Arkansas Duck Destruction 2011

[uwleagle]

Hey guys I don't mean to jack this thread but maybe you can help me out. Three of my college buddies and I are throwing around the idea of taking a trip to stuttgart over jterm. Non of us have ever hunted or have even been to the area before but we are kind of thinking of loading up the truck and giving it a go. Needless to say our college budget would only allow us to hunt wma's and public land. Sense we won't be able to lease fields or use an outfitter would it be worth it to go or should we hold off a few years until we can afford to lease a fields?

I'd save your money and go to Canada next fall. Pretty much all the landowners will let you hunt for free and you most likely you wont even see another hunter to compete with. Not to mention you have a better shot at shooting canadas, snows/blues, specs, along with all the ducks.

[SledNeck]

Hey guys I don't mean to jack this thread but maybe you can help me out. Three of my college buddies and I are throwing around the idea of taking a trip to stuttgart over jterm. Non of us have ever hunted or have even been to the area before but we are kind of thinking of loading up the truck and giving it a go. Needless to say our college budget would only allow us to hunt wma's and public land. Sense we won't be able to lease fields or use an outfitter would it be worth it to go or should we hold off a few years until we can afford to lease a fields?

To hunt timber, the best thing would be to go with someone who has done it before. Theres just way too much stuff you have to know. although on the weekdays there are alot of walk in spots you can hunt with just a pair of waders and no need for a boat. Its best to find the place you are going to hunt in the daylight and mark it on GPS so you can go back the next morning in the dark.

The nice thing about Arkansas is the Mallards are outstanding color, no pinfeather garbage for the most part. Its usually mild out in the middle of the day too. You do actually have to know how to call there, ducks are sometimes call shy, but there are enough of them to give you a second chance..and third..and.... The duck culture around stuttgart is truely something special and something that every duck hunter should experience atleast once in their lives.

[SledNeck]

timber hunting in Bayou Meto

[GooBack]

Hey guys I don't mean to jack this thread but maybe you can help me out. Three of my college buddies and I are throwing around the idea of taking a trip to stuttgart over jterm. Non of us have ever hunted or have even been to the area before but we are kind of thinking of loading up the truck and giving it a go. Needless to say our college budget would only allow us to hunt wma's and public land. Sense we won't be able to lease fields or use an outfitter would it be worth it to go or should we hold off a few years until we can afford to lease a fields?

I think Kansas, Missouri, or Oklahoma might be better for you. They all have great hunting in December.

[gac12]

Thanks for the input guys and great pics sled. I will let you know what happens if we decide to go.

[GooBack]

Where is duckdestruction 2012

[SledNeck]

Where is duckdestruction 2012

I'll post up more pics when I get some time. Still waiting on getting pics that the other guys in the group took.

Good God, it was warm down there.

Probably not up to your standards, but we had fun anyways... :-)

[Gordie]

All I can say is awesome while I drool on the key board

[fishuhalik]

All I can say is awesome while I drool on the key board

+1!!

[Feathers Rainin]

Not trying to stir things up here but if it is so good down there why did you shoot so many suzies? Not good enough to take your time and pick out that green?

[SledNeck]

????

They taste the same to me

[RumRiverRat]

Not trying to stir things up here but if it is so good down there why did you shoot so many suzies? Not good enough to take your time and pick out that green?

Hens taste better.

Greenheads look good in picture that is about it.

[TylerS]

Hens taste better.

Greenheads look good in picture that is about it.

That's hilarious. I defy anyone to try a mixed pot of hens and drakes and tell me which is which. You guys are too much!

And a limit of drakes isn't just for pictures. Selectively harvesting drakes instead of hens does nothing but help waterfowl populations. Delta Waterfowl believes in it so much they actually have a Voluntary Restraint program:

Voluntary Restraint (VR) is a Delta program that promotes and fosters a quality ethic amongst waterfowlers. VR was initiated in 1989, when waterfowl populations were at an all time low and hunters were leaving the sport. VR asks hunters to focus harvest on drakes, especially among sensitive species like pintails, canvasbacks, and bluebills.

VR is based on the premise that in most duck species, drakes outnumber hens, and that focusing the harvest on drakes and passing on hens may have the potential to improve the number of hens returning to the breeding grounds each spring.

-- Excerpt from Delta Waterfowl HSOforum

All that being said, I'm sure the OP was well within his limit of hens, and it looks like he had an awesome time.

And to keep from sidetracking this thread any further, I'd ask that further responses keep with the OP's topic. If you want to discuss hens and selective harvest, we can do so on another thread. Savvy?

[Gordie]

All that being said, I'm sure the OP was well within his limit of hens, and it looks like he had an awesome time.

And to keep from sidetracking this thread any further, I'd ask that further responses keep with the OP's topic. If you want to discuss hens and selective harvest, we can do so on another thread. Savvy?

This is the best reponse since the OP

and I just hit the LIKE button

[uwleagle]

Yeah I'm not the type of person to jump all over someone for shooting a few hens. Especially in the early season when its alot tougher to pick them out, but when its late in season and I have colored out birds bombing my spread I'm definetly going to try my hardest to shoot only drakes. A dead hen cant lay eggs. Thats just me though, as long as you stay withing your limits I'm not going to complain too much.

[Feathers Rainin]

Lots of places you can go and be selective to pick out greenies if you know what you are doing...arkansas being one of them.

[SledNeck]

Hmmmmm

You take what you can get, I guess when there's open water from mid Iowa on down and it's 70F outside.

[bemidjibasser]

I would rather shoot a couple hens in January than sit on a frozen lake fishing through a 10 inch hole...

Sounds like a little bit of jealousy to me...

[B420]

Thanks for sharing the pics Sled! Nice to see in Jan. I think I sense a bit of jealousy in this thread by some.

[Feathers Rainin]

No jealousy here. I shoot plenty of ducks and I pick drakes when I am "destructing" them. I do enjoy the pics and wasn't trying to rain on your parade. Letting hens go helps us all for the future is all I am trying to point out.

[Ray Esboldt]

I'm jealous too - that I wasn't there. I am also jealous of that blankity-blank Sled and his bass fishing pics.

Thanks Sled. Keep smiling.

[SledNeck]

I only catch the green headed largemouth bass, if that's any consolation

[Gordie]

I only catch the green headed bass, of that's any consolation

What no brown ones

[SledNeck]

fixed

[Gordie]

now thats funny