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WMA · 2026-27
White Rock WMA Hunting, 2026-27
Wildlife management area in Crawford County and 5 more counties, 328,836 acres on record, WMA zone 670.
Photo: SlapTheWorld (CC0 1.0)
Getting to White Rock WMA
Parking, trailheads and gates near White Rock WMA
- Morgan FieldsParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Indian Creek AccessParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Lick Branch AccessParking · 3.4 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
What AGFC prints for White Rock WMA
The rows below come from the White Rock WMA entry in the 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook, zone 670. Duck and goose rules for WMAs live in the Waterfowl Guidebook rather than this table. Dates run inclusive, first day to last day. The entry closes alligator on White Rock WMA.
| What | Dates | Type | Small print |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer archery | Aug 29–31 Sep 26–Feb 28 | License | One antlered buck |
| Deer alt firearms | Oct 17–25 | License | – |
| Deer gun | Nov 14–Dec 6 Dec 26–28 | License | – |
| Deer gun mobility | Nov 7–8 | Permit | – |
| Deer gun youth | Nov 7–8 Jan 2–3 | License | – |
| Bear archery | Sep 9–Nov 30 | License | – |
| Bear alt firearms | Oct 17–25 | License | – |
| Bear gun | Nov 14–30 | License | – |
| Bear gun youth | Nov 7–8 | License | – |
| Bear gun mobility | Nov 7–8 | License | Mobility permit holders |
| Squirrel | Nov 14–22 | License | No dogs |
| Turkey youth | Apr 10–11 | License | One turkey |
| Turkey | Apr 19–May 9 | License | One turkey |
White Rock WMA deer limit
| Count | Kind | With |
|---|---|---|
| two | antlered bucks | archery alternative firearms modern gun |
| two | antlerless deer | archery |
| one | antlerless deer | alternative firearms during the first two days of modern gun |
- During youth hunt, youths may take two deer, one antlered buck and one antlerless deer
- During mobility-impaired permit hunt, mobility-impaired hunters may take two deer, one antlered buck and one antlerless deer
WMA deer count toward the statewide limit of six, with no more than two antlered bucks a season.
Small print on White Rock WMA
- Seasons close earlier when Bear Zone 1 quota is reached.
- Contact the US Forest Service for a mobility- impaired modern gun permit application at 479-667-2191.
Guidebook p. 108 of the 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook (WMA-specific regulations; Arkansas Game and Fish Commission); waterfowl: 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook. Checked November 9, 2026.
White Rock WMA basics for 2026-27
Think of White Rock WMA as an AGFC wildlife management area. Its size on record is 328,836 acres (2026-27 guidebook), and the ground lies in Crawford County and 5 other counties. AGFC Region 6 (Jasper) is the district that covers it. The guidebook entry credits U.S. Forest Service as the owner or partner.
The WMA list page and the guidebook part ways on counties; guidebook: Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Newton and Washington.
Leaf-covered trail through bare winter oak woods on the Upper Buffalo trail system, Ozark National ForestPhoto: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
From lands.json records (Guidebook · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4); acres: 2026-27 AGFC Hunting Guidebook WMA entry ("328,836 acres"). Checked November 9, 2026.
White Rock WMA permit-required dates
One of the species in these hunts.
Eastern gray squirrel eating on top of a wooden post with fall leaves behindPhoto: Joe Haupt (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Count of parsed permit hunts on White Rock WMA: 1. When a permit hunt is on, other seasons on the WMA close, waterfowl excepted.
| Game | Type | Days | Blocks | Cite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Deer gun mobility | Nov 7–8 | 1 | Guidebook p. 108 |
Application windows for White Rock WMA permits
| Game | Apply | Drawing |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | June 1-July 1, 2026 | – |
guidebook entry; draw rules. Checked November 9, 2026.
