ducktape May 6th, 2009
I know everyone has been fired up lately about Arkansas Turkey Hunting, and getting ready for the rain to stop so you can hit your favorite Arkansas lakes or river, but an important bill is being brought to the table in Washington concerning duck hunting.
WASHINGTON- Migratory Bird Conservation Commission members Congressman John Dingell (Mich.) and Robert Wittman (Va.) introduced legislation in Congress to increase the availability and buying power of the Federal Duck Stamp – a move designed to continue the success that the stamp has had in conserving waterfowl habitat across the United States.
The increase in the price of the Federal Duck Stamp would be much needed in my opinion. The price has not increased since 1991 and needs an increase to help with the rising costs of land conservation in the pothole regions of the US and Canada.
The benefit of increasing the cost of the Federal Duck Stamp far out- weighs the inconvenience of the extra money we will be required to pay in order to chase our favorite waterfowl.
Since the creation of the Federal Duck Stamp in 1934, sales from the stamp have topped $700 million and have conserved more than 5.2 million acres of habitat. This needs to continue for the future generations of Arkansas duck hunters.
ducktape January 7th, 2009
Frustration in an Arkansas duck hunter’s mind can be seen when everything 
seems perfect — you have a perfectly laid-out spread, you’re enticing them with the most seducing welcome call — but ducks lock-up, make a pass and just don’t circle back.
What happened? Those birds were totally committed to your spread, but when that last turn came around, they simply did not make it. Experience says your early season decoy spread and/or your perfect calling did not entice those late season weary, hard-nosed ducks.
“I hunt in rice fields, where many hunters leave huge spreads out all year,” Dr. Brian Davis says. “They work well early in the season. But by late December and January, the ducks have started pair-bonding. Then I do better with a small spread that mimics this change in the birds’ behavior.”
Changing your strategy late in the Arkansas duck hunting season makes the difference in limiting out and breakfast at the Hurley House in Hazen, or not limiting out and lunch at the Hurley House. This post will cover calling and decoy strategies for Arkansas duck hunting late in the season.
Continued in the Arkansas Duck Hunting Forum
ducktape December 23rd, 2008
All duck hunters know someone that doesn’t duck hunt, and all of us have heard the question, “Why do you get out there and hunt?”
I would be lying if I answered with, “I do it just to kill ducks.” In reality, I, like most duck hunters, do it for so many other reasons: the Arkansas hunting memories; the friendships created; the joy of watching a good dog work; that smell of gun powder in the morning; and so many more reasons that non-hunters simply can’t understand.
Arkansas duck hunting is so much more than just a hobby or way to kill time; I believe it is a way of life, a pastime, a lifestyle, if you will. Sitting in a duck blind talking about things going on in our lives sure does beat sitting in our living rooms talking about what could be going on in the duck blind.
I have had the pleasure of duck hunting Arkansas with mixed company this duck season, and every day has been near perfect — whether or not I knew it at the time. The memories created and later shared over a cold beer are something that all duck hunters treasure, one of the few things that are rarely lost over the years, just like that perfect pair of wool socks.
One of the Arkansas Outdoors Online members started a thread about 2008 Arkansas hunting memories over in the Arkansas Hunting Forum. I felt obliged to do whatever I could to let some people tell their stories and memories. Whether from the duck blind, deer stand or boat, come share your favorite Arkansas hunting memories of the year.
ducktape December 2nd, 2008
Arkansas Outdoors Online has been working pretty hard on a new feature of the site. It’s called the Arkansas Mallard Migration Map, and it is going to be a strong addition to our scouting tools. The map will feature Arkansas duck hunting reports from hunters around the state — info that is reliable, accurate and up-to-date, not bogus and false.
Here is how the Arkansas Mallard Migration Map is going to work: You e-mail your Arkansas duck hunting info and data such as: picture(s), number of ducks killed and the date and location (not down to the hole you hunted, but in the general area).
Soon after I receive your e-mailed data, I will post your info on the map with a green dot if you experienced a successful hunt, yellow if your hunt was so-so, and red if you got skunked.
Here is the Arkansas Mallard Migration Map and here is my email address [email protected]
ducktape November 19th, 2008
For many people in the state, duck hunting Arkansas brings up images of a pit blind on a flooded rice field. But the reality for thousands of Arkansas duck hunters is hunting green timber on public land.
Arkansas wildlife refuges offer up some of the finest duck hunting in the world.
With private duck hunting land at a premium in the best “duck country” in Arkansas, many hunters have no choice but to hit one of at least 40 refuges in the state known for its Arkansas duck hunting.
Areas such as the White River National Wildlife refuge or Bayou Meto are two of the more well known public places to hunt (and the ones with the most hunters).
But other options for the Arkansas duck hunter are widely available if a little work is put into scouting. This tip is going to be the last in the series of Arkansas duck hunting tips since the season kicks off in 3 days. This tip for Arkansas duck hunting is covering Arkansas public land and Arkansas wildlife refuges, which offer you a good place to start your scouting. Read the article in full over in the Arkansas Duck Hunting Forum.
Remember, if you hit some of the state’s NWAs, you need an Arkansas Wildlife Refuge Permit. If you plan on hitting any of the rivers or bayous that criss-cross Arkansas’ wildlife refuges, you can also check out the Arkansas River Levels.
ducktape November 14th, 2008
Weather conditions play an important role in successful Arkansas duck hunting, especially in the early season. Knowing when a storm or cold front is blowing through in the north or south is usually a good indicator of how the coming days will be for hunting ducks. Checking the local weather for the area you plan on duck hunting in Arkansas is crucial to success, more so than any storm in another part of the country.
Sunny, overcast, raining, sleeting or blinding snow, Arkansas duck hunters can encounter any number of variables in weather on any given day. For this tip for successful Arkansas Duck hunting we will take a look at playing that forecast game and how it affects those fine-feathered fowl.
Check out the full article in the Arkansas Duck Hunting Forum.
ducktape November 5th, 2008
Cyber Scouting has become a big part of a successful Arkansas Duck Hunters hunting routine over the past several years. Resources online such as weather forecasts, satellite imagery maps, and water levels have become standard for pre-scouting that excellent Arkansas green timber the night before big hunts.
In this tip for Arkansas Duck Hunting, I will be covering cyber scouting, and how to use the valuable tools we have on our site to aid you such as the arkansas river levels, mallard map, moon phases and soon to be “duck reports from the field“. These resources, combined with the new 2008 and 2009 Arkansas solunar tables, are the perfect tools for starting your cyber scouting.
When you are done with those head over to our Arkansas Duck Hunting Forum and check out the remainder of the article.
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