"I am 'old school'. As a young man I was taught my hunting methods and ethics by a group of 'oldtimers' who treated the outdoors as being a gift from God, and the game they harvested as the bounty of their hard work and skill. They were men to whom hunting was not a 'sport', but rather a way of life. It is my fervent hope that when they look down on me today they will take pride in the fact that one of them still lives." - Kenn Young THOSE WHO IGNORE
HISTORY Back in the now long-ago past, in the days when I took my first, tentative steps down the deer hunting road, there was one inviolate rule in the group of ‘oldtimers’ that I hunted with. DON'T SHOOT A DOE. This was along about 1968, and many of the men that frequented the campfire during hunting season had lived through two significant events that took place during the 1930's: 1) the Great Depression, when every man truly WAS equal, and 2) the period when deer were virtually extinct in this state. In 1930 the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC) figured that less than 500 whitetails, that’s TOTAL, roamed the hills and valleys of what we now call the Natural State!  So taken in that
context, it’s not hard to understand why doe deer were regarded as
sacred. They had been totally protected for about 40 years at the
time, and that management strategy would continue for several more
decades, all the way up to the mid-1990's.
Back during the 1930's and 40's a massive re-stocking program was begun. Deer like this doe were moved by G&F personnel from secure state and federal management areas to remote spots where they were allowed to re-produce in relative safety. The ultimate result is that today as many as 1,000,000 animals roam the hills and flatlands of the Natural State. By that time interest in big bucks was growing at a fantastic rate. North American Whitetail magazine had come along in 1982, and that is significant because NAW was the first national publication devoted entirely to big deer; watching them, growing them and hunting them. I remember thinking at the time that there was about to be a big buck explosion in this country, and the years since have proved just how right that observation was. Today even the ‘average’ deer hunter is far more knowledgeable about America’s #1 game animal, and deer hunting is itself a billion-dollar-a-year business! There have been bumps along the road. Those first few years we had doe seasons here in the mountains hunters about wore them out, to the point that our overall numbers plummeted to alarming lows. Even Hugh Durham, the AGFC Director at the time, stated that "we probably overshot the goals a bit where doe harvest was concerned." What that means in plain-speak is that we killed too many, and it took 4-5 years to recover from that mistake. During that time our hunting naturally suffered, public outcry was loud and long, and it was not a happy time at #2 Natural Resources Drive. But with more logical doe harvest guidelines in effect the herd numbers quickly rebounded, but with one primary difference: for the first time in history our buck: doe ratio was somewhat in line. Not close to that magical 1:1, but at least to the point that it was workable. Combined with the 3-point rule initiated about the same time, which allowed our bucks to achieve older age structure, buck quality here in the uplands dramatically increased over a fairly short 5-year period. There’s a purpose for all this reminiscing, just bear with me. For more than 60 years we killed buck-only in this state. As a result we had too many does and little buck quality. A vast majority of the males taken here in the Ozarks were 1.5 years old (biologists at the time figured roughly 85-90 per cent of the state total fell into this age group), and a sizable number of those had genetic deficiencies that resulted in small, flat-bladed racks, often with odd numbers of points from side to side. Knowing the problems that can be caused by out-of-balance buck:doe ratios, WHY are we allowing 2 bucks to be taken statewide today/and only 1 doe? That is the bag limit in all deer zones, 1-17. While in areas such as Ozark National Forest WMA, Piney Creeks WMA and White Rock WMA there is a 1-buck limit (thankfully), it is also true that in only 1 of those 17 zones were more doe than bucks harvested in 2007-08. That is true even in the southern regions of the state, where about any hunter you talk to will tell you they have far too many does. Are we really trying to get back to the ‘glory days’ of the 60's and 70's, when does outnumbered bucks 10-12-14 to 1 in some spots? Those of us old enough to remember know there really wasn’t much glory during that period at all! "Patterning" big bucks has become an obsession with serious trophy hunters. But as we shall see, there is another side to the coin..." HOW BIG BUCKS PATTERN YOU The old buck moved quickly along the mountain trail bathed in silvery moonlight, instinctively placing his hooves to avoid making noise. Though he moved with some urgency, the first streaks of dawn in the eastern sky were still nearly an hour away.  Occasionally he paused to sample
the cool breezes, inhaling deeply while his ears swiveled to catch any
sounds from the hunter's camps along the road below. As he did he felt
that vague uneasiness, even though he knew that man did not roam the
woods at night. Oh, occasionally the blinding lights did shine into
the roadside clearings where the does and young bucks fed, then the
terrible sounds would shatter the night and afterward blood would
remain on the grass. But he had learned long ago to avoid such places.
