Arkansas Opener Video from Public Land

[Steve Sanford]

Eric et al ~

I never imagined that this site might need "trigger warnings" - so we who are faint-of-heart - or at least Old School - could opt out of this sort of fare.

I will never tire of watching ducks land, but....just about every other aspect of this hunt was "Not my cup of tea." - as I have learned to say in my later years. I can take pleasure only in the fact that I have successfully avoided such hunts in my 59 seasons afield.

Others have said enough about the water swatting. When I hunt with friends, "calling the shots" involves simply telling which hunter will fire his gun at an incoming bird or birds. The "host" calls each shot using the gunner's name. Never "team shooting" with each member hollering "I got it!" after the smoke clears. We each enjoy the pleasure of knowing that we have hit - or missed - our intended target(s). When I am host, a quiet "Your bird." is all that is needed.

Having said that, I join others in expressing sympathy for the DNR and their challenge of somehow offering hunting opportunities that are both fair and safe. In the years I served as a waterfowl biologist on Long Island (1980s), I had no such duties.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Matt Mahoney]

Yup, another Old School curmudgeon here that found the whole thing distasteful. I did enjoy the footage of the mallards dropping-in through the trees......until they crumpled to the shot or got swatted onthe water

 

[Ed L.]

@Eric Patterson and all,
more and more costal ramps that are town owned in CT are charging to use the ramp. One spot we are playing $32 each day! It's either that or a long boat ride, in this case many miles on the Long Island Sound! If it's not one thing, it's another!

In our area there are a few ramps managed by the Corp of Engineers. I don't use them often as they are less than ideal. No docks and they line the shore with large rocks so they are very difficult to use if you're a solo hunter/fisherman. They charge $5 a day or you can buy a season pass I believe for $25.

 

[Brad F]

Beyond words....almost. I've not been able to watch the whole thing even though I've tried several times but I'd say I guess to each his own. Some of it is familiar.. ducks, boats, decoys, dogs, guns but .... not for me.

 

[Tony N.]

I know Beau Brooks and he is a good hunter and world class caller. 2 x World Elk Calling Champion, 1 x World Spec Calling Champion, Junior Turkey Calling champion and numerous stage appearances for World duck, goose, turkey and elk. He travels across the US chasing ducks, geese, turkey and elk. Well-seasoned for being in his mid-20's. He brings this energy to every hunt, and he is passionate about it. All around good young adult and role model for many in the Turkey, Waterfowl and Elk hunting area. This hunt looks somewhat chaotic, but I bet it had a lot of elements of fun and excitement at 4am, a rush for many. This may not be for everyone. I have been in hunts like this and also on the gentleman’s hunt where a name is called out for a bird to shoot feet down over the decoys. These are nice, but not my style of hunting. No adrenaline rush or excitement in the hunt other than the conversations in the blind. I like mixing up the challenges of public land hunting as it’s challenges can increase your hunting knowledge vs. club hunting in many cases. Different sights experiences good or bad and stretches you as hunter. If I was seeing to many armchair hunters make poor remarks on the page, I would turn off the comments as well. Some things don’t need to be said and the video I am assuming is to show you what it was like. Again, good or bad. What the video doesn’t show, is the edits, sounds, smells, adrenaline rushes experienced, etc. You see a 16-minute window of a multi-day build up and a morning hunt. Many of you have many seasons under your belt, me personally 42 seasons. Looking back into my early 20’s as passionate as I am about duck hunting, this would have been a fun adventure. Probably one that would have stuck in my memory bank. Beau growing up in SW Washington State to hunting an Arkansas timber hunt, I bet it was a good adrenaline rush.

 

[Rick Pierce]

Ok. I'm going to make some assumptions and share a few thoughts, and we all know what opinions are like.

First, I suspect they were scouting the day before, and when he says they slept in the boat they did so in the line at the launch, NOT in the woods. Arkansas WMA's don't allow boats in before 4 am. Not sure what WMA, but I know that at least one of them had people camping in line a week before the opener...so this is probably it. I think that's dumb to run around the day before in some respects, but on the other hand, if you don't scout, you have zero clue where to go.

Second, AGFC (Game & Fish) shut down the boat races; that may be running to holes, but that's not the racing that used to take place. Still looks like a goat ropin', though, and that's one of the reasons that I don't like hunting the WMA's any more. Looks like the racers are trying to push the limits again. The regs require a minimum distance between boats, and I know for a fact on Bayou Meto there is a heavy duty metal fence across the boat ditch with a gate just wide enough for one boat to get through at a time. I'm sure this video will have a few wardens hanging out at that WMA and writing tickets.

Green timber hunting - at least traditionally - was about putting the ducks all the way to the water, then flushing and shooting, or giving them a first shot on the water. Shooting them when they "dip" down into the hole was not the classic green timber way, and the old timers would make you unload and watch if you pulled that shit, let alone taking passing shots with ducks at the treetops. Unfortunately, the, "I gotta get mine first" attitude and some of the younger generations not having mentors other than Youtube videos and "extreme" duck hunting has led to a lot of bad behavior. And I get that "close enough" sometimes is just too tempting to pass up - there are several of those shots I would've called also, but there were some that I would not have taken. I also know that when I was younger, I did some stupid things, some questionable things - some downright illegal things - and I'm damn glad it was before cell phones and social media.

