dustinfeathers

Any information on Arkansas Duck hunting would be greatly appreciated PUBLIC LAND HUNTS please. I want to plan a trip either this winter or next winter anyone interested in doing a do it yourself hunt in Arkansas let me know. We can do research and head down there for hopfully a great hunt.
thanks.

SwampCollie

I'll be the first to tell you outright that there is some great public land duck hunting in Arkansas, and that if you don't know your way around in advance you might as well stay at home.... Bayou Meto is a big place, and if you've never been in flooded timber in the dark..... it all looks the same. The hot public spots are very very carefully guarded secrets. I have hunted there... and hired a guide and had a wonderful time. It was $125 plus a tip.... but its worth every penny. We joined a club down there with 7 timber and 7 pit blinds a few years ago.. I can only dream of finding a club at such a steal of a price here in VA... sadly it was a one time deal

dustinfeathers

thanks swamp collie for the info do you remember the guide you went with. I may just give him a call and that was 125 per day right. do they hunt mostly public ground

SwampCollie

It was $125 per day. That used to be the standard rate. From what I understand, thanks to gas prices mostly, that rate has gone up to anywhere from $150 to $225 a day.

A college classmate of mine set the trip up. I think the guy who took us... his first name was Keith or Kurt something like that. I have no idea what outfitter it was or anything. My room mate (at the time) set the whole deal up... he has hunted with them often. The guy had a video out a few years ago and I think I might have it upstairs, if I can find it I'll check it out and see if I can get any info from it.

Here is some info on "THE" place to hunt, Bayou Meto. If I recall corectly, the guy we hunted with wasn't from that area, his guide service was up in northern Arkansas where my buddy had some family. We hunted a lot of private land up there, and one day we hired this cat to take us down to Meto... kinda like Mecca for a duck hunter... gotta go there at least once in your life!

http://www.agfc.com/data-facts-maps/maps/wildlife-mgt-areas/wma_bayoumeto.aspx

superstrutter

For some reason it just doesn't seemright to pay a guide to hunt public land. I know it's a common practice in Ark. though. It's pretty much unheard of in LA., and we have some great public hunting here in northeast LA.I've hunted ducks from Stuttgart down to Wilmot, and during the 90's it was hard to beat. I got an offer this year to hunt on a private lease around Overflow that's loaded with ducks, but declined. If I'm going to pay $1500, I want to be able to deer and turkey hunt also. This place is strictly field hunting. My brother-in-law has his own place around Wilmot, so I'll go there a few times. I normally have plenty of ducks to shoot here in northeast LA. Good luck finding a good public place in Ark. that is not alreadyrun overby hunters.

GordonGekko

Well, I have spent more than a few years hunting Arkansas and in fact rarely even hunt Mississippi.... I think I did a rundown on Arkansas guides in another thread, I'll see if I can link that for you shortly....

As far as going cowboy on public land...good luck, it is truly a rough world out there at times....

First and foremost, most places are overflowing with people...I have honestly been in fistfights over duckholes on public land, that is the exception though...not trying to scare you, because for the most part it is simply crowded...but every now and then, when the hunting gets really good in the timber the a$$holes show up.... I have had people set up 20-30 yards from us.... fire random shots just to flare the ducks working our holes and many other things that make hunting public land so wonderful....

Bayou Meto a.k.a. "the Metro" due to the crowded conditions, like many public areas many of the locals have staked out "spots" and don't take kindly to others hunting their hole.... I have hunted it a handful of times, and if you're with someone that knows it and has a few good holes it can be good...but I won't go without someone that knows it...it simply isn't worth fighting the crowds....

as far as getting a guide on public land, per the AGFC regulations section 25.07:

you can see it here http://www.agfc.com/rules-regulations/code-of-regulations/code_sec25.aspx

now all that being said, I believe your best bet would be to get a guide....but if you want to try the public land feel free to give it a shot, but realize that it is going to take a lot of hard work and time spent figuring out the area (here is a hint, hunt the woods when the water is rising on the rivers, and it helps if the fields are locked up frozen).... and plan on bringing a boat to try and help get a little seperation from the crowds.... personally, I would avoid the Metro as a starting point.... but that is your choice...it is pretty much as far south in the state as you find large concentrations of mallards this decade...but as said before the intensity of their presence is related to the flooding in the area....

GordonGekko

Okay...seems I can't find my post about Arkansas guides....here are the ones I know and trust in a nutshell....

Adam Lyerly, I have hunted with Adam and call him a friend. Adam is honest, forthright and will put you on the ducks if there is any way to do so....his website is http://bayoudeviewoutfitters.com/index.html

Charles Snapp, quite a character, I have hunted through Charles and he has a good operation and will put you on ducks. His website is http://www.arkansaswaterfowl.com/

I have not hunted with Slick McCollum, but one of my good friends has on multiple occasions and says he is the only person to hunt with if you want to hunt Stuttgart (I have had some terrible experiences with others in that area) check his operation out at http://www.stuttgarthuntingclub.com/his is the closest you will get to hunting the Metro....

as an aside...Superstrutter...pretty bad speed-trap in Wilmot, AR...I let go of a lease outside of Parkdale (in between Parkdale and Eudora) last year...duck numbers definitely aren't what they were 10 years ago in that part of the world.... hunted around the Little Missouri Loop a few times last year and while numbers are decent, after the run during 90's it seems pretty slim....

SwampCollie

Dang..... never knew about that law. I'm like 99% sure we were IN Meto too... we shot a lot of ducks, this dude knew where he was going.... strange. Makes me wonder.....

GordonGekko

I want to say they only implemented that 4-5 years ago...but I could be wrong about the time frame....I clearly remember when it used to be legal, just can't remember how long ago that was...may have been 8 years....not that it really matters....