While he did not recognize it as such, opening day of hunting season was only a short time away. The buck understood only that once again man had invaded his world, and the resulting feeling of dread pushed him quickly toward the seclusion of his ridgeside safety area. Long before he had been born a terrible, howling wind had slammed into the mountainside, leaving the huge trees scattered like so many straws along it's steep sides. Over the ensuing years the land had slowly reclaimed the area, and now a myriad of vines covered the rotting logs. With many hidden holes beneath the vines the area was dangerous for man, and thus ideal for deer. His favorite bed was alongside a huge uprooted oak, and vines literally covered him as he lay against it’s upturned roots. No one ever bothered him there, not even the one who spent so much time on the mountain, looking at tracks and examining the trees he pushed against as he readied himself for each fall's breeding season. A sense of unease came over him as he thought of that solitary hunter, but even that one was easy to avoid. Several times over the years the man had been within yards of the buck's hiding place, without even knowing he was watched from such a close distance! It seemed that man did not use his nose very well, and even his eyes and ears seemed almost useless. 
This morning the man-stench from the lowlands below burned his nose it was so strong. All the preceding day the cars, trucks, and houses on wheels had streamed into the valley, the animal inhabitants fleeing before their noisy onslaught. From his ridgeside bed the buck had listened to the turmoil, his growing concern and fear making him restless. Only after complete darkness had he ventured down to the grainfields to snatch a quick meal of the succulent wheat. Even then he had stayed at the very edge of the opening, where a single quick bound would take him into thick cover and safety. But now he would change his normal patterns, moving only at night and feeding in those remote openings deep within the forest itself. Luckily, the sweet acorns had begun to fall, and he would be able to gorge himself without venturing too far from his security zone. The stirrings of fear were not new to the buck. He had now endured six hunting seasons, and he had learned their lessons well. He knew that soon the terrible sounds would again turn his woods into a place of terror, and well he remembered the searing pain one such sound had caused him during his yearling year. The hurt had finally gone away, but the hunter's bullet had left him with a lingering limp that caused one hoofprint to be light and indistinct even now. Though he could not know this, it was an identifying trait that had long identified his tracks to every hunter in the area, and men often drove many miles to simply gaze at the huge impressions where he had crossed a wet road or snow-covered field. He paused as the sounds of laughter floated up from one of the campsites below. Man gathered at that particular spot every year, their noise and woodsmoke combining with the stench to make it a place to be avoided. Lights still burning in several of the tents and trailers indicated that some of the late-night card games had lasted well into morning. That was good, because there would be many sleepy hunters in the woods that day, and those would head back to their camps soon after sunup. 
As he moved up a last steep ridge he heard a car door slam on the road below, followed by another and then loud voices, the sound distinct in the cool morning air. Man parked at that spot, from which there were two distinct trails they would take up the mountainside. This habit made them easy to avoid until they reached the higher ridges, where they would separate. Some made so much noise with their breathing, gasping and even coughing on occasion, that his ears could follow their progress all the way to the top. Climbing even the easiest slopes seemed hard for man, and they NEVER stopped their incessant talking! It was almost as if they wanted the deer to know where they were at all times! Most also left their vehicles wearing the same heavy coats and gloves they would wear when on stand. Their sweat under the layers of heavy clothing would quickly make them cold and uncomfortable, along with making their stench even worse. Those who became chilled would be walking aimlessly through the woods soon after daybreak, their discomfort combining with their lack of faith in their hunting spot to put them on the move. Damp clothing and boredom had saved many a buck over the years! He paused in a dense growth of pines and watched the first pinpoints of light moving into the woods far below. The flashlights winked like fireflies as he checked to make sure of their direction. Even with the help of their lights humans still moved noisily. They broke sticks and rustled leaves underfoot as they plowed through the underbrush, their contact with low-growing vegetation leaving their scent everywhere they went. Oddly, he had occasionally encountered human trails that smelled faintly like a fox or even bobcat, and several times the solitary one who hunted on the mountain had left no scent at all. That had been disconcerting, because in some way that hunter had come up with a way to confuse his nose, which was his most trusted warning system! 