Arkansas also does not have "first come" rules or minimum distance, although I think maybe one WMA put them in this year, but I'm not sure. So, like many other places, people can crowd in and set up too close. Again, as respect breaks down, more and more bad behavior becomes the norm.

I don't know Beau that well, but I met him at the Delta Waterfowl Expo here in Little Rock a couple years ago. He's a great caller, nice kid, was really respectful, and is driven as a hunter. I honestly think he looks at every way to hunt as something he should experience; he was as eager to talk about carving wooden decoys with me as he was to talk about new Higdon products, turkey hunting, goose calls, etc. with the people attending the show. He has a real passion to be out there, experiencing it all. I don't think Higdon and Ira McCauley would keep him around if he was an idiot and a liability.

That video is not exactly what the State tourism board is going to use to showcase duck hunting in Arkansas. Honestly, we don't need another video of thousands of ducks pouring into the timber - it's neat to see, but for the majority of people in the State, those days are gone...they are the exception now rather than the rule. And I think YouTube and social media have totally screwed duck hunting with things being posted within hours after the hunt. I wish Beau would've posted this in February or March, but he didn't.

 

[Kevin Layne]

We've had similar crowding issues here in CA but without the boats. The answer here on the most popular spots was to go to assigned ponds. They could do that in Arkansas by having the wardens post numbered signs at various locations and have people apply for them ahead of time and then have a drawing for those spots. It's more labor intensive and a pain but it eliminates all that BS.

 

[Rick Pierce]

SJ

If they did away with the 4am rule nearly all the racing would end. Hole monopolizing would start, but no racing and the risk it brings. Like I mentioned the first-come first-serve rule is breaking down. Some groups barge into an occupied hole and hunt. Ever since my run-in in Ark over a dozen years ago when the warden informed me they did not consider first-come first-serve to be a legitimate practice (it isn't a law in any state I've ever hunted) I figured it would eventually break down and now it is. Why race if you don't have to be first to hunt? I guess it depends on if the first party is willing to use violence to discourage the later party and I'm certain that goes on. With that possibility folks choose to race, I guess.

Arkansas has never had "first come" or minimum distance - it used to be respect and common sense. And sometimes that common sense was learned at the end of a boat paddle if you set up downwind of a group and pulled their ducks or shot their swing.

On several of the WMA's when I was younger, groups would all call at a flock and try to pull them, but once a flock had committed to a hole, for the most part everyone around them would shut up. The ducks were that group's to get or lose. No more - to the point that some people will shoot just to flare a flock off of another hole so they don't get them.

I love flooded timber. I love running through the woods in a boat by spotlight - it's unnerving and fun at the same time. I love watching ducks circle a hole, and a group of five turns into fifteen, turns into fifty, and then three hundred birds are circling like a tornado...birds going downwind while others are locked up and falling like a huge game of crack the whip played in midair. It's totally unique...just like shooting layout, curtain blinds, rock ledges for eider, a sneakbox for black ducks in salt marsh, a bushwhack boat or scull, or beaver ponds for wood ducks.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Green timber hunting - at least traditionally - was about putting the ducks all the way to the water, then flushing and shooting, or giving them a first shot on the water. Shooting them when they "dip" down into the hole was not the classic green timber way, and the old timers would make you unload and watch if you pulled that shit, let alone taking passing shots with ducks at the treetops.

Good point regarding shooting them on the water. If it's traditional, it's hard to change. Just wish they wouldn't film it.

I also know that when I was younger, I did some stupid things, some questionable things - some downright illegal things - and I'm damn glad it was before cell phones and social media.

 

[Brad Bortner]

all I can say is wow. Being competitive is one thing but going to those lengths is wild. Not something I'd participate in or enjoy. I can imagine the issues this causes for everyone in AFGC and for the hunters. I'm am amazed by the boat races, lack of safety gear and practices, the multiple LED light bars must be blinding to the boat operators. I'm impressed that any of the boats have operational navigation lights that are actually in use.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Rick

I appreciate your Ark resident perspective.

We hunted Black River and was told by someone in the industry that is where the filming occurred. Although it didn't come into play the day we hunted since we launched after 4 a.m., you can be on the river but not in the woods (see link below). What happens in this situation is boats jam up at the creek mouths and at 4 a.m., as you know, all hell breaks loose on the creeks, ditches, and boat runs. Any minimum distance rule was completely ignored. The video shows this quite well for a brief moment. Even though we launched after 4 a.m. boats were running full bore and passing on the river. Not always recklessly, but for certain excitement positively clouds judgement as folks operate their boats to their destination, even without a "race" underway. Simply put it is a gold rush. That isn't in-and-of-itself a bad thing, but give folks, especially younger ones ample hp, speed, and water hazards and you have an injury/fatality ripe environment. Combine that with a litigious society and Ark G&F is not practicing risk management.

