Luke Naylor, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's waterfowl program coordinator, says there are solid reasons to start duck season after Thanksgiving.
"Most duck hunters would like to see a later starting date for duck season," Naylor said. "We did three different surveys in 2008, 2010 and 2012. I know that information is old, but if anything, public opinion has shifted more in favor of a later opener."
For the 2022-23 duck season, the commission's waterfowl management staff has proposed a 60-day season with three segments that will run Nov. 19-27, Dec. 10-23, and Dec. 26 - Jan. 31, 2023. The youth/veteran seasons will be Dec. 3 and Feb. 4, 2023
For the 2023-24 season, the staff proposed a 60-day season with three segments that would run Nov. 25-Dec. 3, Dec. 9-23, and Dec. 27-Jan. 31, 2024. A designated youth season would be Feb. 3-4, 2024. A designated veteran's hunt would be on Feb. 4, 2024.
According to public input tabulated from the commission's website, agfc.com, 50% of hunters favor starting the season in the first week of December, Naylor said. Meanwhile 20% favor starting the third week of November, and 20% favor starting the fourth week of November.
"With statistically valid objective input, a majority of duck hunters, sometimes a substantially larger majority, want it [duck season] to start later," Naylor said. "This is a step forward for duck hunters in Arkansas who are clearly telling us what they want. We have very strong reasons to propose that."
Starting duck season later is consistent with water management goals on wildlife management areas, Naylor said. Because the commission wants to delay flooding public green tree reservoirs, a later start will not detrimentally affect public land hunting because water is likely to be scarce.
"We're purposely pushing back when people should expect to see flooding on these areas," Naylor said. "These dates will allow public and private land hunters to come in line with GTR [green tree reservoir] management coming forward to give us a little breathing room."
Because of the calendar arrangement in 2023, the third segment will start two days after Christmas, Naylor said. It will probably start the day after Christmas in subsequent years.
Also, starting the season later will allow ducks a little extra time to settle in the state comfortably before they experience hunting pressure, Naylor said.
Biological considerations about starting the season later are irrelevant. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is responsible for managing migratory waterfowl, weighs those factors when establishing duck season frameworks. State agencies are essentially tasked with maximizing hunter satisfaction.
Naylor emphasized that if the regulations pass, the 2022-23 season will follow the traditional schedule.
"Because of the long tradition of past opening dates, we formally say we're going to delay this for a year," he said. "We're giving 18 months notice so hunters can adjust their schedules."
An interesting exchange occurred between Jeremy Wood, the commission's turkey program coordinator and members of the commission over a proposal to reduce the annual turkey bag limit to one gobbler. The limit is currently two.
Wood asked the commission where they got that idea because it did not come from the wildlife management division.
Commissioner Stan Jones of Alicia said many accomplished turkey hunters that have contacted him support reducing the bag limit. Jones said he would defer to Commissioner John Neeley of Camden because of his greater depth of turkey knowledge.
"I've had lot of good turkey hunters say that going to one bird is taking away hunting opportunity," Neeley said. "Statistically, only 10 or 11% of the annual harvest is a second bird taken by hunters. Going to a one-bird limit is not going to move the needle much, but it will take away some opportunity."
Brad Carner, the commission's chief of wildlife management, said that turkey reproduction has responded positively to the current season structure. Carner said that it would be a step backward if the commission opens spring turkey season earlier after a couple of good reproductive years.
"I don't want to get two years down the road, see improved reproduction and succumb to pressure to move the season earlier," Carner said.