The lack of rain throughout 2012 will leave many Arkansas duck hunters without a puddle of water to float a decoy for opening weekend. As of this week, areas of Northeast Arkansas are reporting a over 10″ deficit in rainfal while Pine Bluff in Southeast Arkansas is nearly 3″ behind for the year. Those shortfalls leave most of public hunting ground in Arkansas dry and where there is water, the odds of a hunter behind every tree is strong.
The good news is a couple of cold fronts in late October and early November pushed a decent number of ducks and geese into the state. The ducks have found fields and reservoirs holding early pumped water and hunting opportunities are strong for those that have been able to flood their hunting spots. How long the ducks stick around once the shooting starts depends if they can find a suitable place to rest.
Temps for opening weekend look to be about normal but there will be a little chill in the air at sunrise. Sunny skies should be a welcome site for the timber hunters although ducks still might be a little skiddish due to the number of leaves still on the trees.
- AGFC Weekly Waterfowl Report, Nov. 14, 2012
- Missouri Mallard Migration Map
- Dabbling Duck Migration Forecast
Good luck to all the hunters afield this weekend and be safe. Don’t forget to submit your opening weekend photos to Greenhead.net’s photo gallery.
And if you need some copies of Greenhead for the duck club, you can order online and enter yourself in a drawing for a new Olt D2K duck call.
