# arkansas WMA's? Help Please!



## r_hammett86 (Jun 12, 2009)

my crew and I are planning a Arkansas trip to hunt public land. any tips, pointers, or wmas worth tring out? let me know. thanks all


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## Gaducker (Jun 12, 2009)

You should get lots of helpful info and advice here. .


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## Medicine Man (Jun 12, 2009)

Yea my advise is get a map and go to hwy 342 turn at the second light and put in at the ramp their on the left on CR 43. The ramp is a little ruff so be careful. That should put you right on top of'em.


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## Golden BB (Jun 13, 2009)

Medicine Man said:


> Yea my advise is get a map and go to hwy 342 turn at the second light and put in at the ramp their on the left on CR 43. The ramp is a little ruff so be careful. That should put you right on top of'em.



Dude !!!!! That's MY spot !


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## fi8shmasty (Jun 13, 2009)

Everyone knows the best Duck hunting is in Iowa.


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## Medicine Man (Jun 13, 2009)

Golden BB said:


> Dude !!!!! That's MY spot !



Whoops sorry..Looks like I gave away your spot about as much as I gave away someone else's.


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## waddler (Jun 14, 2009)

Arkansas Public hunting can be fabulous or it can be zilch, depending on the weather and the water levels. We had Mallards early last year and the ponds were good until the rains came and flooded the woods. Then the public hunting was great until the rain stopped and the water went down Overnight, the ducks were gone back to the fields and wherever the Heck else they go when you can't find them.

Arkansas Mallards are not automatic!!!!

Wood Duck limits were increased last year, I don't know about this year yet, but there are always a lot of woodies in the woods.

Plan to go early enough to scout and find your way around the areas you decide to hunt. The place is LARGE! You can walkin some places, and boat in others. Need a 15-25 horse on a (preferably welded) john boat.

Concentrate on the White, Cache and Bayou de View river systems. There are many WMAs, and the ones around Jonesboro have been good lately, some around Stuttgart and some further South on the White system.

Best advice is to not go until the weather and water is right.

If I were going to start hunting Public land in Arkansas, I would hire a guide until I learned the ropes and the areas. Names of guides for the Refuges are availabe from the Cache River NWR at Dixie, AR.  ONly registered guides are allowed to take hunters into these areas and they are the best insurance for newcomers. It will be very easy for you to spend a lot of money and never kill a duck if you do not get some help. 

Good luck.

waddler


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## mello_collins (Jun 14, 2009)

Find a WMA or two and don't forget about federal lands on google. then look for state parks in between them that have cabins for rent. Different times of the season those parks have almost nobody in them if it is not near one of the popular hot spots (bayou meto etc..). Drive out and look at conditions, then decide where to stay. Weather plays a big role there as well. I have seen them flying south on mon and tues then going north the rest of the week. It is a blast. Some areas you need a little boat that you can drag down the levee to the water, others have ramps or you might have to walk.


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## jdgator (Jun 14, 2009)

I would would echo Waddler's advice. Also - be sure to manage your expectations, as far as killing ducks. Success in Arkansas and Mississippi is hit or miss, depending on weather (and a number of other variables). Plenty of boys head out to an AR WMA, sight unseen, and kill nothing their first trip. I am not trying to convince you not to go, just to make sure that you are not dissapointed.  Its a rite of passage, so don't give up. Be happy if green heads and orange feet work your spread.


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## BREAK'N WINGS (Jun 15, 2009)

we've had some  good luck in past years on BIG LAKE wma! Hasn't been too great in past couple years though. If I was planning a trip I would head to Kansas!


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## r_hammett86 (Jun 16, 2009)

thanks guys.  i know im heading up this year when i can get some $$ for the trip. ive killed alot ducks here in ga and what not, and i have heard that guided rice fields ar ethe best bet in arkansas, but im not out for a numbers game, i guess you could say im a new commer to the sport, but i really love calling in ducks. nothing to me is more rewarding then when you drop a fat ol green head that you brought into your spread. thats what i love about the sport. i want to go to the duck hunting capital of the world and try like crazy to bring in some grean heads. numbers arnt that big a deal, we just want to go up, have sme fun and kill a few ducks. but thanks for all the advise. now if i can just find a 14-16 ft jon boat on a trailer i can build up this summer id be greatful. anyone know anyone thats got a boat they would sell er trade. i dont want anythig fancy, just a boat on a trailer, really just a boat, i got a trailer. thanks guys. God Bless


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## dfhooked (Jun 17, 2009)

Have fun, but if you are a newvomer the best thing you can do is hook up with a good local guide for your first trip. First of all if you have only hunted in Ga, you do not know what it is like to actually work mallards into your spread. (not an insult) This is first hand advice from someone who was in your shoes 7-8 years ago. Networking is the key, do not be affraid to talk ducks with anyone you run into on here or in person, it could lead to cheap exposure of timber and flooded rice fields. Take a camera, you will see things you have only heard about or seen on TV while you are hunting one of the major flyways. Many pointed out the key to the south mississippi flyway, weather is the key. You really need to be able to drop what you are doing when the RIGHT FRONT moves in as the crazy stuff can happen at anytime and not when you had planned your trip 4 months in advance. I have experienced 350k bird flights off of the mississippi on public waters when the state is frozen over and major call makers were filming shows 100 yrds from us. I have also sat in a pit from sunup to sundown without firing a shot, just remember just cause it is arkansas doesn't mean it is gonna be awesome. Feel free to pm me for any info on a few other states as well.


