Dagmar State Wildlife Management Area

The management area received its name from a small farming community that located in the vicinity prior to the 1927 flood.  On March 20, 2008, the area was renamed after former commissioner Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock. Nelson served on the commission from 2000 to 2007. He was appointed by former governor Mike Huckabee. The area will now be known as the Sheffield Nelson Dagmar Wildlife Management Area. Nelson grew up in Monroe County where the WMA is located. Acquisition began in 1952 with the purchase of 5,265 acres from the Dacus Lumber Company. In 1955, an additional 1,209 acres was purchased from the Townsend Lumber Company. In 1971, 1,262 acres was purchased from the Deview Water Company. In recent years, several small acquisitions brought the total acreage of the management area to 7,976 acres. The Commission owns the entire area. The hunting opportunities on Sheffield Nelson Dagmar are available for the following species; cottontails, swamprabbits, coyotes, deer, ducks and furbearers. Geese, dove, woodcock and snipe are hunted but with poor success. Raccoon hunting is good to excellent depending on water levels. Squirrel hunting is excellent some years and is probably the most sought after species on the management area. In order of hunter use I would list squirrel, deer, ducks and rabbits, as the most heavily hunted animals on Sheffield Nelson Dagmar.