The group of hunters below were on their way to several ladder stands overlooking some upland oak flats. Man was somewhat predictable in their movements, and returned to those same spots year after year. To make matters even better, most of them hunted their stands even when the breezes and thermals carried their scent directly to the deer themselves! The hunters who moved slowly and quietly, like the one on the mountain, were the dangerous ones. They used the platforms that could be easily and quietly moved, and a flashing arrow from one such during his third fall had taught him to watch for unnatural movement in trees. It had left a stinging cut across his back that the flies had bothered for days! He thought back to the preceding autumn. A late-spring ice storm had destroyed the white oak acorns, the food even an old buck enjoyed above all others. But even with no acorns falling, the humans had continued to hunt their stands in the vast oak groves. Few deer had been taken, because they had been feeding on honeysuckle and greenbrier along the mountainsides. Just as the eastern sky began to turn pink, the buck slipped into the dense blowdown where he would spend his day. Maybe around midday, when man invariably left the woods to eat and rest, he would grab a quick bite of honeysuckle and a drink from a small spring inside the edge of the thicket. But if man came near during the morning he would forego even that chance, remaining in his bed until full darkness again blanketed the mountain. With the help of a full moon he might even finish feeding in time to ease down into one of the doe areas. THE time was close, and he had felt the stirrings rising in his body for some time. Fortunately, he lived in an area where does were plentiful, so it was not necessary to take long jaunts looking for a mate. He gave the sapling on the edge of the blowdown a few pushes with his massive rack before disappearing into the densest part. The six-inch cedar, worn half through by his annual rubbing, was a 'signpost' that marked this particular area as his, and warned others not to come there. None had for many autumns. The old buck would stay in his secure area as long as man was in the woods, and by so doing would live to see another summer. As a brilliant dawn broke over the sharp ridges, and as the first volleys of shots rolled across the valleys, he was nestled against the upturned roots of the his hiding place. A buck that thinks? Fortunately for hunters, deer do not have the ability to 'reason' as we define the term. But they certainly have an ‘awareness’ of virtually everything that takes place in their world, and repeated contact with man will make them alter their patterns and habits. Understanding that, and altering YOUR habits accordingly can make the difference between success and failure Good hunting! It is late in the season. The noisy masses that roamed the woods on opening day are long gone. The old buck, though still alert, has resumed feeding in the lowland fields at night. His urge to breed has been partially denied during the weeks when he spent his days inside the blowdown. So on this particular morning he has tarried an extra moment to chase one especially sweet-smelling doe in the valley below. The eastern sky is pink as he hurries along the trail to his security area. Just before he enters the sanctuary of the blowdown, the smell of another ready doe drifts across his nostrils, causing him to pause for a moment. Though the smell is tempting there is something wrong... Fifty yards up the ridge, with the morning sky behind him, the hunter slowly raises his rifle... With over a million deer roaming the hills and valleys of the Natural State, and with trophy prospects also at an all-time high - THESE are the good ol’ days! KENN
YOUNG'S  What
does the term ‘trophy deer' mean to you?
To the young first-timer it may be a basket-racked 6-point. To the bowhunter it should be any deer, but especially a buck that scores high enough to make the Pope & Young (P&Y) record book. For the gun hunter, a buck large enough to go into the Boone & Crockett Club (B&C) all-time record book is the ultimate goal of every big buck hunter. So in reality, the term ‘trophy’ means a lot of different things to different people. Davis Smith of White Hall took his monster 209 0/8 non-typical down in Phillips County last season. It was the state's highest-scoring buck of 2008-09, and is a prime example of what good genetics combined with adequate age and good food will do! The definition that I like best was made by well-known big buck hunter David Morris in his fine book ‘Hunting Trophy Whitetails’. According to Dave "a trophy whitetail is a mature buck; at least 3 ½ years old; with antlers large enough to rank him among the best bucks harvested in any given area". That definition is common-sense, and also holds water here in the Natural State. In the high-deer-density flatlands of southern Arkansas an average 'good' buck rack probably scores around 110 B&C points. That figure may be slightly higher in the Ouachitas; slightly higher still in the Ozarks; but substantially higher in the protein-rich farmlands of the delta. So it would be ridiculous - at least in most instances - to compare bucks taken from the southern timberlands to those taken from the farmlands east of Little Rock. I think most hunters would agree that the bucks residing in the Arkansas Trophy Club on this website (see the records lists) are true trophies. This exclusive list requires a minimum score of 150 B&C points for a typical buck; 175 for a non-typical. I once heard noted whitetail authority Dick Idol say that a buck in that size range is a trophy anywhere in the United States. I agree.  There are currently
781 deer, 638 typicals; 143 non-typicals, listed in the ATC. Those
were taken over the last 80 years, all the way back to the monster
taken by George Matthews down in Chicot County way back in 1923.
Ben Plumlee of Mountain Home took this long-tined buck up in Baxter County during the early black powder season. While food source will always be a problem for mountain deer, this monster is graphic proof of the possibilities the uplands provide today. Of that number 131 are large enough for inclusion in the all-time B&C record book, which requires a minimum of 170 for typicals; 195 for non-typs. 70 of those are typicals and 51 non-typicals, which is by the way an abnormally high percentage of non-typs, but we’ll save the why of that interesting tidbit for another day. I should also point out that for a variety of reasons not all of those 131 have been officially entered into the record book, but all have been scored by official B&C scorers. Just FYI, that figure means that Arkansas ranks 18th nationwide in terms of all-time record book deer production. But when you consider only the South (keep in mind Morris’ definition), our state ranks #2 overall, behind only Kentucky. THE ARKANSAS 'TROPHY TRIANGLE' A few years back I coined the phrase ‘Arkansas Trophy Triangle’. Draw a lop-sided triangle with it's apex at Little Rock; extend one arm northeast through Jonesboro; the other southeast through Pine Bluff. Within those boundaries more than 70 per cent of the state's all-time B&C record book bucks have been taken! ARKANSAS TOP B&C-PRODUCING COUNTIES Take a look at the list of the top counties in terms of all-time big buck production. Every single one of those resides within the ‘triangle’. Big bucks have been there for decades; they are there now; and they will be there in the future. Why? Food source. If you look at the various national record books you will find that a majority of the bucks being entered today come from agricultural regions. Kansas, Iowa (probably the current ‘hotspot’ nationwide), Nebraska (maybe the next ‘hotspot’), Illinois, the Ohio Valley, all the way up to the wind-swept prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Deer are what they eat.  OK, so the delta
has the most big deer, but what about the rest of the state?
