Most of the area is oak-hickory stands with some intermingled stands of pure pine. During the 1950s large quantities of white oaks were cut for "stave bolts", leaving what’s now mature to semi-mature stands of hardwood. The WMA topography is part of the Ozark Mountains, Springfield plateau. The land is mostly narrow, rolling mountains composed of gently (some step near the Buffalo) sloped ridges with good fertile valleys along many streams (both intermittent and permanent). Elevations range from 1,250-1,700 feet as with the rock cliffs being mainly made of limestone. As mentioned earlier there are many streams for fishing and camping with three small lakes; Mirrow Lake (at Blanchard Springs), Gunner Pool Lake (at the recreation area so named), and Hayden Pond (east of the community of Optimus which is south of Calico rock). Most of the open land, not counting food plots and unimproved fields owned by the Forest Service, are improved pastures on the private land.  Coming from the south via Mountain View on H  wy 14 west, coming from the west via Marshall/Big Flat on Hwy 14 east, coming from north via Mountain Home/Calico Rock on Hwy 5 south or Hwy 341 south, and coming from the east via Batesville (Hwy 14 west or Melbourne (Hwy 9 south). Any of  these mentioned state highways will intersect with many of the Stone County/USFS roads leading into the WMA.  Sylamore offers a wide range of hunting opportunities for upland game from good hunting for quality deer and turkey to limited hunting of bear and quail. Deer – good quality bucks hidden in deep ravines with a capacity approximately 15-20 per section.  Turkey – Turkeys scattered throughout, especially in the walk-in only area. Bear – Hardest animal to hunt on Sylamore, preseason scouting a must.  Squirrel – Known for many years as one of the best grey squirrel areas in the state. Find the big oaks and hickories.  Quail – Limited to managed larger field systems, especially along hwy 14 and the river. Dove – Found sparsely in improved pasture field systems and some food plots. Rabbit – Found numerously in grownup or semi-maintained fields. Furbearers – Raccoon, bobcat, foxes, etc. – large quantity, several local residents raccoon hunt at night and trap the furbearers during the day.