The Basics
Deckard Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
Phone: (501) 984-5313 (Jessieville District Office)
Brochure: Deckard Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
(courtesy USFS)
Closest Towns: Hot Springs, Jessieville, Mountain Pine
Directions: Deckard Mtn Turkey Hunting Area is located approx. 8 miles North of Jessieville on AR Hwy 7. It is also approx. 14 miles South of the intersection of AR Hwy 7 & AR Hwy 60 at Fourche Junction.
About Deckard 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.
Deckard Mountain Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area
The Deckard Mountain Turkey Hunting Area offers 7,400 acres of prime hunting grounds on the eastern side of the Ouachita National Forest, not too far north of Hot Springs. The area is bordered on its south side by the Buffalo Gap Auto Tour, and can also be accessed from this drive (FR#11). Another access point is from the Bear Creek Horse Camp, which provides access to a horse trail into the area. Deckard Mountain is also located just a few miles up the road from the Iron Springs Picnic Area on AR Hwy 7.
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