Andy Butler of Cove, AR took this beautiful 176 5/8 typical 5x5 down in the southwest region of the state. Such deer are showing up more and more frequently today in areas where they haven't been in the past, and offer graphic proof of the old adage that 'big bucks are where you find them!' The good news is that today even B&C deer are showing up in places they have never been before. As an example; prior to 2004 Washington County, located up in the northwest region of the state, had never had a B&C buck taken there. With the region pretty much mountain terrain, with soil relatively poor in quality, many thought it unlikely that a book buck could even be produced there. We know now that isn’t true. Richard Little took the ‘barb wire’ buck, which scored 221 1/8 non-typ, there in 2004; then Mike Franks took his 170 bowkill in 2007, along with Ron Harp’s 197 6/8 gun kill! The same is true for Polk County, located down along the southern slope of the Ouachitas. No B&C bucks at all until 2002, when Lonnie Cecil took his 172 4/8 black powder typical. Then Andy Butler in 2007 (176 5/8 typical) and Frank Foster last season (174 2/8 typ) both scored - and in successive years! With instances like those occurring hope springs eternal for any Natural State deer hunter today! So let’s take a region-by-region look at some of the places those hopes can be higher. THE GULF COASTAL PLAIN (GCP) "If you want to kill a deer, head south." That was the word back in the 1970s when I was a youngster just starting down the deer hunting trail. It was true back then and it’s still true now - if your focus is merely killing a deer the GCP is the place to do it. But here's a news flash! Today the GCP has PASSED the mountain regions in terms of B&C buck production, and that change has for the most part taken place during the past five years! While you’re not going to see a 'Booner' behind every tree, each year more and more 'good' deer are showing up from this region. Why? At least somewhat because quite a number of clubs that lease land in the GCP instituted quality management programs long before the AGFC entered that arena in the late-1990s. International Paper Company (IP), which was for decades the region's largest private landowner, began promoting quality over quantity on it's clubs sometime around 1990. With that head start, it stands to reason that those clubs are seeing positive results today.  The
downside, if you choose to look at it that way, is that most of the
better hunting land in the GCP today is private. But there are two ‘public’
areas that stand out.
FELSENTHAL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE (NWR) lies at the confluence of the Ouachita and Saline Rivers down in Union, Bradley and Ashley counties. The topography on this 65,000-acre facility has great diversity, ranging from pine ridges on the north to deep swamp on the south. When the refuge was formed back in 1975 some thought that it would become another White River NWR in terms of big buck production. That hasn't happened, and unless the locals are keeping the news quiet, there has never been a B&C buck taken there. The primary reason is poorer soil quality. While part of the interior of Felsenthal could be described as bottomland, the area surrounding White River is black-land dirt, cultivated and covered with numerous mineral-rich row crops. That’s not the case on Felsenthal. But the refuge does offer legitimate opportunity for taking that buck 'above the norm'. Gun hunting is limited to a pair of 2-day seasons in November; and a 2-day muzzleloader season in October. If you’re really serious about taking a good buck, take along a boat or at least chest waders, then get back in the swampy areas. Even in November, and especially if the days are warm, I’d take along a Thermacell or several cans of bug dope! LAFAYETTE COUNTY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA (WMA) was under the IP quality management program for a lot of years. Consisting of 35,000-plus mostly-timbered acres it is located, logically enough, in Lafayette County. The area today operates under a 4-point antler restriction, and a $20 leased-lands permit is required to hunt there. Where this area is a little different lies in the fact that seasons pretty much follow statewide guidelines. Charles Self, who was the IP biologist in charge of the area for many years, told me that "Lafayette has good genetics where antler size is concerned. Deer in the 140-class are not all that uncommon, and even a 150 will show up from time to time. Charles also went on to say that if he were going to hunt Lafayette he would plan on the week after Thanksgiving, when the rut really kicks in there. To sum up the
plus and minus of the GCP: while overall antler size is
on the rise, the lack of public hunting land there makes it
inaccessible for most 'outside’ hunters. In spite of recent successes in this region, the lack of quality food sources virtually dictate that it will never be a consistent big buck producer. Mountain soil is simply less fertile than flatland, and there are relatively few croplands available throughout the entire region. So in the years when the hardwoods don't produce things can be lean for all wildlife, and oaks, whites especially, are notoriously cyclic.  But all is not
bleak. Like in the Ozarks, there are vast acreages of public land to
hunt in the Ouachitas, and while it’s true that a majority of book
bucks being taken today come from private land, both of the state’s
mountain ranges have benefited from the 3-point rule. The topography
of mountain ranges also means that there are going to be remote spots
where bucks can exist in relative safety, and thus attain their
maximum potential.