Zones around White Rock WMA
Zone 670 is the number for White Rock WMA; step off it and you are in Deer Zones 1, 2 and 6. Close to a zone boundary, confirm your side on the AGFC map. For nonresidents, dogs mean a $100 permit and only the closing nine days of regular modern gun.
| Zone | Modern gun | Alt firearms | Dogs | Legal buck | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Nov 14–Dec 6 Dec 26–28 | Oct 17–25 Dec 12–14 | No dogs | No point rule | 4 (2 antlered) |
| Zone 2 | Nov 14–Dec 6 Dec 26–28 | Oct 17–25 Dec 12–14 | No dogs | No point rule | 4 (2 antlered) |
| Zone 6 | Nov 14–Dec 6 Dec 26–28 | Oct 17–25 Dec 12–14 | Nov 14–Dec 6 | No point rule CWD zone: any buck | 4 (2 antlered) |
- Count White Rock WMA as CWD Management Zone ground: tiered carcass rules, no antler limits (Crawford Tier 2, Franklin Tier 2, Johnson Tier 2, Madison Tier 1, Newton Tier 1 and Washington Tier 2).
- Bear seasons here follow Bear Zone 1 and stop when the quota is met.
- Spring 2027 turkey dates come from Turkey Zones 1 and 1A (from AGFC's zone map).
- Elk here are a permit game: the core counties have public and private land elk permits.
Zones from the guidebook deer zone pages, the AGFC zone layers and the CWD zone list; turkey zones from AGFC’s zone map. Checked November 9, 2026.
Map of White Rock WMA and its neighbours
Go west about 13 miles to reach Boston Mountain RD. Nearby options include 2 ranger districts, 2 natural area WMAs and 1 wildlife management area.
| Public land | Kind | Acres | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Mountain RD | Ranger district | 195,208 | Crawford | 13 miles | west |
| Sweden Creek | Natural area WMA | 137 | Madison | 23 miles | northeast |
| Dardanelle WMA | WMA | 42,500 | Franklin | 26 miles | south |
| Dardanelle Lake (Corps) | Corps lake | 57,156 | Johnson | 26 miles | south |
| Buffalo RD | Ranger district | 243,058 | Newton | 29 miles | east |
| Flanagan Prairie | Natural area WMA | 340 | Franklin | 29 miles | southwest |
Point: AGFC WMA boundary layer (GIS/wmas_website_link) (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Arkansas public land map.
What hunters checked near White Rock WMA
Crawford County placed 29th statewide with 2,921 checked deer in 2025-26. Read them as county-wide totals, private land included. The 2025 Turkey Program report lists White Rock WMA at number 1 of the top public areas, 169 turkeys.
| County | This report | Prior | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford | 2,921 | 2,893 | 29 |
| Franklin | 2,095 | 2,190 | 48 |
| Johnson | 2,877 | 3,160 | 30 |
| Madison | 2,975 | 2,590 | 27 |
| Newton | 1,211 | 1,319 | 65 |
| Washington | 4,023 | 4,337 | 7 |
| Spring | Rank | Turkeys |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | 79 |
| 2024 | 2 | 78 |
| 2025 | 1 | 169 |
deer report 2025-26; turkey report 2025 (checked deer by county (AGFC deer reports, Table 6)). Checked November 9, 2026.
Overlapping and parent records of White Rock WMA
The same ground also shows up as Ozark-St. Francis National Forests and Pleasant Hill RD.
Nearest towns and AGFC office for White Rock WMA
Oark sits 8 miles from White Rock WMA, the shortest hop to town. Of the five, Clarksville is biggest at 9,606. White Rock WMA shows up on the town pages for Oark, Ozone, Ozark and Clarksville. For AGFC help in person, Ponca is closest at 29 miles. Listings are unverified; a quick call saves a wasted trip.
| Nearest towns | County | Population | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oark | Johnson | – | 8 miles | east |
| Ozone | Johnson | – | 16 miles | east |
| Ozark | Franklin | 3,601 | 17 miles | southwest |
| Clarksville | Johnson | 9,606 | 23 miles | southeast |
| Winslow | Washington | 364 | 24 miles | west |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); AGFC buildings from the AGFC offices page and AGFC layers; businesses from services.json directory listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 9, 2026.
No-hunting places close to White Rock WMA
Closed ground nearby: Lake Fort Smith, 22 miles from the White Rock WMA point. Parks are closed by Code 05.11; Hobbs and the Buffalo National River WMA are the exceptions.
| Place | Reason | Miles | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Fort Smith | State park (Code 05.11) | 22 miles | Crawford |
AGFC Code 05.11; closed places from lands.json (PAD-US 4.1, NPS, FWS). Straight-line miles. Checked November 9, 2026.
