This article re-printed in part from an article in the Aug/Sept, 1997 issue of Wildfowl Magazine and the arthor "Jerry Thomas".
Permission to use the photo's also a courtesy of the arthor.

A hen mallard was so close I could have reached out and touched her when she flew by. And the rest of the flock - there must have been 150 ducks - I could feel their wing beats on my face when they got up. I've never been this close to so many ducks, had so many easy shots, missed so many birds, or been so excited about duck hunting in my whole life."

Any waterfowler who has hunted flooded green timber has heard remarks like these, or, in one form or another, made them when reminiscing about a bright, sunny day full of ducks over decoys in knee-deep water of the flooded woods.

Hunting green timber is a duck hunter's dream, the stuff of innumerable outdoor magazine stories, and tradition in the south. Flooded green timber and Arkansas go together.

In Arkansas, much of the flooded green timber and the hunting that goes on there is "free" on public property designated as Wildlife Management Areas, open to anyone with an Arkansas waterfowl license. These Arkansas WMA's are made up of some of the largest and best stands of flooded green timber in the state. In a good year, when the waterfowl populations and water levels are high, these WMA's can hold ducks by the hundreds of thousands and provide a quality of waterfowl hunting that even the best, most expensive commercial operations and high-priced private clubs can't top.

What makes these WMA's so good? Mother nature and good wildlife management. In the fall and winter, these otherwise dry tracts of trees are flooded either by natural or artificial means. Once flooded, these great stands of woods become mallard magnets. There the ducks can rest, often out of sight of hunters, and feed on acorns, grasses, and other natural fodder in water than ranges from several inches to a few feet deep. The Wildlife Management Areas in the northeastern quarter of Arkansas, according to Scott Yaich, Chief of the Arkansas Wildlife Management Division, include about 95,000 acres. Two-thirds of the population is wetlands with flooded green timber which can hold 1 ½ million of the 2 million ducks that winter in this part of Arkansas.

A major part of these areas' duck-holding power comes from the management practice of closing hunting in these public places at 12:00 p.m. The "noon" closure means that the flooded trees have a chance to literally fill up with resting and feeding mallards. It's a good deal for the ducks and the duck hunters.

Not incidentally, one prerequisite for hunting in flooded green timber anywhere is sunshine - full sunlight with bright blue sky -so that incoming ducks have a clear view of the trees and the water below them. On a cloudy, gray day, when the mallards can't clearly make out the details in the wet woods, hunters might as well stay home or, if they have the opportunity, go to the wide-open rice and bean fields to set their decoys..

When the water levels and the sunlight are right and the ducks are in, however, hunting in flooded green timber is amazing. Even in the darkness of predawn, the birds return from night feeding in the nearby rice and bean fields. Their wings whistle while hen mallards quack down in search of a friendly landing spot often in an open space not much bigger than a living room.

With a few decent mallard decoys (nothing real fancy is necessary) and some good calling (good is necessary), anywhere from one to several hundred wary mallards will drop straight down into the hole sometimes landing within touching distance of waiting hunters. Using open chokes and smaller shot, the shooters flush the birds picking greenheads out of what can be a roaring mass of ducks.

How do you hunt the flooded green timber in these Wildlife Management Areas if you have never been there before? And, what if you have never before hunted the flooded woods anywhere? My advice is to find someone who has successfully (and regularly) hunted these WMA's or hire a guide who thoroughly knows the region, can show you where to go, and give you lessons in what to do.

Last year, my first day in the flooded green timber was with three friends from Arkansas with whom I had agreed to swap a hunt - a couple good days of ducks in Arkansas for a couple good days of pheasants in my home state of South Dakota.

The main man was Gary "Frog" Wright, a retired medical technician from Little Rock who grew up in Bald Knob, Arkansas - a five-minute mallard flight from the massive Hurricane Wildlife Management Area on the little Red River southeast of town. "Frog" (when he was a kid, his dad thought he swam like a frog so the nickname stuck), loves duck hunting so much that every year he moves home again in the fall, rents a house in Bald Knob.