Tommy Bull of Aplin, AR took this great 173 4/8 crossbow buck while hunting in Winona WMA back in 2007. Today more and more big bucks are being taken in places not known for their trophy potential. The OUACHITA NATIONAL FOREST comprises more than 1.8 million acres of public hunting. The key for big buck chasers is to locate those spots that are remote and inaccessible. Take a map and mark off spots which are more than a mile from any road, these are where an old buck may move to when hunting pressure is heavy. With that in mind the various walk-in areas beckon. Chinquapin Mountain (Perry & Saline counties), Fourche Mountain (Yell County) and Deckard Mountain (Garland & Perry counties) are all examples of prime hunting spots where human intrusion is lessened. FORT CHAFFEE WMA is 66,000 acres of gently rolling terrain lying southeast of Fort Smith. Gun deer hunting there is limited to a two-day muzzleloader season (650 permits), and a two-day modern gun season (650 permits). While these may not be hunts where you have a legitimate shot at a 'Booner', deer taken on Chaffee typically fall into that 'above average for the area' slot. With the area closed two seasons back due to military training, there should be a carry-over of older bucks this coming season. Special restrictions do apply here, including a mandatory orientation class and purchase of an access permit. POND CREEK NWR is a Sevier County area made up of 27,000 acres of rolling ridges and draws, that burst onto the big buck scene back in 2006 when Jerry Gennings took his 172 5/8 P&Y bowkill there. Improved timber harvest practices seem to be having a positive effect on the deer herd throughout this area, opening up new food areas, and the same could be said for the long term results of the major ice storm some years back. Today Pond Creek is what amounts to a big thicket, and most of the terrain looks the same, so if you decide to hunt there invest in a GPS. Gun hunting is limited, with a week-long black powder hunt in October and a 2-day gun hunt in November, both by permit only. Since this is an NWR state antler restrictions do not apply. To sum up: In spite of what’s going on in Polk County, nutritious food sources are still lacking in the Ouachitas, and that will will keep the region from ever being a consistent big buck producer. THE OZARKS (OZ) Since I live in Clarksville, the Ozark Mountains are home. I’ve now hunted them for more than four decades, and I’ve seen the changes that have taken place during that time, both good and bad.  The Ozarks, like
the Ouachitas, have a lot of public land to hunt. In fact, back in my
younger days I used to hear about leasing land to hunt on, and
regarded it as about the silliest thing I had ever heard of! After
all, I could walk out my front door and have more than a million acres
at my disposal, much of that spread over some of the most beautiful
country on the North American continent! Only in more recent times
have I learned that the same unlimited access and size pretty much dictates that no large-scale
quality-orientated program can be effectively implemented.
The 3-point antler restriction, along with increased doe harvest, has probably had more of a positive effect on the Ozarks than any other region. Whatever your personal thoughts may be on the matter, data collected by the AGFC shows that age of harvested bucks is on the increase, along with body and antler size as well. HAROLD ALEXANDER WMA consists of some 13,858 acres located up in Sharp County, and is an area where the bucks taken annually achieve above-average age structure and antler size. Raymond King of Searcy took a beautiful 167 2/8 buck there last season, so the area does have big buck potential. Like most of the mountains, it is rolling terrain cut by deeper gullies where oaks drop their mast. Only 5 days of muzzleloader hunting in October and 5 days of modern gun in early November means that the area’s deer aren’t that pressured, permits are available via drawing. WEDINGTON WMA is a 16,000 acre area located some 15 miles west of Fayetteville along State Highway 16. For years the area was over-run with ATV traffic, and as a result hunting suffered. Through co-operation between the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the AGFC all hunting was closed for an 8-year period beginning in 1998, and a regulation prohibiting off-road vehicles was also put into effect. In 2006 the WMA was re-opened to very limited bowhunting, and a 2-day December modern gun season was added in 2007. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that there are some bucks walking around on Wedington that have some age on them, and the 170 0/8 bowkill taken there in 2007 by Mike Franks is graphic proof. The terrain on Wedington is diverse, ranging from fields in the south (where Lake Wedington is located) to rolling hills covered with pine and hardwoods on the north. Lots of security cover, and a myriad of old logging roads are especially attractive to rutting bucks during the breeding season. With relatively few openings and food plots on the area the oak belts almost guarantee deer during years of good mast crop. To sum up:
The northwest corner of the state has become one of those ‘hotspots’
where deer are appearing more often than at any point in the past. But
just as in the Ouachitas across the river, the lack of a dependable
nutritious food source will keep this region from ever producing big
bucks on a regular basis. In Arkansas it's pretty simple - the area that provides your best chance at a big buck is the delta, that endless sea of green lying east of Little Rock. It's been that way for over a century - it's that way now - and it will be that way in the future. We've already discussed why-food source. 
