Finding the Best Public Land for Waterfowl Hunting

In the darkness, waves of whistling black specters rocketed through the treetops as we stood ready in the shallow water. Even though shooting time had begun, we let the wood ducks pass. Before long, we heard an unmistakable quacking that piqued our interest. Several hunters in our group responded, and soon some 15 mallards whizzed over the opening in the flooded timber where we waited anxiously.

Moments later, the ducks circled back and came in for a landing, back-flapping their wings to slow their momentum. Like feathered helicopters, the big, green-headed birds made a seemingly impossible vertical descent into our pothole, marking the beginning of the dance that electrifies every waterfowler’s heart.

WINGSHOOTING EXTRAVAGANZA

George H. Dunklin Jr. Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area, where we’d come to sample the extraordinary duck hunting, is one of the most famous public waterfowling destinations in the world. Commonly known as “Bayou Meto,” the property became public in 1948. But even before the state of Arkansas acquired it, waterfowlers knew of the winged bounty at Wabbaseka Scatters, as it was known. Today, the WMA covers 33,832 well-watered acres in Arkansas and Jefferson counties, about 15 miles southwest of Stuttgart.

“Hunters shoot mallards, wood ducks, green-winged teal and an occasional gadwall on Bayou Meto WMA,” says Jim Ronquest, a pro staffer for Stuttgart-based RNT Calls who now serves as vice president of development for Drake Waterfowl Systems. “When we get some good weather fronts from the northeast, people might also kill a few black ducks or a black-mallard cross. And every now and again, a pintail will come through mixed with mallards.”

Duck hunters can camp at designated primitive sites on the property, which receives 1,500 to 2,000 hunters on opening day of duck season every year. For the rest of the season, however, the daily average drops to about 350.

FLOODED SHANGRI-LA

A network of natural streams and man-made creeks periodically floods the hardwood- timbered bottomlands and feeds various sloughs and ditches, as well as six lakes encompassing about 1,080 acres. Many waterfowlers use boats to reach their hunting spots and then stand in shallow water among the trees, but some roads provide access.

“It’s mostly hardwood forests and wetlands with several green-tree reservoirs with managed water,” says Luke Naylor, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife management division chief. “The state doesn’t pump the impoundments full of water, which is a common misconception. It’s all filled by rain and natural runoff. We do have some structures to hold back some of that water, and also some moist-soil areas that we manage as waterfowl rest areas to keep ducks around. Those areas are off limits to the public during duck season.”

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

Though most people come to Bayou Meto to hunt ducks, deer, turkey and small game are also available, and sportsmen can hunt other public properties within a reasonable drive of Stuttgart.

“Stuttgart has a lot of state and federal public hunting land within easy driving distance,” says Naylor. “And like Bayou Meto, the [region’s] national wildlife refuges mostly offer hunting in flooded timber. Refuge lands might flood at different times than Bayou Meto. If they have good water conditions, they usually have plenty of ducks that fly back and forth between these areas regularly.”

Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA along Wattensaw Bayou in Prairie County, about 26 miles north of Stuttgart, is another terrific option for duck action. Ponds and small lakes dot the tract, which covers 14,419 acres of diverse habitat with considerable swampy terrain, especially along Wattensaw Bayou and other streams.

There’s also Dale Bumpers White River NWR, 20 miles east of Stuttgart. It consists of 160,756 acres averaging 3 to 10 miles wide and running along the White River for about 90 miles. The habitat consists mostly of periodically-flooded lowland forests—with numerous lakes and sloughs—and attracts the largest concentration of wintering mallards in the Mississippi Flyway.

About 55 miles north of Stuttgart, and bordering White River NWR, is Cache River NWR, one of the most important wintering waterfowl tracts in the nation. Its 68,993 acres of cypress swamp, sloughs, oxbows and other wetlands include North America’s largest remaining stretch of contiguous bottomland hardwood forest. The property runs along the Cache River for about 70 miles.

SNOWS AND OTHER GEESE

Ducks aren’t the only waterfowl filling the skies over Arkansas’ flooded forests. Thousands of snow geese also frequent the area, but they rarely come down into the timber. Nevertheless, numerous private rice and other agricultural fields surround Stuttgart and offer sportsmen the chance to bag any duck or goose species traveling down the Mississippi Flyway.

“Stuttgart is equally famous for all the private-land waterfowl hunting opportunities in the area,” Naylor says. “Many residents make their living by guiding waterfowl hunts.”

The state pays participating farmers to keep more waste rice available on their lands for ducks, geese and other migrating birds. So, if you prefer DIY waterfowling or can’t afford to hire an outfitter for a guided hunt, you can apply to hunt under the Arkansas Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement (WRICE) program. If selected by lottery, you’ll be able to hunt a private property, though you must bring your own decoys and other gear.

“On the rice fields, people get some geese and a much bigger variety of ducks than in flooded timber,” says Ronquest.

“In the fields, people still kill plenty of mallards, but they also bag gadwalls, green-winged teal and shovelers. Occasionally, someone gets some wigeons or a pintail. And there might be opportunities to bag specklebelly or snow geese from the same blinds.”

In many ways, hunting white-front or specklebelly geese more closely resembles duck hunting than snow goose hunting. Unlike the snow geese that frequently fly past by the thousands, specks are typically alone, in pairs or in small clusters and often respond better to calling than a huge flock will.

Geese tend to land on dry or soggy ground, but specks don’t like to mingle with ducks or other geese. To attract some takers, place a few pairs or small groups of full-body speck decoys by themselves on mud flats or around pond edges.

“Ducks will come to specklebelly decoys readily,” Ronquest says. “When duck hunting in a rice field, I put some speck decoys standing on the levees and some as floaters. For snow geese, most people put out a lot of decoys, but snows will still come to a small spread.”

When the massive skeins of boisterous snow geese fly overhead, they all make a tremendous racket. But specks don’t make nearly as much noise, and a good speck caller can bring down birds from high altitudes. If you convince the lead specklebelly to land, the rest often follow.

While duck hunters sometimes bag snows, folks hoping for the white birds should target them specifically for best success. The first step requires scouting, and motorists driving through eastern Arkansas on any winter day commonly spot geese feeding in fields like herds of white cattle. Since geese cause considerable damage to the land, many farmers welcome hunters onto their property.

TRIP PLANNER

Must-see attractions for visiting waterfowlers

Each November, Stuttgart hosts the Wings Over the Prairie Festival and World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest (stuttgartduckfest.com), the largest outdoors expo in the Mid-South.

According to Bethany Hildebrand, Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce executive director, the festival spans six blocks in the city’s downtown and packs in loads of fun for the entire family, including the World’s Championship Duck Gumbo Cookoff and Great Duck Race.

Waterfowlers coming to town can check out the latest and greatest in hunting apparel and products at Mack’s Prairie Wings (mackspw.com), just north of town, and visit renowned RNT Calls (rntcalls.com) next door.

There’s also the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie (grandprairiemuseum.org), displaying more than 10,000 artifacts that pay homage to prairie pioneers and housing the Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame.

For information about the area and its events, shops, eateries, lodging, hunting camps and guide services, call the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce or visit its website (870-673-1602; stuttgartchamber.com). For hunting season dates and information, go to agfc.com.

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• This article was featured in the November 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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