Frog hunts with Chuck Davis and Jeff Brimer, two younger local guys with a boat, decoys, calling skills, and plenty of duck hunting savvy (my kind of guys) about waterfowling in the flooded woods. Their plan was to hunt a honey hole they had located a couple of miles deep in the woods.

Because the next day was Saturday, some special circumstances would be in effect, according to Frog. "Weekends on the WMA's are good," Frog says, "because there are lots more hunters in the privately owned rice and bean fields and on the easy-to-get-to parts of the public hunting areas. They stir up the ducks and push them deep into the woods where we will be set up."

"Weekends on the WMA's are bad, however," Frog adds, "because there are so many other hunters in the flooded trees that some of them eventually figure out where the good spots are and will try to get to them before we do." To deal with that problem, Jeff and a friend took off at 2:00 a.m. through the cold and the dark to the hot hole. There they planned to set out the decoys and burn a lantern all night as a sign to the other hunters that this place was taken.

The next morning, the two-mile ride to our hunting spot in the flooded trees started at 5:30. As we loaded the boat, Chuck started to hedge on how hot this spot might be. "Sometimes, even if we get the hole we want, other hunters might set up too close to us. Then, no matter how good our calling, they will screw us up by shooting at working ducks as they swing wide past our decoys. And, sometimes the ducks just won't come, especially if they find an open hole somewhere else in the timber and just staff piling in there."

I was starting to get that "Oh, oh! Be ready for disappointment" feeling, when Chuck fired up the motor and, with one hand on a Q Beam light and the other on the throttle, took off full blast into the dense tree growth. In the midst of thick woods and really big tree stumps, we rocketed down a path inches wider than the boat, making 90-degree turns at full speed.

"You might want to scrunch down and hold on to your hat," Chuck advised, after a tree branch (I think it was a tree branch) whacked me along side the face. Tears streaming down my cheeks, I occasionally peeked over the bow of the boat as we passed tree trunks as big as a truck. "If we hit a big tree or a stump," I thought, "I'll be okay because I'm puckered to this boat seat so tight nothing could budge me."

When we got to our hunting spot, I told Chuck to forget his plan to videotape ducks falling into the decoys. "Video the ride out here. if you live to sell it, it should be worth a million dollars."

Our first question when we arrived on the scene was: "Did anyone try to get in here?"

"Yeah, two boats came by about 4:30," Jeff said. "They looked real disappointed that we were here. But, that's duck hunting on weekends."

Sewing up the honey hole turned out to be a good idea. With six veteran duck callers, a trio of battery powered "motion" decoys, three dozen regular Flambeau mallards, and deer stands stuck tight to trees to keep us up out of the water, we shot ducks. Flock after flock swung the set, some flaring off as other hunters fired down the line, many funneling down to within a few feet of where we sat.

My biggest problem shooting was that ducks were either so close I couldn't get on one without blowing him away. Or, they were so thick I didn't want to shoot for fear of accidentally knocking down a hen or crippling other drakes. When the light was right and I took out my camera, too close was again a problem with my auto focus lens hope hopelessly winding in and out, trying to zero in on fast-moving ducks flying 10 feet over me or, in one case, right at me head-high.

This was easily the most action- packed and productive green timber hunt I had ever witnessed. The only drawback was that Frog and his hunting partners had invited so many of their friends that is was hard to know who shot what when a flock settled into the decoys. As we neared our limits, those shooters who had enjoyed the least action filled out. I guess if we had known the flight would be so good and the opportunities so great, we would have done this from first light.

Having all the seasoned mallard callers there at one time was certainly no drawback, though. Each of these guys blew "Echo Calls" made by Rick Dunn of Beebe, Arkansas just a few miles southwest of Bald Knob. The Echo Call sounds good anywhere but came off particularly well in the flooded woods, blowing loud and clear for hailing long-distance ducks and toning down nicely for feeding chuckles when birds were making that last-minute decision about dropping into the decoys.

Frog and his friends could be good professional guides, if they wanted to be. But, they don't, despite their lifetime knowledge of the area and their full-time dedication to hunting. They considered paid guiding once, thought about it, kicked the idea around, then decided against it. Non-profit, non-commercial, and just plain fun.

