"A portion of Bayou Des Arc WMA has mature hardwoods and is bordered by privately owned WRP (Wetlands Reserve Program land) and the bayou itself," said Garrick S. Dugger, the AGFC's assistant regional supervisor in the area. "I'm not sure about hunter pressure on this WMA, but I believe a hunter could have late-season success on this WMA. Access to this WMA is primarily by boat -- via Bayou Des Arc -- unless the bayou is low, and then it could be accessed by foot travel."

He noted that there is a large ditch and drain that must be traversed to reach the main portion of the WMA from Lake Des Arc.

Primitive camping is available at Lake Des Arc, as are electrical hook-ups. Food and some other essentials can be found at the restaurants, convenience stores and groceries just a short drive away in Des Arc.

Closer to central Arkansas, hunters can take advantage of Holland Bottoms WMA in Lonoke County. That WMA is appreciably larger than Bayou Des Arc WMA at 6,190 acres. But Holland Bottoms often gets overlooked by hunters heading to far reaches of the state. With 87 percent of its grounds being bottomland hardwoods, passing up that hotspot can be a big mistake.

Having property lines that run up against the city limits of Jacksonville, Holland Bottoms WMA offers a handful of camping areas, many of them located adjacent to Lake Tommy L. Sproles/Pickthorne. Access can be gained via Graham Road to the south or from the west on roads named Coffelt and Holland Bottoms. Further movement on the WMA, which was purchased in 1985 through a land trade with the Arkansas Forestry Commission, is limited to foot traffic.

Fuel, camping supplies and groceries can be found to the north in Cabot, in Jacksonville to the west, and at stores in Ward, Lonoke, Sherwood, North Little Rock and other neighboring communities.

A definite plus for hunters who want to head to Holland Bottoms is that the muzzleloader hunts, including the late one set for Dec. 19-21, are permit-only hunts. That means less hunting pressure, as does the fact that modern gun season is closed on this WMA. Of course, the permit application process for such hunts occurs in the summer. So, you'll either have to apply for next year's hunts or check with the AGFC to see if there are any leftover permits available.

Also noteworthy, when asked how he would rank public hunting grounds in Bayou Country, Dugger listed Holland Bottoms behind only Cache River NWR as "great places to go in December with a muzzleloader."

A third location of interest is Departee Creek WMA, which provides a muzzleloader hunt on Dec. 29-31, and a modern gun hunt on the three preceding days. The WMA lies in White County and consists of 448 acres that butt up against the eastern edge of the Ozark Plateau where the landscape gives way to lower and flatter ground.

"This WMA is near Bradford, west of the White River, and is open for the late muzzleloader season," Dugger said, adding that this hunt is not a permit-only one. "The area is heavily hunted by the locals but does provide a late-season opportunity."