Habitat condition reports at WMAs and GTRs begin next week

Nov. 15, 2019

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

The Waterfowl Report will begin reporting water and habitat conditions from the AGFC’s Wildlife Management Areas and greentree reservoirs on a weekly basis beginning with the report on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Waterfowl season begins in Arkansas 30 minutes before sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 23. WMA managers and biologists provide a weekly update on the habitat conditions, such as availability and type of food for the migrating waterfowl, and the water levels. When a WMA or GTR is listed as “70 percent flooded,” this means there is 70 percent coverage of water on that particular WMA (30 percent of that WMA has no water at that time). A 100 percent flooded WMA means it has total coverage of water, but it DOES NOT mean that flood conditions exist or that the water is too high to navigate or walk. Water levels are also listed from the source feeding the WMA/GTR. When conditions reach a point where the amount of water could be hazardous for hunting or boating through a WMA, this will specifically be noted in the Waterfowl Report.

Listings of all WMAs and GTRs that have been managed for waterfowl, including maps, can be found at https://www.agfc.com/en/hunting/where-hunt/. Also, pick up a 2019-20 AGFC Waterfowl Hunting Guidebook at sporting goods stores and other locations in Arkansas where outdoor goods are sold and where licenses and duck stamps may be purchased. The annual guidebook is also available online, providing easy reference to the WMAs and waterfowl hunting regulations, by visiting https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_DFgpTb6fmQ3ZuSm9ot7wSp4iqNufLDV/view. 

The Waterfowl Report will continue weekly through the second Youth/Veterans Hunt on Feb. 8, 2020. Regular waterfowl hunting concludes at sunset Jan. 31, 2020.