Stuttgart, Arkansas is the rice capital of the world, which in turn makes it the duck hunting capital of the world. It's one of the last stops a duck will make on their way down south to escape their frozen homes, in search of temporary warmer ones. As a waterfowl hunter, I have dreamed of hunting a Stuttgart duck opener for years. I have heard hundreds of stories, read thousands of articles, and fantasized millions of times about what the experience would be like. But truthfully, no description or dream would draw an adequate comparison or do it justice. It's a trip I was lucky enough to take, and I will recommend it to every outdoorsman I know for years to come.
The migration patterns that lead ducks to Stuttgart is often compared to the likes of tree branches merging into one magnificent trunk. The branches expand as far north as Ontario and Saskatchewan and all funnel south to the prime location. This part of the country features ideal food, great winter shelter, and fantastic (read: not frozen) water conditions that all ducks love. And when the birds show up, you can bet those who love to pursue these great birds will be there waiting. Here are some of the big things I learned while hunting ducks during the Stuttgart opener, things that both make it a little intimidating, but that much more appealing as well.
Public or Private, They're Both Available
In Stuttgart and the surrounding area, there is no shortage of land that is capable of providing daily limits of greenheads for those who do the research. If you scout like a die-hard and prefer the competition of pursuing public lands, or if public hunting is your only option, you won't have to strain your neck trying to find the grounds. The White River National Wildlife Refuge, for example, spans nearly 90 miles of flooded bottomland along the delta, which borders thousands of acres of rice fields and creates the perfect spot to set up. The Bayou Meto WMA is another well-known honey hole just south of Stuttgart, that provides black clouds of ducks, year after year. Granted, you won't be the only one out there, and you're going to want to read the next section about out-of-staters carefully if you're traveling into Arkansas for the experience.
Of course, if you appreciate the privacy and solitude that comes with hunting private land, and you're willing to shell out some good money for a guide service, private land hunting in this area can be fantastic. Maybe you are lucky enough to know a landowner willing to grant permission, but that's becoming tougher and tougher to do with each passing season.
Due to the annual migration numbers, as well as the correlated hunter desire to make the trip down to Stuttgart, thousands of waterfowl guides make a good living by setting people up on private land hunts in this great state. There is surely an advantage to hunting heavily-managed private ground, and shooting over water that doesn't get nearly the pressure that its public counterpart does is a treat. If it fits your budget to book a guide, you can feel confident that these guys will do everything they can for you to hit your limit day after day.
Out-of-Staters Aren't Exactly Welcomed
If you thought the great resident waterfowlers of Stuttgart were going to welcome your out of state hunt with open arms, I have depressing news. They won't. And can you blame them? Their best kept secret isn't exactly a secret anymore, and the public grounds that they have spent their life hunting typically have lines of trucks waiting outside boat ramps, sometimes even days before the season opens.
On my trip I stopped at Mack's, a waterfowler's retail heaven, conveniently located in the mecca. It allowed me to experience this non-resident resentment first-hand. After loading gear into the bed of my truck, a fellow shopper, who I can only assume called this great state home, noticed my license plate and commented in an irritated yet subtle tone, "Don't they have ducks where you're from?" I respectfully responded, "Not like they do here." And I extended an offer to buy this fellow hunter a beer to celebrate the night before the opener. He didn't take me up on it.
The truth is, while it might be easy for out-of-state hunters to be offended by the hostility, I think it could be considered something to be admired, and maybe even respected. While we have every right to pursue the same birds they do, on the same public ground that they do, their pride and guardian-like personality connected to their home state is something that is not lost on me. I believe a respectful attitude between both types of hunters, non-resident and resident, will ultimately lead to a mutual sharing of the same passion. I can hope, can't I?
The Ducks of Stuttgart
Up until now, I have mentioned little, if any, about the duck hunting itself. The experience as a whole, rather than just the few hours every morning in the blind, was something else altogether. But nevertheless, I came to shoot birds.
So much of duck hunting is dependent on the weather. Sometimes you time it wrong, and sometimes you time it just right. There are instances in which it appears that you have timed it just right, only to find out that Mother Nature will soon turn on you. Maybe she does it to spite you, or maybe to encourage you to prove your grit and determination when faced with a challenge. My trip brought the latter. Distant forecasts showed a northern cold front that would undoubtedly send new birds south looking for open water, and despite one of the worst droughts in the past couple of decades, as long as the water wasn't frozen, it appeared that the opener would present heavy migration numbers.
We set up over a corn field that had been pumped with several inches of water. While the cold temperatures created a slushy field, we had hopes that the ducks would still come. What started off as a slow morning, with nothing but a couple of teal passing by, quickly erupted into flocks flying in from every direction as if we had been ambushed ourselves. I commented to my friend, who was acting as my guide for the weekend, "Surely this is going to die down soon, right? They can't keep coming..." He smiled and responded, "Anywhere else and you'd be right. But we're in Arkansas."
Limits, Limits, Limits
Needless to say, we all had our limits by 11:00 a.m. While the fast-action hunting was incredible, and something I can't wait to do again, I couldn't help but miss the chase just a little bit. I grew up in southern Ohio, in a town known for monster whitetails and great turkey hunting, but ducks weren't something that people often mentioned. My first duck hunt in middle school taught me why that was. If you ended up shooting two birds, you could consider that an incredible hunt. If either of those two birds weren't wood ducks, you were a lucky hunter.
Over the years I have had to scout year round, knock on doors, and hike miles into public woods searching for even the smallest waterhole that might attract a local bird. Don't take this the wrong way, I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm thankful for the waterfowl struggles of not growing up on the flyway. As a result, I think it has made me a better hunter.
But hunting in Stuttgart, Arkansas, that is a completely different experience. The rich culture of duck hunting, the industry and businesses built around this lifestyle, and the competitive edge that all hunters have to reach the 'X' before anyone else does was something I couldn't have imagined.
I plan for this to be a yearly trip. In fact, as I am writing this, I am packing for another hunt in Stuttgart, and if it's anything like I experienced on the opener, I am in for something special. If you get a chance to hunt this waterfowler's paradise, don't pass it up. Just be friendly to the locals and respect their land, because Stuttgart, Arkansas is a treasure!
