Bad weather compels some hunters and ducks to stay home, the former swearing the latter move less when conditions are bad. Others say the worse the weather, the better the hunt. But there’s another crowd that simply points out that duck hunting is an outdoor activity, one that’s earned their attention, weather be damned.
Once a pass shooting fancy, more and more Arkansas duck hunters are turning their attention to the pursuit of Greater White-Fronted Geese, also known as specklebellies. These geese have exploded in terms of the number of birds now wintering in Arkansas over the last decade or so. Waterfowlers have taken notice and are working to improve their skills as an alternative or supplement to their traditional mallard hunts.
One man stands above all others when the discussion turns to the stirring of passions and the corresponding salvation of the Big Woods. His name was Rex Hancock, a Stuttgart dentist who became so much more to those who enjoy hugging flooded trees on cold winter mornings in the Arkansas Delta.
When he finished college and put his tennis racquet away for good — except for the occasional recreational game — Pine Bluff native George Dunklin Jr. took up farming on the family’s vast acreage in Arkansas and Jefferson counties. It led Dunklin into a volunteer role with Ducks Unlimited that’s now approaching 30 years.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission meets today to discuss the proposed dates for upcoming waterfowl season and discuss a handful of other related proposals including the removal of private blinds on three Northeast Arkansas public hunting areas.
The annual report on breeding ground surveys by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is highlighted by the good news of duck numbers up, especially mallards. But the bad news is that ponds in the breeding grounds up north have declined.
