The Basics
Chinquapin Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
Phone: (501) 984-5313 (Jessieville District Office)
Brochure: Chinquapin Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
(courtesy USFS)
Closest Towns: Benton, Hot Springs Village, Jessieville, Perryville
Directions: Chinquapin Mtn Turkey Hunting Area is located approx. 12 miles south of Perryville, or about ¾ miles south of Williams Junction on AR Hwy 9/Hwy 10. Access is available from Lake Sylvia, and can also be found along FR#132, which is part of the Winona Auto Tour.
About Chinquapin Mountain
It's hard to imagine the perfect turkey hunt and not have that setting be in the Ozarks or Ouachitas. The remoteness of these areas and their dense oak/hickory forests, along with abundant water sources, provide an ideal habitat for healthy numbers of turkeys. The only problem is, many people know this fact about the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, and it can sometimes be difficult to find an area to hunt in that is not too overcrowded.
Thankfully, the Ouachita National Forest offers hunters 11 walk-in turkey hunting areas, plus an additional 6 wilderness areas as well. Although wilderness areas are never open to motorized traffic, most of the rest of the National Forest is. That is why the USDA Forest Service has teamed up with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and the Arkansas Wild Turkey Federation to set aside areas of the National Forest that are closed to vehicle traffic during turkey hunting seasons, providing hunters with the solitude they need for a successful hunt without unnecessary interuptions.
Most of these walk-in turkey hunting areas have a few roads that allow access into the interior, but the roads are typically closed from early spring through late summer, except for foot traffic only. This not only ensures hunters a better quality hunting experience, but it also helps protect the turkeys as well from overuse of these areas by vehicular and all-terrain use, especially during the critical nesting and rearing seasons of the turkeys.
Chinquapin Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
Located on the Winona Ranger District south of Perryville, this area offers turkey hunters 8,000 acres of rugged but pristine habitat. The area can easily be accessed from the Lake Sylvia Recreation Area, or from along the winona Auto Tour (FR#132), which splits the area in half. The Ouachita National Recreation Trail also cuts across the Eastern half of these turkey hunting lands, and provides additional access. The Western end of this area also borders the Flatside Wilderness, which provides even more hunting opportunities and solitude.
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