How about public land hunting in 41 or 103 acre WMAs? Too confining for my sense of adventure. (Yes..Arkansas has a 41 acre WMA..See end note)
 |
| I positioned my stand near one of the refuges many ox-bow lakes to intercept this heavy racked 9 point. |
THE BIG WOODS CHALLENGE
As a hunter who obsesses over the adventure of the hunt more than the kill, I'm drawn to big forests devoid of artificial advantages created by man.
Like my self limiting bow and arrow, big forests also challenge me. That challenge, that slight edge retained by my quarry, is what lures me to return, with bow in hand each fall to the largest remaining tract of bottom land forest in Arkansas; the 160,000 acre river bottoms of the Dale Bumpers-White River National Wildlife Refuge
But big forests, not yet carved up or cleared by dozers and plows, can challenge modern day bowhunters. Without man-made funnel like effects of hedge rows, barb wire fences, agriculture field lines and corn piles....many simply don't know where to begin when faced with 160,000 acres of untamed river bottoms.
FIVE TACTICS I USE FOR REFUGE WHITETAILS
Any one tactic by itself could put a refuge whitetail in front of me ... but the more I combine into one stand location the better.
 |
| Pinch point -North Unit of the refuge. |
 |
| Lush vegetation along rivers edge. |
3. Know Preferred Food Sources.
Persimmons: Silence interrupted by the sound of a ripe persimmon slapping down through overhead leaves as it torpedoes to a sugar bursting thud onto the ground beneath my treestand is the ultimate confirmation of my refuge setup. If you're lucky to find one loaded down, (or even better, a group of them) you've got a hot spot.
Overcup and Nuttall: Few oak species are as well adapted to tolerate the seasonal flooding and poorly drained soils within the refuge as our Nuttall and Overcup. Though important fall food sources, they are so abundant and wide spread that simply finding acorns under a tree won't guarantee you deer activity. For example, the 2014 mast crop was huge, I easily located a dozen Overcup trees that had dropped so many acorns they made walking difficult. Yet I struggled to find cracked acorn hulls, deer scat or tracks. Then, in un-explained randomness, the next Overcup
tree I looked under was littered with feeding activity. What's up? Deer are creatures of habit and security so I suspect that once they find a tree dropping acorns they utilize it to the exclusion of others, bedding near by and returning to eat at their leisure.
4. Ditch the Public Land Crowds. I'm amused by hunters who complain about too many hunters on public lands yet they never get the connection between roads and crowds. For a host of reasons, these "average Joe hunters" never venture far from access roads and ATV trails. Maybe it's fear of getting lost, dread of packing an animal out, or general laziness. Bottom line is, the further you distance yourself from access roads and ATV trails the more likely you will find undisturbed deer habitat.
5. Sit Tight. If you hunt public lands it's inevitable, that in spite of your best pre-hunt planning and scouting, you will sometimes find yourself encroached by other hunters. When it happens ... don't sweat it.. just sit tight. Average hunters are too impatient to sit long. Never confident in their stand selection, as daylight cracks they are soon out of their stands, aimlessly wandering and stirring up bedded midday deer that they never see..... right past your stand.
Good luck and enjoy your Big Woods hunting adventure.
Jim Taylor
Three Arkansas based national wildlife refuges that are big enough to get lost in:
Dale Bumpers White River NWR- 160,000 acres
Cache River NWR- 67,000 acres
Felsenthal NWR- 65,000 acres
*Roth Prairie WMA- 41 acres. , Cedar Creek WMA 103 acres
Persimmons: Silence interrupted by the sound of a ripe persimmon slapping down through overhead leaves as it torpedoes to a sugar bursting thud onto the ground beneath my treestand is the ultimate confirmation of my refuge setup. If you're lucky to find one loaded down, (or even better, a group of them) you've got a hot spot.
 |
| Loaded Persimmon trees are favorite "hot-spots" |
 |
| Overcup |
4. Ditch the Public Land Crowds. I'm amused by hunters who complain about too many hunters on public lands yet they never get the connection between roads and crowds. For a host of reasons, these "average Joe hunters" never venture far from access roads and ATV trails. Maybe it's fear of getting lost, dread of packing an animal out, or general laziness. Bottom line is, the further you distance yourself from access roads and ATV trails the more likely you will find undisturbed deer habitat.
5. Sit Tight. If you hunt public lands it's inevitable, that in spite of your best pre-hunt planning and scouting, you will sometimes find yourself encroached by other hunters. When it happens ... don't sweat it.. just sit tight. Average hunters are too impatient to sit long. Never confident in their stand selection, as daylight cracks they are soon out of their stands, aimlessly wandering and stirring up bedded midday deer that they never see..... right past your stand.
Good luck and enjoy your Big Woods hunting adventure.
Jim Taylor
Three Arkansas based national wildlife refuges that are big enough to get lost in:
Dale Bumpers White River NWR- 160,000 acres
Cache River NWR- 67,000 acres
Felsenthal NWR- 65,000 acres
*Roth Prairie WMA- 41 acres. , Cedar Creek WMA 103 acres