White Rock WMA legal hours on opening days
Clocks around White Rock WMA fall back on November 1, 2026 and jump ahead on March 14, 2027, which moves every time in this table by an hour across those dates.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | General hours | Migratory birds | Sun times from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2026 | Early buck archery | 6:44 a.m. | 7:48 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 8:18 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 7:48 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Archery deer opens | 7:05 a.m. | 7:08 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 7:38 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 7:08 p.m. | NOAA formula |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Zone 1 alt-firearms | 7:25 a.m. | 6:40 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Youth gun weekend | 6:44 a.m. | 5:18 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Zone 1 gun opener | 6:51 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Duck season opens | 6:58 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 6:28 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Dec 6, 2026 | Zone 1 gun closes | 7:11 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:21 a.m. | 5:11 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:41 p.m. | 6:51 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | AGFC table |
| Apr 19, 2027 | Turkey Zone 1 opens | 6:41 a.m. | 7:53 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 8:23 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. | AGFC table |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook; sunrise and sunset from the AGFC Little Rock table with AGFC’s nine-mile correction, or the NOAA solar formula on Central Time where the table has no entry; checked November 9, 2026. Legal hours across Arkansas.
White Rock WMA: closest ranges for a zero check
River Valley Sportsmen Club sits 17 miles from White Rock WMA; check its access line first. A centerfire zero means 27 miles to Black Oak Gun Club.
From the AGFC Shooting and Archery Ranges page, the AGFC range layer, club sites and directory listings, checked November 9, 2026.
Golden fall forest spreading below the White Rock Mountain lookoutPhoto: Marco Becerra (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Open oak and hickory woods on a rocky Ozark hillside in early spring, White Rock WMA in Johnson CountyPhoto: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
Hunters’ questions about White Rock WMA, answered
How early may I shoot on White Rock WMA during modern gun?
The general rule is half an hour either side of sunrise and sunset. For the November 14, 2026 gun opener at this spot, shooting runs from 6:21 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. by that rule.
Whose land is White Rock WMA, and who runs the hunting?
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, out of AGFC Region 6 (Jasper).
How current is this White Rock WMA page?
Each section links its source; the whole page was checked on November 9, 2026.
Is a special pass needed for White Rock WMA?
A regular Arkansas hunting license covers open seasons; permit hunts need a drawn permit, and non-hunters 16 and older using AGFC land buy the $10.50 WMA/Lake Conservation Permit.
Do private land zone dates apply on White Rock WMA?
Zone 670. WMAs and refuges are their own zones; the private land around it is Deer Zones 1, 2 and 6.
Which days are open for modern gun on White Rock WMA?
Modern gun runs Nov 14–Dec 6 and Dec 26–28 (the guidebook entry).
Does the 2026-27 CWD Management Zone take in White Rock WMA?
Yes, so check the tier carcass rule before hauling a deer home.
Which AGFC bear zone covers White Rock WMA?
Bear Zone 1 is open, subject to quota.
What turkey limit applies on White Rock WMA next April?
Apr 19–May 9 on the WMA; Turkey Zones 1 and 1A otherwise, from AGFC's zone map.
Does White Rock WMA have permit hunts?
1 permit hunt parsed from the entry; turkey permit applications run January 15 to February 15, 2027.
How much ground does White Rock WMA actually hold?
328,836 acres, Crawford County and 5 other counties.
Which nearby town has a page on this site for White Rock WMA?
Oark, about 8 miles in a straight line. Closest AGFC site: Ponca, 29 miles.
Does chartreuse count as hunter orange on White Rock WMA?
During modern gun or alternative firearms deer, bear or elk seasons: 400 square inches of hunter orange, chartreuse or blaze camouflage above the waist plus a matching head garment. Blaze pink is not listed.
Can I take an elk on White Rock WMA without drawing a permit?
It is in the core elk counties, where elk need a public land permit (draw May 1-June 1, 2026, residents only) or a private land permit.
Night-before checklist for White Rock WMA
Report wildlife violations on White Rock WMA to AGFC; the nearest office is listed above.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; seasons from the 2026-27 Arkansas Hunting Guidebook and the 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook. Checked November 9, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0); Joe Haupt (CC BY-SA 2.0).