Drought depletes duck numbers

Duck hunting season in the Arkansas Delta is a seasonal economic driver but this year there has been a setback – fewer ducks. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reported that there are about 560,000 fewer ducks in the Delta right now as compared to the average number tracked from 2009 through 2024.

It’s the lowest number of ducks ever recorded during this time of year.

The primary culprit has been drought, the report noted. Widespread drought throughout the Delta in 2023 led to less natural habitat growth for ducks. By the time rains blanketed the region starting at the end of December, it was too late, the report stated.

“The Delta mallard population estimate was the lowest Midwinter Survey estimate on record since transect-based surveys began. The total duck population estimate was nearly 560,000 birds below the long-term average and the lowest total duck population estimate since 2013. Arkansas, on average, would expect 1.24 million total ducks in the Delta region in early January,” the report stated.

An estimated 100,000 waterfowl hunters visit the state each year. Each day of duck season, which starts around Thanksgiving and stretches through the end of January, generates about $1 million in economic activity. Duck hunting areas stretch from Randolph and Lawrence counties to the north and run south to Stuttgart. Many counties in the Delta near the Mississippi River also have duck hunting areas.

On average, mallards account for about 64% of all ducks in the Delta during Midwinter surveys. During this survey period, mallards made up only 40% of the total duck estimate, the AG&F reported.

Duck populations were highest in Northeast Arkansas, according to surveys done by the AG&F Commission.

“Biologists estimated over 40,000 mallards in three survey zones: Bayou Meto-Lower Arkansas River, Black River-Upper White River, and Cache River zones. These survey zones accounted for 58% of the mallard estimate throughout the Delta and 65% of the total duck estimate. The highest total duck estimates came from the Black-Upper White and Cache survey zones,” the report said.

Ducks flock to the Arkansas Delta for several reasons. Flooded row crop fields, especially rice fields are a preferable habit for the birds. Flooded bottom woodlands provide a prime habitat for ducks as well.