WHITE RIVER NWR Some years back when I did an article on the best big buck hunting spot in the Natural State my choice was the WHITE RIVER NWR. If I wrote that article again today I would make the same choice. The 160,000 acres of the refuge proper stretches, naturally enough, along the White River in parts of four southeaster counties; Arkansas, Monroe, Phillips and Desha. Even back in the 1970s and 80s this area was spoken of in almost reverent terms when big bucks were discussed. The reason for that acclaim was simple, virtually from it’s creation back in the 1950s White River has produced big bucks. There were sound reasons for this. The refuge is composed of bottomland hardwood habitat, in itself a good food source, but there are also row crops that parallel the refuge boundaries. In addition, there has been systematic doe harvest taking place there virtually since the first gun season was held. The result is that today the buck:doe ratio on White River is far closer to that magical 1:1 than in about any other spot in the state. During gun seasons the refuge is split into north and south units, divided by State Highway 1. A pair of permit muzzleloader seasons take place on the north unit in October, followed by a pair of permit modern gun hunts in November. On the south unit there is a single 3-day hunt for both muzzleloader and modern gun. As on all NWRs the state-imposed 3-point rule is not in effect. CACHE RIVER NWR consists of 67,000 acres located primarily south of State Highway 70 in Prairie, Monroe, Jackson and Woodruff counties. It is a newer facility, having been formed in 1986, and lies just north of White River NWR, with much of the refuge lands located upriver of the confluence of the Cache and White Rivers. The NWR gained a lot of big buck notoriety back in 1999 when young Bill Dooley took what is still the current state record non-typical there, a monster that scored 238 3/8 B&C points! Much like White River, Cache River NWR is prime bottomland habitat surrounded by cropland. Having hunted the area several times, I have found that a boat is almost a necessity unless you can gain access to better spots by crossing private farmlands. A boat also allows you to access the numerous dense hardwood pockets located back along the numerous feeder creeks and bayous. Gun hunting is allowed during two black powder hunts, a 5-day in October and a 3-day in December, along with a pair of 4-day modern gun hunts in November. All of these are quota hunts and permits are required. But those are limitless and can be picked up at the refuge office in Augusta. There are numerous other WMAs within the delta, such as Wattensaw, Dagmar and Bayou Meto, that offer various gun hunts for whitetails. On virtually any of these locations your chances of taking a good buck are improved, simply because of the unlimited food source available throughout the entire region. To sum up: The state’s best big buck
region. Good hunting! 
A HUNTER'S WORST NIGHTMARE Some years back while I was doing some bowhunting on Holla Bend NWR I bumped into a man walking aimlessly through the woods. He was carrying an arrow in his hand, and he really did seem to be dis-orientated, barely even coherent as he told me about shooting a ‘huge buck’ a half-hour before. He showed me the arrow and sure enough, its length was covered with dark red blood. Where were you hunting? He waved vaguely in the direction he had been coming from. “I can’t believe I can’t find him.” He made that statement about a dozen times in a 5-minute period. He was genuinely distraught, and I finally asked him to take me to the spot where he shot the deer. “I’ve already looked everywhere,” but nevertheless he led me to a spot where a ladder stand overlooked a small opening. I had him show me where the deer had been standing when he shot, and which way it had run. I already knew from the blood on the arrow that he had made a good hit, and sure enough, within 20-25 yards we started seeing spots of red about the size of quarters on the ground. To make a long story short, we found the buck lying in a small depression maybe 50 yards away! Today way too many people don’t know how to track wounded game, and they also think that if the animal didn’t go down within seeing distance they ‘must not have got a good hit’, or ‘must have missed’. There is no excuse for losing an animal simply because the hunter does not understand the basics of tracking. So with bow season looming, let's look at some pointers that will help those of us who occasionally find ourselves in the terrible position of having to trail wounded prey. **LANDMARKS. Mentally fixing the location of particular stumps, trees or clumps of brush in your mind will help you go directly to the spot where the deer was standing when you shot. Objects also look entirely different when you reach the ground (assuming you hunt from a treestand), so try to pick ‘unusual’ features that can be quickly found when you reach ground level. **SOUND. In most cases you will be able to hear the fleeing animal longer than you can see it. At the very least you can determine the direction of flight, and hopefully even hear him go down. **WHEN YOU FIND THE SPOT WHERE THE ANIMAL WAS STANDING, mark it in some way. I carry flagging tape for the purpose; toilet paper will do in a pinch (or in rain). Once you’ve marked the spot, start looking for blood drops, and mark each one. This way, if the blood stops the line of markers will at least give you a general direction of travel. **LOOK FOR HAIR. If your shot didn't exit, or exited high, there may be