Finding friends like Frog and his hunting partners isn't easy. Finding professional waterfowl guides in this part of Arkansas is. The "pro's" are advertised everywhere from the local newspapers to the national hunting magazines. The professional guide I chose is Charles Snapp from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Charles' ad reads: "Hunt Arkansas Green Timber ... Free!" in his ad, he says he has two state Wildlife Management Areas (totaling 34,000 acres ) 25 miles from his motel and he "wants your motel business." in return, hunters will get "free" maps and "personalized" directions to 14,000-plus acres of "free" public land otherwise known as the Shirey Bay and Rainey Brake Wildlife Management Areas and the Black River Wildlife Management Area both in Lawrence County.

Charles' knowledge of his home hunting grounds comes naturally and honestly. He was born next to the green timber. "When I was a kid," Charles tells, "my dad would take me and my beagles to the far side of the deep woods and drop us off early in the morning. All day the dogs and I would hunt for squirrels and swamp rabbits. At sundown Dad would pick us up on the home-side of the woods many miles from where we had started. Sure, I got lost now and then, but by getting lost and finding my way out again, I learned these woods real good."

In hunting 14,000 acres of flooded trees, knowing these woods "real good" helps. And, not just in getting in and out, but finding good duck spots too. On the morning of our first hunt, Charles, with just a hand-held flashlight, took us in his boat down a very dark, very narrow logging road covered with 30 inches of water right to his favorite hole a mile or so into the trees.

On a tree next to where we set the decoys was a 6" x 10" sign identifying the adjoining flooded trees as a " Waterfowl Rest Area" with no hunting allowed. "This is what makes this spot so good." Charles pointed out. "The Rest Area covers several hundred acres and on a good day in a typical season, it can hold 40,000 to 50,000 ducks. And, we're hunting as close to it as we can legally be.

About 45 minutes before sunrise and still 15 minutes before shooting time, we got a demonstration of the duck-attracting quality of the Rest Area as thousands of birds winged overhead on their way into this refuge. Shortly after shooting time, a few misjudged the Resting Area boundaries, listened to our calling, and landed in our decoys. That morning we saw thousands of ducks fly by in addition to the thousands we heard that flew in the dark before dawn. There was no doubt however, that these ducks knew this drill and that only a few were going to be suckers for our calling and our decoys.

In addition to his knowing the flooded timber so well, there are some other good reasons I was happy Charles was our guide. His motel caters directly to hunters with clean but not fancy rooms at $42.00 double occupancy. And his restaurant features the usual country cuisine at reasonable prices. The best thing in his restaurant, however, is his 30-year-old gourmet chef, Robert Morgan, born, raised, and trained in Hawaii and an expert at Hawaiian cuisine. Using our ducks, he prepared broiled mallard breasts "Hawaiian" style in raspberry and citrus sauce. The duck was served along with fresh bobwhite quail baked in a Hawaiian mushroom sauce. We enjoyed world-class cuisine right there in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas at less than $10.00 a plate.

Most important in Charles' hunting operation is his versatility. If the flooded green timber for some reason doesn't hold and produce ducks (perish the thought, but this can happen), Charles has other hunting options available. "I've got several thousand acres of leased flooded rice and bean fields within 20 minutes from town, complete with decoys sets and four-man waterproof coffin blinds. We watch those places everyday for duck and goose action and, when we need those fields, we use them." He has 4-wheel and 8-wheel ATV's to put his hunters into the fields when the distance is too long or the fields are to mucky for an easy walk.

If the ducks aren't in the rice and beans, another option is snow and blue goose hunting. "Not many guide services in this region emphasize snow goose hunting," Charles notes, "but with the increase in snow goose populations we're seeing thousands more of the birds around here throughout the season. More hunters every year now request snow goose hunts in the afternoon following a morning duck hunt."

Waders are essential no matter what anyone says about hip boots being adequate. Even in shallow water, chest waders will keep you warm, dry, and clean when crossing moss-covered floating logs or sitting on wet boat seats. If the water is deep, and it can be, waders are definitely the only way to go.

