Arkansas Duck Hunting Blog

A lot has changed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but one thing that hasn’t: the need for data to inform waterfowl management and hunting regulations. Season lengths and bag limits are adjusted annually based on changes in bird abundance and habitat condition. Since 1955, the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey has provided that vital data.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission today announced the waterfowl season dates for the upcoming 2022-2023 season and unanimously approved a package of regulations changes that included the adoption of a new waterfowl season structure, beginning with the 2023-24 seasons.

To up your decoying game, begin by watching ducks at ease, but don’t just focus on individual birds. Look at the flock as a whole. Look at the water and their surroundings as part of the ‘big picture.’ One thing you’ll notice is that there’s nearly constant movement – lots of it. Some birds are stretching their wings. Others are swimming. Some are tipped up feeding or diving. Some are preening. Some are squabbling with other ducks.

One of the biggest decisions that a hunter has to make every year is whether to do it DIY style or go on a professionally guided hunt. Some people think going with an outfitter is too expensive, while others choose to hunt without a guide and later regret it. Here are 6 signs a guided hunting trip is for you.

Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the passage of House Concurrent Resolution 1014 in support of efforts to boost waterfowl and waterfowl habitat in the state of Arkansas.

For the second straight year, safety concerns over Covid-19 have forced the cancellation of the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey. The spring survey, which has been conducted every year from 1955 to 2019, is used to monitor the status of duck and goose populations in North America, as well as to set waterfowl hunting season frameworks and bag limits.

The polar vortex that descended on Arkansas and many other states to the north prompted hundreds of duck and goose hunters throughout The Natural State to ask if the birds finally arrived. With warmer-than-normal conditions across northern states during most of the season, ducks didn’t have to travel far to find the food and cover they need to build up for breeding and nesting season. Meanwhile, lack of unpressured flooded habitat may have prevented ducks and geese from flocking to traditional haunts in some parts of Arkansas. Hunters still can enjoy plentiful shooting and help conservation efforts by hunting snow geese during a special waterfowl season that runs well into spring.

Luke Naylor, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) waterfowl program coordinator, explains that although he and his staff did not complete the annual November aerial survey, they have been keeping tabs on reports of ducks and geese throughout the state. Conditions are dry, but Naylor says there are some highlights.

Overall the last summer conditions are favorable for a good migration this year. Wetland conditions varied throughout the survey area but the majority of the conditions were good to excellent with the Mississippi flyway looking strong!

An overview of wetland conditions across key waterfowl breeding areas. Overall wetland conditions are very good and should produce a healthy hatch for this upcoming year.