While hunters complained of poor gobbling activity across much of the state this season, turkeys were very vocal in portions of the Ouachita National Forest.
Hunters in the Winona WMA portion of the national forest said they heard a lot of gobbling, and harvest numbers reflect it. According to online check statistics from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, hunters checked 94 gobblers from Winona WMA. That's the third-highest total from public land behind the Ozark National Forest WMA with 119 gobblers and Sylamore WMA with 104.
Rev. Mike Stanley, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Highland, said turkey hunting in north Arkansas is usually great, but tongue-tied gobblers made for difficult hunting this year. Stanley saved his season by bagging a big eastern gobbler on public land in Iowa that weighed 25.6 pounds, had 1.5-inch spurs and sported an 11-inch beard.
"I guess this is the turkey hunter's version of a bass fisherman leaving Beaver Lake and going to Eufaula Lake," Stanley said. "I went from tough and testy gobblers in the Ozarks to the land of milk and honey birds in southern Iowa."
During his last Arkansas hunt May 2, Stanley said he didn't hear a turkey on the roost. He said he only heard what he called quality gobbling once in the last eight days of the season.
"Looking back on our season at home I would rate it only as fair at best," Stanley said. "If the purpose of the late season is to lower the harvest of mature gobblers, it's having the desired effect in Zone 3. Day-to-day gobbling activity is much more sporadic than it used to be when we had an earlier start to the season.
"As poor as the gobbling has been for us this past week, I can't imagine how it must be in southern Arkansas."
-- Bryan Hendricks
Sports on 05/10/2015