Duck Season 2019-20

[Choudawg86]

any pics? reports? I have attached all of our pictures of our hunt successes through the first split . . . .

[Tech77]

any pics? reports? I have attached all of our pictures of our hunt successes through the first split . . . .

I heard a report someone saw a duck, but it turned out to be just a rumor.

[mentechsters]

Slow doesn’t even begin to describe the duck hunting in SE Arkansas... People are describing hunts by how many they SAW, not SHOT.

[Choudawg86]

knew some folks that had a jam up first weekend in ark but then it was over. I had seriously thought about finding a lease around jones or Wilmot ark next year for me and my son but seems these days your season is pretty much limited to the last 2 weeks of January. guess I'll continue hunting wood ducks on the creeks around. seems like they may be more of a sure thing than the $10000 blinds

[mentechsters]

Not worth it. Duck season in SE Ark/NE LA, for whatever reason, is basically 3-5 weeks during an average year. This is not an exception anymore but the norm. Sure there’ll be a few clubs killing them, but overall it’s beyond bad.

[marketdawg]

Worst year we've ever had...I've shot one duck...one...

[techman05]

Is DU still paying people to run aerators in the ponds up north to keep them from freezing? I know they did that several seasons in a row and ducks did not have to fly as far south to find food and rest. What else is hurting? Motorized decoys? Over hunting?

[marketdawg]

I hunted yesterday afternoon from 1-5:15 on our oxbow just off the Red River on the La/Ark border. Has some adjoining flooded timber as well. Saw four ducks...three woodies and I shot a mallard/pintail hybrid drake. I'll post pics soon. Prettiest duck I've ever shot and it's going on my wall for sure.

[marketdawg]

And we got three guys hunting WRP northwest of Plain Dealing this morning and they have one mallard so far...

[faninmonroe]

This is the worst year in 28 years since our blind has kept records. It has been beyond disappointing. Delta Waterfowl sent out a letter stating that they recognize it is bad but it is not there fault.

Last year was our worst year in 27 years. We got more ducks on opening day last year than we got the entire first split of this year.

If not for blue wing teal, the season would be an absolute bust. We have killed 1 mallard and no pintails. We have had multiple hunts where a shot was not fired.

The good news is that I am starting to master my spec call.

[mentechsters]

I’m not sure who/what to blame or if anything is to blame. What I do know is that in late December, my friends several states to the north are still pounding ducks. DU isn’t keeping them there. They had no significant weather until last week which pushed most of the birds out. These birds weren’t sitting on heated ponds or in refuges. But hunting pressure up there is minimal. Maybe it’s just a weather thing. Or maybe the migration corridors have shifted. Every field that has water in it in Ark/La has a pit in it. That has to have an effect. Like I said, not sure who to blame but it’s very very bad in traditional duck meccas.

[marketdawg]

My dad's blind in Monroe has been sucking but I heard the ducks are showing up and they had a decent shoot this past Sunday..ditto with Plain Dealing as of this morning. Gonna try em in the am.

[marketdawg]

I hunted from daylight til 11:30 in the rain yesterday...sqaw more ducks but all fields around were flooded so they wouldn't work. Didn't fire a shot. Up to two ducks for the season

[Choudawg86]

my Darby got to retrieve around 16 big ole mallards Saturday . . . .. . prob was, they were frozen and we were practicing for hunt test coming up mid feb. first duck retrieve she's had since beginning of duck season. so sad.

[marketdawg]

Update: My Dad's pit blind in Monroe went underwater after the last rain so they couldn't hunt this weekend. We hunted NW La Sat AM/Sat Eve Sun Am/Sun Eve and ended up with 2 ducks. It's as bad as I can ever remember.