[lgoodson]

Have any of y'all ever hunted Trusten Holder WMA?

Me and a couple of my buddies all drew a muzzleloading permit this year and we're unclear on a view things...

Are 4 wheelers allowed?

At what level does it close for flooding....I hear that the White River is pretty high down there right now?

I know it has the 4X4 slot limit on bucks, just like Felsenthal...But, what is the actual limit for that muzzleloading permit hunt?

Any other information would greatly be appreciated.

 

[millennium man]

Have any of y'all ever hunted Trusten Holder WMA?

Me and a couple of my buddies all drew a muzzleloading permit this year and we're unclear on a view things...

Are 4 wheelers allowed?

At what level does it close for flooding....I hear that the White River is pretty high down there right now?

I know it has the 4X4 slot limit on bucks, just like Felsenthal...But, what is the actual limit for that muzzleloading permit hunt?

Any other information would greatly be appreciated.

The Arkansas River seperates Trusten Holder into two parts, small side around the bridge at Pendleton and large side that I have always accessed by driving around through Tichnor. It has been along time since I Muzzleloaded there but the small side was pretty crowded. I think you will have more area to yourself if you go to the big side. Andy Van horn is a good contact for Trusten Holder (he helps manage it) not sure what his title is. There are some guys own this board that know way more than I do about it for sure. I can get Andy's number if you are interested. No 4 wheelers, walk-in. You can go to the AG&F website and find the bag limit and at what river level it closes for hunting. Good luck.

 

[talltines]

Be sure to take bugspray or thermacell, if not you will wish you had. A two wheeled deer buggy will also be your best friend. For the most part the land lays very flat so walking is easy. The first step you take in the woods you could spot a big buck, don't think you have to pound your way all the way to the backside. Alot of Trusten Holder has old roads thru it making walking or still hunting easy. If you have access to a boat you can also access a lot of it from the river. We used to access it from a boat to eliminate the crowded parking areas that were getting overhunted.

 

[ArkArcher]

I've hunted the permit hunt the last 3 or 4 years and some times you see a lot of people, and sometimes you don't. I guess it all depends on where you hunt. I've hunted out of the same tree each year. Like has already been mentioned, no 4whlrs, BRING THE BUG DOPE! (Thermacell works best down there!), watch out for snakes!, no quota for the permit hunt (I think it's one buck and one doe limit for each permit if I remember right.) We will be down there again this year ready to hunt! :up:

 

[hortonhunter]

I also drew permit again this year . There is a 160acre block of woods of trusten holder surrounded by privately owned clubs, it usually has food plots planted on it if weather permits,accessed by walking around the private clubs boundaries. There are some some guys, I know, from lousianna that hunt nearby there yearly and almost always get a dandy buck maybe not during the muzzleloader permit but during the year sometime. When you get the area map it will show all the food plots on the side of trusten holder by way of tichnor.Timber harvest the last few years has really helped the herd out . In the latest Arkansas game and Fish magazine the Holder ranked 3rd only as top wma's kill per acre Theres plenty of hogs down there also :thumb: Contact Andy Vanhorn is you can he's a great person

 

[lgoodson]

Thanks for the info fellers!

Last year I went south from Tichnor, then over the dam and hung a left and drove a gravel road all around the WMA until I came upon a fence to some private land. I noticed most people just parked on the side of the road and walked in.

Do many people hunt around the edge of Merrisach Lake? According to the map, you can hunt a small strip of land all the way around the lake. I was thinking of checking this out...figuring there wouldn't be much hunting pressure. But, then again, I hunted at Felsenthal before and I think sometimes your better off just hunting right off the 4-wheeler trails a few hundred yards and let everyone else run a big one by you. I've seen it happen several times. :smack:

 

[jdoyle]

If you hunt around Merrisach, watch for gators!!

 

[ArkArcher]

Thanks for the info fellers!

Last year I went south from Tichnor, then over the dam and hung a left and drove a gravel road all around the WMA until I came upon a fence to some private land. I noticed most people just parked on the side of the road and walked in.

Do many people hunt around the edge of Merrisach Lake? According to the map, you can hunt a small strip of land all the way around the lake. I was thinking of checking this out...figuring there wouldn't be much hunting pressure. But, then again, I hunted at Felsenthal before and I think sometimes your better off just hunting right off the 4-wheeler trails a few hundred yards and let everyone else run a big one by you. I've seen it happen several times. :smack:

I'm pretty sure that area is not part of the mzl permit hunt. If you look at the map, all areas except area 1 (and the Pendleton Bend part of area 2) is a "no rifle" area. (http://www.agfc.com/!userfiles/pdfs/wma_lake_maps/TrustenHolderWMA.pdf) Look at the legend of the map on the 2nd page and notice that anything with the small dots in the background is a "no rifle" area.

 

[talltines]

If I remember right in the past that strip around Merrisach is off limits but check your regs. We accessed it by boat a killed some nice bucks in there, never saw another hunter. Just find a big cane break and set up on the edge, every deer that would come thru there would drift by the cane break and walk the edge for cover. That is if you can hunt in their during the muzzeloader hunt, if not go back the first week of December with you bow and have some fun.

 

[lgoodson]

Thanks again for the info.

I guess the million dollar question is: Is a muzzleloader considered a rifle? :wink:

 

[Down on the White]

Thanks again for the info.

I guess the million dollar question is: Is a muzzleloader considered a rifle? :wink:

The answer to that I am almost 100% sure would be no.