It isn't exactly the kind of forecast that instills confidence and optimism among duck hunters, but it's part of a pattern that has emerged throughout a mild winter in The Natural State.
Generally speaking, this year's duck season has been disappointing for many hunters, and mild weather is a likely culprit. Many weather stations in the Dakotas and other parts of the northern plains were recording record high temperatures earlier this month. In fact, the mercury soared to 73 degrees at Rapid City, S.D., on Jan. 5, which was 4 degrees warmer than the high temperature in Miami that day.
Here in Arkansas, high temperatures reached 60 degrees somewhere in the state on more than a third of the days between Dec. 1 and Jan. 15. And the cold air that has made its way into the state hasn't stayed for long.
The Missouri Department of Conservation reported more than 650,000 ducks in the Show Me State as of Jan. 13, a record number for this time of year. Missouri's five-year average for the first week of January is about 242,000 ducks.
There's still a lot of winter left, and some forecast models show a chance for more cold air toward the end of the month. Duck season ends Jan. 29, with the state's special youth waterfowl hunt scheduled for Feb. 4-5.
If there's any good news for duck hunters, it's that dry weather rules the forecast for the next several days, meaning a significant increase in waterfowl habitat that could scatter birds is unlikely through the waning days of the 2011-2012 season.
While this waterfowl report seeks to provide information that is as timely as possible, hunters should keep in mind there's often a lag of two or three days between the time field reports are received and this report is published. Thus, actual water levels and percentage of flooded habitat may differ from what's reported here. The AGFC encourages hunters to check stream gauges (links are provided at the end of this report) and physically scout potential hunting areas to determine actual field conditions.
To assist waterfowl hunters with the latest information, the AGFC provides links to sources on waterfowl location and abundance in Arkansas and other states. The links are available at http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/HuntingWaterfowlReport.aspx#1.
This waterfowl report provides capsule information from agency staff in all corners of Arkansas and is updated each Wednesday throughout waterfowl season. To receive the report each week on your computer, send an e-mail to arkansasoutdoors@agfc.com and type "Waterfowl Report" in the subject line. Information on river levels can be found at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/ or http://water.usgs.gov/realtime.html. Sunrise/sunset tables are available at: http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/rs-one-day-us and in the Arkansas Waterfowl Regulations Guide.
AGFC