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## BigDogDaddy (Jun 17, 2009)

Weather is key! I have been up to AR the past 2 years hunting public land, the ducks know when the fields and timber are frozen. It doesnt matter if you bust ice in a big area for the ducks to land when the rest of the 5,000 acres around you are still frozen. Another thing you have to worry about when hunting public land in the locals. Several occasions we have had locals come in right at daylight and literally set up 50 yards from us. You can cuss them all you want but theres nothing you can doo about it. Most WMA's in AR they can put their decoys out a week before the season opens and leave them out all year long. As it is first come first serve and the law states that but your heading straight for confrontation. Also, each WMA has different rules regarding what time you can put your boat in, some only allow you to carry a box of shells, and just about everyone of them you have to have your hunting gear out of the water by noon to give the ducks rest for the remainder of the day. Of course you can find all of this out at the AR Fish and Game website.


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## r_hammett86 (Jun 17, 2009)

reading all of this is making me wanna head up now. (if only it were season) if anybody knows any good wma's PM me if you dont mind. ive looked into seven devils swamp and beyou meto but im not sure what each wma holds as far as opertunities or how how to acess it. boat foot ect.


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## Nitro (Jun 17, 2009)

r_hammett86 said:


> reading all of this is making me wanna head up now. (if only it were season) if anybody knows any good wma's PM me if you dont mind. ive looked into seven devils swamp and beyou meto but im not sure what each wma holds as far as opertunities or how how to acess it. boat foot ect.



That's what you should do. Go up there now and learn your way around the areas and start finding a few places to hunt. 

A map set , GPS and the funds to get you there will go a long way towards making you successful in November.

Good Luck!


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## BigDogDaddy (Jun 18, 2009)

pm sent


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## r_hammett86 (Jun 18, 2009)

Nitro said:


> That's what you should do. Go up there now and learn your way around the areas and start finding a few places to hunt.
> 
> A map set , GPS and the funds to get you there will go a long way towards making you successful in November.
> 
> Good Luck!



thats a pretty good idea. think any of the green timber up there is flooded. iv heard that its usually only flooded during the rice season from the field run offs. i could be wrong.


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## Nitro (Jun 18, 2009)

r_hammett86 said:


> thats a pretty good idea. think any of the green timber up there is flooded. iv heard that its usually only flooded during the rice season from the field run offs. i could be wrong.



The woods should be mostly dry- except for the ditches which should be low enough to cross. 

Not wrong about the Green Timber. If the trees were flooded all year the water would kill the important species. The AGFC typically starts putting in the boards in November. The water comes from the rivers and diversion canals and is pumped into the GTRs. Rainwater helps flood of course. (when Mother Nature provides).

The reason to go now is to find the short timber and walk in areas. You will need to learn plenty of "back up" spots if you intend to be a successful Public land hunter.

There really is no short cut if you want to do it yourself. We did it for years. Good Luck!


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## waddler (Jun 23, 2009)

Should you go in the Summer, be prepared. Maybe a few quarts of your blood could be forwarded to the closest medical treatment facility. Arkansas has Mosquitos as big as Bald Eagles and Cottonmouths by the millions. It is really steamy hot and dehydration can be a threat.

Not trying to alarm you, but if you haven't been in the Arkansas Delta in July, you need to talk to someone who has.

waddler


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## Nitro (Jun 23, 2009)

waddler said:


> Should you go in the Summer, be prepared. Maybe a few quarts of your blood could be forwarded to the closest medical treatment facility. Arkansas has Mosquitos as big as Bald Eagles and Cottonmouths by the millions. It is really steamy hot and dehydration can be a threat.
> 
> Not trying to alarm you, but if you haven't been in the Arkansas Delta in July, you need to talk to someone who has.
> 
> waddler



They are young and can hack it. 

If they go and learn the area, then the return trip once water is on the property will give them a start point. 

It is a strategy that works well.

Snakes and skeeters don't stop us.


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## shoot2grill (Jun 23, 2009)

If you go to bayou-meto dont forget G.P.S. been temporarily lost on it twice,once at night! Its crazy how easy you can get turned around in there.


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## r_hammett86 (Jun 23, 2009)

skeeters dont bother me much, we have thos biteing flys down here so skeeters are nothing. 


cottenmouths, well im not a fan of snakes but my Beneli SBE can sure take care of em. 

thanks all!


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## Nitro (Jun 23, 2009)

shoot2grill said:


> If you go to bayou-meto dont forget G.P.S. been temporarily lost on it twice,once at night! Its crazy how easy you can get turned around in there.



I would recommend learning any WMA in Arkansas but Bayou Meto. I love the Scatters, but it gets hammered and too many folks go there. The hunting quality has suffered.

Felsenthal NWR, St. Francis Sunken Lands, Bayou DeView, Hurricane Lake, Trusten Holder, Dave Donaldson, Rex Hancock/Black Swamp, Dagmar, the White River NWR all offer exceptional opportunity for hunting when the birds are there.

The more groundwork you do for yourself, the more options you will have during the season. 

Good Luck!!


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## r_hammett86 (Jun 25, 2009)

if i can get a few of my budys up to it, a road trip will be had in short order. other than arkansas where else could we go that would be worth the time effort and money?


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## Nitro (Jun 25, 2009)

Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, The Dakotas............ 

Man, just pick a target species and go.  There is a great road trip in any direction.


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## greg@teamlivewire (Jun 25, 2009)

You'll need new ducks and water.  Water has been tough the last few years.  If I were going to put the time in, I'd try up north. Donaldson WMA guys stay quiet, but kill alot of ducks.  Poinsett Co has alot of small public areas only hunted on the weekends.  Let me know if I can help.  I'm usually out there about 35-45 days of the season.


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## r_hammett86 (Jul 18, 2009)

i just got an invite to go stay with a buddy in Southern Missouri in late Nov. for a few days. i'd like to skip on into arkansas before i came home so thanks for all the help guys. i'll throw up some pics after the trip if it def happens and right now its a go.


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