no blood trail for a considerable distance. A graze will often leave lots of hair; a low hit white hair; a high hit darker hair; and a leg hit short and fine hair. All can give some insight into how hard it's going to be to locate your deer. **A COLEMAN LANTERN MAKES NIGHT TRACKING EASIER. But maybe not for the reason you think. Blood ‘shines’ in the artificial light. It is also better to night track with a buddy, with one of you staying with the last drop while the other looks ahead for the next. I also know that there are several ‘blood finders’ on the market today that serve the same purpose as the lantern, but I’m old-fashioned. **IF THE BLOOD TRAIL GIVES OUT. Use your brain. First think about where the nearest water is. Animals know that the wetness will sooth their wound, and may head directly to it. Also think about where the thickest cover in that area is, older bucks especially will head for seclusion. Most of all, stay calm! THE FUTURE OF HUNTING "My brother Stuart and I scouted a 60-acre property that belongs to my Aunt down in Van Buren County. We found some tracks in this one place, and they were big enough that a .30-06 shell would fit inside them. We thought it might be a buck."  Paige Gilmore is a 16-year-old young
lady who attends high school at North Little Rock Old Main, where she
does all the 'typical' things that high school juniors do. But she and her brother
also head to the woods at virtually every opportunity. The 2007-08
season was her first time to deer hunt, and as Christmas neared she had
already been successful, taking a ‘small 8-point’ during modern gun
season.
(At Right) Paige Gilmore and brother Stuart with Paige's big crossbow buck, taken on Christmas Day. "We put up a pop-up blind at a spot where there was a funnel, a place deer passed through on their way to feed in some nearby fields. We put limbs on top of it to make it look more natural, we had read to do that in magazines." On Christmas morning the brother and sister team hunted their stand, but didn’t see anything except a lone doe. After taking a break for Christmas dinner they hurried back to their stand about 2:00 in the afternoon. "I guess it was about 4:30 when we heard a rustling behind us," the excitement of the moment was evident in Paige’s voice. "At first all we saw was a deer’s nose, right there beside the blind, then we could see his antlers. He was huge!" He was also looking right at them. With thudding hearts they waited as he stared, scarcely daring to breath because he was so close. Finally he took several steps forward and Paige got her crossbow up. The crosshairs of the scope shook as she tried to hold them behind the foreleg of the unsuspecting animal as he stopped some 30 yards away. Finally she squeezed the trigger, and the buck bolted out of sight! "He ran a long ways!" Listening to her tell the tale I almost felt like I was there with the two of them. "It was getting dark so we went home to let my mother Karen know we weren’t lost, then we went back to look for him. I wasn’t about to let ‘my’ buck get eaten by coyotees, so we kept looking until we finally found him...about 1:00 o’clock in the morning!" Two young people alone in dark woods on a cold night, looking doggedly for a spot of blood or torn leaves, ignoring the intense winter cold. I have to think that most youths would have given up and gone home, but these two didn’t. They finally found the buck lying in some dense brush, so thick that they almost had to step on him to see him! In January Paige carried the rack to the Arkansas Big Buck Classic, and there the beautiful 10-point antlers were scored at 158 6/8 net Boone & Crockett typical points. Her buck was the largest typical taken by a woman in the entire state last year! But it was as I talked to Paige that I came to realize there’s a lot more to like about this young woman than her hunting success. "I just love being in the woods." There was an exhilaration in her voice as she spoke that left no doubt. "I love getting up early in the morning, stumbling around in the dark, trying to be quiet. I love that first breath of cold air when you get out of the truck, then sitting on your stand while everything around you slowly wakes up. I can’t explain it, but when you’re in the woods you just get the feeling that somehow you’re a part of it all." Sometimes I find myself wondering what the future holds for hunting. What with all the anti-hunting groups, declining hunter numbers, and a shift in ethics caused by ‘win at all costs’ egos, it just seems there’s not a lot of good news out there. But then you encounter young people like Paige and Stuart Gilmore, and you come to understand that the future is in good hands! ANTLER RESTRICTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES I remember the conversation well. It took place back in June of 2000 and I was talking with Hugh Durham, who had just been hired as Director of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission (AGFC). We were discussing his plan for deer management in the Natural State. "Antler restrictions are merely one piece of the puzzle," Hugh said. "They are not a stand-alone management program, nor are they necessarily a long-term answer." Here in the central Ozarks where I live, I believe that the 3-point rule has had a positive effect. Buck age structure has improved and both antler and body size have increased overall. In other areas of the state the results have been either great or terrible, depending on who you talk to, but a majority of hunters still seem to favor the rule. But questions do exist.
