Flooding from the White and Mississippi Rivers may occur at any time but is most prevalent during late winter and early spring. A wide array of wildlife including black bear, wild turkey, and white-tailed deer find homes in the refuge forestlands. Thousands of ducks and geese winter on the area and wood ducks occur yearround. Large numbers of bald eagles are present during the winter months, and in 1982 the first successful nesting by bald eagles in Arkansas in approximately 30 years occurred on the refuge. The refuge is open to the general public from March 1 through October 31 of each year.
Special permission is required to enter during the remaining months.
A number of primitive campgrounds are available for public use. Because of the problem with flooding, visitors are encouraged to contact the refuge manager immediately prior to visiting to determine flood conditions. This brochure lists 231 species of birds recorded on the refuge since 1936. Visitors are requested to report any observations which would add to this list or which would provide better information on seasonal abundance and nesting occurrence. These additional species are of such accidental or rare occurrence on the White River National Wildlife Refuge that they have seldom been recorded more than one or two times.