Migration Alert: Improved Habitat Conditions Sets Table for Mid-South Hunters

By Nathan Ratchford

Anticipation is building across the Mid-South as hunters prepare for the start of 2024–25 duck seasons across the region. Recent rains have helped alleviate drought, refilling wetlands and drawing early arriving waterfowl. Habitat conditions across Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and southeast Missouri are much improved, setting the stage for a promising opening day.

Arkansas

In eastern Arkansas, abundant early November rainfall provided much-needed water in managed habitats on public and private lands. “We got three-plus inches of rain the first week of November, which saturated the soil and will help catch even more water when publicly managed areas start dropping boards this week,” says Arkansas native Dr. Jerad Henson, DU project manager for ecosystem services and sustainability.

While scouting south of Brinkley this past weekend, Henson saw significant numbers of white-fronted geese, gadwalls, shovelers, and pintails, as well as a few mallards. As the White and Black Rivers near flood stage and backwaters hold substantial water, public-land hunters will have more room to roam on opening day than in previous years. Now all that’s needed is cold weather to bring more ducks down from the north.

Tennessee

Early November rains also significantly improved wetland conditions in West Tennessee after an unusually dry October. “The rain really opened things up; birds that were already here now have more places to go, and we also saw a big push of birds the first week of November,” explains Cory Highway, a PhD student at the Cohen Wildlife Lab at Tennessee Tech, who has observed GPS-marked birds migrating down from the Dakotas in early November.

“We started seeing our birds coming down from the Dakotas about a week ago; they’re definitely on the move,” Highway adds. With solid water levels and abundant food sources, the table is set in the region for birds arriving from the north.

Mississippi

In Mississippi, wetland conditions have shown some improvement, but remain below average following another hot, dry summer and early fall. “We’ve definitely benefited from some rain, but we could use more,” notes Houston Havens, waterfowl program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. In the north Mississippi Delta, pumping operations on public lands have put surface water on the landscape, providing much-needed habitat as early migrating gadwalls and northern shovelers begin to arrive.

“There’s definitely optimism for soil conditions this year; we appear to be holding water better than last year on managed public ground,” Havens adds. With continued rainfall, Houston is optimistic water levels will improve throughout the season. An upcoming aerial waterfowl survey scheduled for the coming week should give hunters more detailed data about early duck numbers in the Delta.

Southeast Missouri

Billy Rogers, who has operated Rogers Goosedown Outfitters in Missouri’s Bootheel for 15 years, is cautiously optimistic based on improved water conditions. "We’ve definitely got more rain this year, especially compared to last season's struggle," he shares. Early November brought substantial rainfall, and September and October weren’t as dry as last year either, thanks to late-season hurricanes. Now, fields and ditches are holding water, and many farmers are pumping.

Birds are steadily moving in, and Rogers has observed teal, shovelers, and pintails on flooded agricultural fields. To the north, in the state’s Middle Zone, duck season has already opened, and state-managed areas are holding good numbers of birds. However, significant pushes of mallards have yet to arrive. While temperatures remain near average, Rogers is hopeful for colder weather on the Great Plains to increase the pace of the migration. “We’re just hoping Mother Nature will help us out,” he says.