OUT & ABOUT
FLYWAY EXPERIENCE The Elms Lodge is a hunter’s dream BY MICHAEL ROBERTS
ELEGANT LODGINGS
Located in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway, The Elms Lodge is home to some of the best hunting in the region— and hunters can stay in style, too. Luxurious corporate lodges (which sleep up to eight adults) provide a great place to rest after a long day in the blind, while smaller lodges are available as well. Each lodge will make guests feel at home with amenities like washers and dryers, satellite television and complete kitchens. In addition to the excellent accommodations, corporate lodge guests also have the run of the grounds, access to a 16-acre catch-and-release lake, kennels for hunting dogs, private grills and fire pits. It’s an amazing hunting experience that doesn’t end when the day is done. RV hookups are also available.
HUNT WHAT YOU WANT
Although the area around The Elms is most famous for waterfowl hunting, the lodge offers packages for deer and dove hunters, too. Duck hunters will love the choice of guided morning hunts, guided afternoon goose hunts as well as a variety of self-guided options. Gear rental is also available, and includes decoys, shotguns, waders and 12 gauge ammunition for purchase.
Interested in hunting something even more out-of-theordinary? The Elms also offers specialty guided “varmint hunts” when permits are available. Go after beavers, opossums or coyotes with the lodge’s experienced and dedicated guides. And at The Elms, you can hunt knowing that the best conservation practices are always employed— the lodge is part of the federal Wetland Restoration Project.
GREAT EATS
Guests at The Elms are encouraged to grab a meal at JL’s Country Café. Stop in for a delicious country breakfast, then come back for a supper of slow-cooked pulled pork or one of JL’s massive 1/2-pound certified angus beef burgers. And keep your fork, of course, because you know there’s going to be pie—including pies made with pecans grown right on the lodge grounds.
DON’T MISS
While in the area, check out the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart, a free museum full of exhibits about the Delta Region. Stock up on any new gear that catches your eye at Mack’s Prairie Wings. And you’re just a short drive away from Pine Bluff and the Arkansas Railroad Museum, Delta Rivers Nature Center as well as a host of historical sites in that storied Delta city.
LOCATION: Just an hour and some change southeast of Little Rock down I-530 at 400 W. Elm Plantation Road in Altheimer. GPS: 34.488136, -92.400561 Phone: 870-766-8337 elmslodge.com are available Smaller lodges for hunters. 58 | Arkansas Wild ¸ winter 2016
Down-home eats at JL’s Country Cafe are a must when staying at The Elms.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ELMS LODGE
At The Elms Lodge, the corporate lodges sleep up to eight adults.