Arkansas Green Timber and
Rice Field Duck Hunting

• Guided or Un-Guided Hunts
• 2, 3 or 4 day hunts available
• All hunts are on private ground
• Over 25 years guiding/outfitting

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As we neared the opening day of duck season last November, this region of Northeast Arkansas had already experienced two major floods in the Black and Cache River flood ways. There was more water than I can remember ever seeing for that time of year and I couldn’t tell you when the last time was we had experienced two early floods of this magnitude. Several farm operations had lost equipment and several had crops that were submerged.
            While the excessive flooding placed a hardship on many of the area farm operations, it all happened in a timely manner for the early part of the duck migration. Timely flooding and plenty of it, is what helps this region shortstop the ducks from the central and southern parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and parts of Mississippi. One area pilot said; “When I flew into the airport the other day, our region of the state looks like a small ocean, dotted with a lot of islands.” The ducks must have liked the ocean appearance since early bird counts indicated we were holding record bird numbers. Combine it all together and my staff and I were nothing short of excited about the possibilities we were facing. During the previous two seasons we had set all time records for bird numbers and kill ratios at our operation and it certainly looked like the 2006/07 season would be another banner year.
            As the rains continued, the season ended up providing us with six major floods. Never in my life had I seen so much water for such a long time. The duck numbers held up and northeast Arkansas’s counts were amazing, but in the long run … is that what’s best? Think about it this way. If you have a kiddy pool filled with water in your back yard and it is crammed full of ducks that would be a lot. However, if you took those same ducks and put them in a small lake, they wouldn’t appear to be so thick and that’s what we found to be true as the flooding continued.
            Overall we ended up with a seasonal average of 4.4 ducks per day/per guided hunter. With the limit being six ducks maximum (we do not count geese in that average), that average still puts us way ahead of the state average and the other outfitters I’ve talked with. However, it was less than we had hoped for in the beginning. The good part, we had enough quality hunting ground and a hard working staff so the season ended up being another good one. Since we have the ability to pump or fields and control some of the water in our timber, sloughs and marsh areas, I’m hoping I never see flooding like that again. Fuel may be expensive and while it’s still going up, it gives use control over the amount of water in the area and that gives us one more advantage over Mother Nature. That advantage, combined with our Voluntary Rest Days Program, described below, is what we’ll hope for, but we’ll be prepared for whatever Mother Nature wants to dish out.
            We’ve been working on a new boat dock and the walk to it for one of our main timber holes and that will provide us with access, even in the driest conditions. We also have a new blind ready to assemble in our Tupelo Marsh, opening up new possibilities for the combination timber and marsh area. We’ve already planted the first round of a new type of hybrid millet in a couple of the timber/marsh areas and we’re excited about reports on the early water conditions and the breeding grounds. Floods or the lack of water, we’ll be ready when the season gets here and with our well-experienced and well-seasoned staff … we hope to keep putting them at your feet and helping you build memories … HammerTime style!

Since implementing our voluntary “Rest Days Program”, there’s no doubt … it continues to pay off. With fuel prices on the rise, more and more people rely on rain to flood their hunting areas. This means that most years there are fewer acres of surface water in the southern portion of the Mississippi flyway than there used to be. Thus we continue to see the benefits of our “Rest Days Program and the definable edge it has given us over other outfitters in the state. So what is our “Rest Days Program” and why is it so important?

It's really simple to understand. Ducks migrate south looking for different food sources and open water. When a duck makes the migration flight they burn up a lot of calories and body fat, similar to a person that runs everyday or works out in the gym. Once the migrating ducks arrive at a given location, they need time to rest and eat, to take in the calories needed to replenish the body fat they used in flight. If every time the ducks try to land someone shoots at them, they don't have a chance to relax or rest and they will keep moving until they find a place where they can rest. State and Federal agencies have used rest areas for years and their success in helping and holding ducks has been well documented. With our "Rest Days Program" we take things a step further. Instead of having one area the ducks can sit and never have to leave, we try to let all of our ground rest, without hunting, for three days a week. Then we select the best locations for our arriving hunters. This program cost us a lot in available days we can book, but as a hunter would you rather try your luck and hunt in a location where the ducks have had a chance to rest or a location where they have been shot at, day in and day out?

NOAA and the Farmers Almanac both show possible indications of a drier than normal year for the wintering grounds of the Mississippi Flyway. If they are correct and with fuel prices still on the rise, we feel like there will be a severe shortage of surface water for the ducks to use. Thus hunting pressure becomes a tremendous problem. Based on the overwhelming success we experienced with our “Rest Days Program” and in preparation for the real possibility of a much drier season than normal, we are working hard to complete a major expansion for the “Rest Days Program” for this (07/08) season.

Our expansion is focused on a substantial increase in the number of rest fields we will pump up. Like the rest field or two we’ve used in the past, these fields do not have pits or blinds in them. They will be designated for resting purposes. We will have water on part of these fields by mid October, allowing early migratory birds a chance to feed up and get fat and happy. Our current plans call for all of the rest fields to be pumped before the end of October, providing ample time to establish our pre-season bird numbers, without stressing available food sources in the fields we do hunt.

Additionally, since six of the nine rest area fields, planned for this season, will be within one to two miles of a large portion of our timber ground and no more than four or five miles from the remainder of our flooded timber, we expect the rest areas to provide additional benefits for our timber hunting as well. In fact, current plans call for a minimum of one rest field for every field we have pits in for this season.

To say the least, we are very excited about the benefits this expansion will provide to our current “Rest Days Program” and to our clients as well. Thanks to all that consider Arkansas as their waterfowl hunting destination and wherever you hunt this season, “May all the birds land at your feet!"