What ducks? Hunters’ waterfowl woes shared by neighbors

Arkansas isn’t the only state seeing low numbers in winter migration

By Randy Zellers

AGFC Communications

LITTLE ROCK – Raise your hand if you've heard one or all of these lines during this duck season: “We haven’t seen a really noticeable migration. It’s been pretty static the last month and a half.”

“I’ve heard a lot of reports where the ducks are nocturnal, or you get them to about 80 yards and they won’t finish. It’s so dang tough when you’re hunting the same ducks almost the entire season.”

'Without any major changes in the weather one way or another, you’re still going to be hunting those same birds that are really locked into their routines.”

We'd understand if you thought those were quotes coming from waterfowl biologists in Arkansas, but they're actually the words of biologists in Missouri, with a couple specifically from southeast Missouri where the waterfowl hunting season runs concurrent to Arkansas's and which, of course, directly borders The Natural State.

These quotes and more revealing information on Missouri's duck hunting season came via the reporting of Paul Davis, Ducks Unlimited's Mid-South Migration Editor, earlier this week. The words sounded roughly familiar to what biologists have been saying from South Dakota on down the Central and Mississippi flyways, as well as the coastal flyways, throughout the waterfowl season.

So, Arkansas duck hunters trying to makes heads or tails of this season are in pretty much the same boat as everyone else. Missouri biologists noted seeing, as did some Arkansans, another annual migration of ducks well before the season, in October and early November. Then, no real migration during the season. This has happened at least for the past three years, those Missouri biologists tell DU. It will give waterfowl biologists and hunters plenty to muse over in the coming months.

Meanwhile, based on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's midwinter waterfowl survey the first full week of January, the state's total duck numbers and mallard numbers lag behind the average from the past 11 years. The Delta mallard population estimate is the second lowest since formal surveys began in the 2009-10 wintering period and represent only 45% of the 2010-2023 longterm midwinter survey average of about 826,000 mallards. Observers flying the AGFC's midwinter waterfowl survey Jan. 4-7 estimated the greatest number of mallards in the Delta in the Bayou Meto, Little River, Lower White and Black River-Upper White survey zones. Several duck hotspots were slightly different than mallard hotspots. Estimates for mallards and total ducks in the Arkansas River Valley were less than half their 2016-2023 averages, with the vast majority of ducks observed in the West Dardanelle survey zone.

'Observations common the last couple wintering periods held true again during this survey,' Luke Naylor, the AGFC's waterfowl program coordinator, said, 'namely that ducks remained concentrated on established waterfowl sanctuaries and habitats that appeared not to be actively hunted. Rainfall preceding this survey provided a bit of a boost in habitat availability. It is unclear how much of that habitat remains on the landscape now. Ducks were uncommon in these fields during these daytime surveys. Birds are likely leaving sanctuary areas at night to take advantage of these new habitats.'

Naylor cited Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Ashbaugh in northeast Arkansas as noticeable hotspots, 'but at least some feedback about hunting success on adjacent public hunting areas suggests low success. Similar to last year,

See DUCKS, page A9

Photo courtesy of AGFC DUCKS

From page A8

ducks seemed to be taking advantage of newly flooded fields without hunting pressure in the Lower St. Francis survey zone near the Mississippi River.'

AGFC observers estimated 1.08 million total ducks in the Delta, fewer than half of which were mallards (458,314). Duck population estimates in the Arkansas River Valley slightly exceed 21,000, including just over 9,000 mallards, while fewer than 5,000 mallards, and barely over 9,000 total ducks were counted southwest Arkansas. Observers in the Delta estimated around 886,000 light (lesser snow and Ross’s) geese and about 221,000 greater white-fronted geese during this survey, 'with the caveat that this survey is not great for estimating goose numbers,' Naylor said.

The bulk of ducks in many Arkansas areas, based on biologists' counts and hunter anecdotal evidence, have been gadwalls, with some pintails, greenwinged teal and shovelers. Unsurprisingly, the southeast Missouri waterfowl biologists in the DU report said the same thing about their region.

Also, taking note that light geese and greater white-front geese totals rival overall duck numbers in Arkansas in the mid-winter survey, it's worth pointing out that the Missouri biologists said this week that they have seen greater numbers of snow geese in the southeast corner than ever, an estimated 170,000. Also, they've noted that the migration back north in many of their typical duck locations has yet to start with little change in the weather.

One theory that regularly circulates among Arknasas hunters is that states to the north are 'short-stopping' the duck migration with more available food. This year, the idea was, the derecho in Iowa during the summer shook so much corn to the ground there that ducks didn't have any need to move further south. Luke Naylor spoke with Iowa biologists who scoffed at that notion. Corn in August would be rotten in the field by now, and ducks aren't the only animals attracted to it anyway. The derecho winds, according to Iowa sources, didn't do as much damage to the crops as some are imagining. And, from Christmas Eve on into the new year, Iowa (and those corn fields, if any edible food remained) was blanketed with ice and snow. Some areas had drifts and most had 4-10 inches of fozen snowfall.

And yet there was not some sudden new migration southward of hundreds of thousands of ducks.

'That scenario is highly unlikely,' Naylor said after speaking with Iowa wildlife officials. 'It is my understanding that the farmers were actually able to harvest most of that corn, so it turned out not to be as big of a deal as expected. …The midwinter counts in Iowa (at the same time as Arkansas's midwinter count) showed few noticeable duck concentrations.'

• Applications for the permit draw to the WRICE fields, or weekend hunts at Steve N. Wilson Raft Creek Bottoms WMA, Red Cut Slough in Cypress Bayou WMAor the Conway George Tracts at Dagmar for the final weekend of the regular waterfowl season (Jan. 27-28) are available from noon Thursday to midnight Sunday.

WRICE fields, unlike WMApermits, allow for two full days of hunting for the applicant selected for a field, and the hunting party can consist of up to four hunters. Permit winners are notified Monday following the close of the application period. The cost to apply for any permit in the draw is $5. Also, remember to make plans to apply for the WRICE fields and other permit draws for second Special Youth, Veterans and Active Military Hunt on Feb. 2-3.

• Arkansas's regular waterfowl season continues uninterrupted to its close at sunset Jan. 31. Youth, veterans and active military on Feb. 2-3 may hunt any WMAor private land (including WRICE permitted hunts) all day.