ArkansasWaterfowl.com
Flooded Timber Information

Many times when you are talking about hunting flooded timber, you will hear the term “green timber” mentioned. Green timber is a reference to trees that are still alive. The live timber that is flooded can be Pin Oaks, Tupelos, Cypress or a combination of these and other species of trees. Timber that has been killed by standing water is normally referred to as dead timber or a stick pond, since the pieces of dead trees look more like a bunch of sticks protruding above the water level.

For the most part we hunt Tupelo and Cypress trees more than we do Pin Oaks. These trees are use to living in the water and provide excellent cover for ducks wanting to roost during the day. Since we have an unusual amount of smartweed, planeted millet, duck weed and American Lotus seeds (called duck acorns) that grow in and around our timber, we have the ability to attract a wider number of species than is usually associated with pin oak trees. Those species include mallards, gadwall and teal.

We do have several blinds located throughout some of our different timber holes, but when hunting timber, you need to be right where the ducks want to be. That means we may be standing by the trees themselves or using other natural cover to help hide us. While access to the blinds is relatively simple with our boats and Mud Buddy mud motors, the journey gets a bit more complicated when the birds are not working the holes with blinds in them. Often times requiring a hundred or so yards of pretty tough walking in the mud and muck. We do scout the timber on a regular basis and if the birds are not working the locations with blinds in them, we know our ground well enough that we can give you an accurate description of what would be required for you to get into the location they are using.

Often times timber will not provide the action of a rice field, but will provide a much different perspective to the sport itself. While many people are familiar with a wood duck flying through the woods, the mallards, gadwall and teal we see in the timber fly above the treetops. When they pass over a clearing or natural opening and see other ducks … or decoys on the water they often start circling the hole above the tree line. At the point the birds commit to coming in, they drop in much like a helicopter fluttering down from the top of the trees.