Consider a statement made recently by Larry Castle, deer program coordinator
for the state of Mississippi. Stephen Demarais, professor of Wildlife Management at Mississippi State University, concurs with Castle's opinion. After intensive monitoring of buck kill on the state's Sunflower WMA, his statistics show a gradual but definite decrease of the Boone and Crockett (B&C) scores of 3 1/2-year-old bucks taken on the WMA since the 4-point rule was adopted. The 3-point rule has now been in use for seven years here in Arkansas. Are we on the edge of seeing antler size beginning to decrease? Cathy Helm is one of the
prime forces behind the annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic held each
January down in Little Rock, and is directly involved with the event's
popular statewide big buck contest. Those comments, by someone who year after year sees a majority of the state's largest bucks, would seem to agree with the opinions mentioned above. So OK, if we do have a problem, or soon will have one, what are the alternatives? Here's where it get 'dicey', because the answers are sometimes ones that a lot of hunters simply don't want to hear. So let’s look at some of the possibilities, along with the pros and cons of each. *SPREAD
REQUIREMENTS. Some biologists suggest adding a minimum inside antler
spread to the current point restriction. *SLOT LIMIT FOR
BUCKS. Hunters may take bucks with LESS THAN three points on
one side;or MORE THAN four. This is being
tried on a limited basis in some areas right now. Those two options are merely adjustments to current point restrictions. While many hunters view the 3-point rule as being the entire quality management package, that is not true. In actuality quality management is much more far-reaching, and there are numerous other herd/buck improvement options which have nothing to do with points. *LOWER BUCK BAG
LIMITS. Kentucky has drastically improved it's buck age structure
by reducing the bag limit to one buck per
year. Quite a number of other states utilize the same approach. *REDUCING SEASON
LENGTH. Longer seasons result in more bucks being killed, so
reducing days would cut down on
harvest. *ADJUSTING SEASON
TIMING. Kansas, a noted big buck state, and quite a few others as
well, do not open their gun season during the breeding period. *MORE PRIMITIVE
ARMS HUNTING/LESS MODERN GUN. The McAlester Army Ammunition
Plant in Oklahoma is known for the number and quality of it's bucks. One of
the primary reasons is that only
bowhunting is allowed there for bucks; shotguns are permitted during
doe-only seasons. To sum up, I really don't know that Arkansas is in dire need of any of the changes mentioned above right now. Aside from the 'slot limit', along with the 1-buck limit currently in use in certain zones, I have not heard about real discussion by the commissioners of potential major changes for the coming year. Of course that could change. But it is time for us, as hunters, to
educate ourselves, and to become aware of the various options, and even to
begin making our opinions known about them. It is our right, and it is also
our duty. GAME FARMS ARE NOT ‘HUNTING’ Webster’s Dictionary defines ‘hunting’ as being ‘the act of a person to search carefully for, to try to find game’. It also defines a ‘hunter’ as being ‘a person who hunts’. Keep those two definitions in mind as you read the rest of this article. Have you ever
thumbed through the hunting advertisements that appear in
the back of most outdoor magazines? Have you ever noticed one that
makes the claim ‘guaranteed kill’; or '100% success', or ‘no kill - no pay’? Now I’ll
tell you a story about a friend of mine who won a trip to one of those
guaranteed-kill Texas ranches several years ago. I’ll call him ‘Mike’,
but that’s not his real name.
"I got to the ranch on a Thursday," Mike said, "and
that afternoon one of the ranchhands and I drove over the place. It was about
as rough and rugged country as you’ll ever want to see. What game we
saw disappeared into the brush and cactus as soon as they got a
glimpse of the truck. So when I went to bed that night I was looking
forward to a hard hunt the next day." If
you have questions or comments about any of these articles,
|
Today
KENNETH
RALPH 'KENN' YOUNG
makes his home, along with his beautiful wife Connie, in the Red Lick
community north of Clarksville. Located along the southern face of the
Ozark Mountains, it is close by the same areas he hunted with the
'oldtimers' more than four decades ago, and today he roams many of the same hills and
valleys he hunted as a boy. 
Kenn began his writing career in 1980, when his article
'Mock Scrapes For Big Bucks' appeared in North
American Whitetail
magazine. Like most of his work, that initial article outlined a form of
hunting utilizing areas of deer behavior he has observed throughout a
lifetime spent afield. His passion has taken him to such noted big buck
Valhallas as Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, even up to the wind-swept
plains of Canada.