Most everyone who regularly hunts green timber has a 14-foot flat bottom boat with a 10 to 20 horsepower motor to carry up to three hunters, a load of decoys, and all the other stuff waterfowlers haul along.

When to go.

As with duck hunting anywhere, water and weather conditions are key factors in shaping hunting success. Too much water and too much nice weather (the conditions we encountered last year in the second week of December) tend to spread the duck population over a wide range of habitat. At the other end of the spectrum, wetlands that are too low on water and weather that is bitterly cold will concentrate ducks in fewer places where they can soon be over-hunted and driven out.

The Shirey Bay-Rainey Brake Wildlife Management area has the only flooded green timber in north east Arkansas artificially managed for water levels. So, in wet years there is some good control over excessively deep conditions. In dry years, these two WMA's may be the only ones with water anywhere in the state - a good piece of information to remember during the next drought

Anyone who doesn't have a direct connection to a local hunter or area guide needs to have the phone number for the Arkansas Duck Hotline (501-223-6478). A call there will give a recorded description of current waterfowl numbers, water levels, and other pertinent waterfowl hunting information in various areas. The message is up-dated every few days. You can also call to a regional wildlife officer. In the Shirey Bay-Rainey Brake WMA's call:

Dale Oldham, Area Manager
501-528-4293
Shirey Bay-Rainey Brake WMA
Box 311
Lynn, Arkansas 72440

or Thomas Garof, Wildlife Officer
501-528-3420
Box 304
Lyon, Arkansas 72440

What to expect.

Not every day in the flooded green timber of the Wildlife Management Areas is fabulous. On the first day our group of eight shot a limit of ducks. The next day three of us killed six mallards and on the third day we got one. On each day, however, we saw thousands of ducks, some that came into our decoys on cupped wings. Many more mallards, however, flew over, heard our calling, swung back, made a few turns, then disappeared into the hundreds of other acres in the flooded trees.

When the ducks are in and the hunting is good, hunters can expect crowded conditions at the boat landings and competition in the woods, particularly on weekends. There are often lines of trucks with boats on trailers waiting to launch, lots of confusion in the dark, roaring boat motors, barking dogs, and flashing lights. But, with few exceptions, there is a generally friendly, cooperative, even helpful attitude among the hunters at the landings.

Is it possible for just anyone to hunt free in the flooded green timber on the public land in Arkansas? Of course it is but with some qualifications. For the hunter who has had experience in hunting flooded green timber elsewhere, and has all the necessary equipment to do it here, hunting these flooded Wildlife Management Areas is certainly possible. But, without a guide (whether a kind-hearted friend or a paid professional) who knows where the honey holes and the ducks are, the flooded timber hunter new to these areas will have to spend a good deal of time and effort finding the best places to hunt.

Anyone who hires a guide for a day or two of timber hunting would be wise to discuss that person's protocol and policy regarding hunting clients who would like to hunt on their own in the same part of the woods the guide has taken them. Sure, it's public property and the hunting there is free to everyone, but these guides are trying to make a living showing hunters where to go, how to hunt, and what it takes to get safely into and out of these woods. You have paid them to teach you what they know, but you shouldn't expect to own their classroom.

Most green-timber guides, as Charles says, "are pretty lenient in helping the clients who want to hunt on their own. Often, those hunters who go off on their own don't have very good luck because they haven't had experience in reacting to different hunting conditions. They don't know what to do if the wind blows, the temperature drops below freezing, or the ducks suddenly move to a new location in the trees. The next day they might be back hunting with their guide."

Any waterfowler planning to hunt any public land in Arkansas needs the:

Arkansas Outdoor Atlas: A Sportsman's Guide to Public Access Facilities in Arkansas. The 152 page Atlas has county maps indicating all public access facilities in the state with details of every existing Wildlife Management Area to get most hunters to where they want to go.

Waterfowlers planning on hunting a particular Wildlife Management Area can get specific maps on those places from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

The Atlas and WMA maps are available from:
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Information and Education
Division (501-223-6331)
2 Natural Resources Drive Little Rock, Arkansas 72205