If you and @Tony N. say Beau is a respectful and good hunter, I'll take your word for it. I think in this video and this situation there was some footage that should have been edited. If you want to be an "influencer" (I hate that word) and have a platform then shutting down comments you don't like is a tad pigeon hearted. Given the scores of potential customers alienated wouldn't it be better to just pull the video?

But my real gripe isn't about the video, not even close, it's the risk of personal injury that exist in the current environment. I think the Ark G&F have got a complicated problem to solve. For certain the solution is going to have a portion of hunters up in arms. You know me well enough that if the solution means I can't hunt the days I choose and where I choose, I'll be one of them. I hope they can come up with a smarter solution than that.

Dave Donaldson Black River WMA • Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

Get the complete details on Dave Donaldson Black River WMA.

www.agfc.com

 

[Rick Pierce]

Good point regarding shooting them on the water. If it's traditional, it's hard to change. Just wish they wouldn't film it.

I get it. Wingshooting is more ethical, but what's better...a duck being crippled and the dog chasing it, or a single shot on the water that kills it dead? Dale Bordelon in Louisiana unapologetically shoots his ducks on the water the way the market hunters did it in the early 1900's...and when he shows the cleaned ducks without a single pellet anywhere in them, it makes the case that maybe for the table a water swat isn't a bad idea.

I go back and forth on that, but I also get that maybe that's not exactly the "sporting" shot you want to show on video.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

Rick,

This reminds me of bird (ruffed grouse) hunting in Maine. In the north woods which are criss-crossed with logging roads, many hunters simply ride the road until they spot a bird picking up gravel. They exit the truck and collect the bird as quickly as possible, jump back in and continue. It's entirely legal provided the road isn't paved. Arguably the most popular shotgun for such hunting is a .410. A few use .22's.

As an example, my buddy and I were in ME the last week of October this fall. We parked and started walking up a logging road toward a preferred cover located perpendicular to the road. The dog was working back and forth to the cover on each side of the road as we walked, since you never know where they'll be. Along comes a pickup, it's a guy I know from town. I get ahold of the dog and he pulls up alongside for a chat. Asks how we're doing, and allows that he got a couple. Says the birds are real skittish along this road, he missed two when they flew before he could pot them with his shotgun. Not gonna waste shells at a flying bird. My buddy and I giggle about that last statement as we move on. We get a couple in the target cover, and later head to a tavern in town for beers and food. The same guy is there, along with a couple of other locals. Great guys. We spend half an hour discussing the merits of wingshooting vs. ground potting. Not judgemental, rather it came down to why you were there, sport or meat. To many folks in that area, they plan dinner in the morning by deciding what to go shoot that day. Some don't have a substantial dinner backup plan if they come home skunked. Probably not unlike some of the guys hunting the timber.

 

[Eric Patterson]

SJ

Interesting you mention dinner for the guys in the timber. While at the launch on Saturday I was standing there in awe of the folks using the ramp. I am not lying or exaggerating when I say at least half the men hunting were obese. I don't mean a few pounds over. I mean FAT, REALLY FAT. Call them plump, portly, chubby, rotund, paunchy, dumpy, etc.. Take your pick, they all apply. If hunting ducks today called for even moderate physical exertion crowding issues would be non-existent. I'm not joking. Not in the slightest.

 

[Craig F]

And I think YouTube and social media have totally screwed duck hunting with things being posted within hours after the hunt. I wish Beau would've posted this in February or March, but he didn't.

This is a really good comment on the state of social media these days. I very often trickle pictures out on my social media accounts just because there's so many eyes on everything it's the only way to try to manage pressure.

A newfound wrinkle to this is when it comes to our offshore fishing situation here in the NJ/NY area, with the advent of Starlink internet most folks are able to live post on social media from 100 miles offshore. In the past where reports might trickle in or get filtered by others now people can post live as it is happening. I often know via text or Instagram how the bite is as it happens. A blessing and a curse for those who don't want to fish, or hunt, in crowds.

 

[Rick Pierce]

Rick

I appreciate your Ark resident perspective.

We hunted Black River and was told by someone in the industry that is where the filming occurred. Although it didn't come into play the day we hunted since we launched after 4 a.m., you can be on the river but not in the woods (see link below). What happens in this situation is boats jam up at the creek mouths and at 4 a.m., as you know, all hell breaks loose on the creeks, ditches, and boat runs. Any minimum distance rule was completely ignored. The video shows this quite well for a brief moment. Even though we launched after 4 a.m. boats were running full bore and passing on the river. Not always recklessly, but for certain excitement positively clouds judgement as folks operate their boats to their destination, even without a "race" underway. Simply put it is a gold rush. That isn't in-and-of-itself a bad thing, but give folks, especially younger ones ample hp, speed, and water hazards and you have an injury/fatality ripe environment.

If you and @Tony N. say Beau is a respectful and good hunter, I'll take your word for it. I think in this video and this situation there was some footage that should have been edited. If you want to be an "influencer" (I hate that word) and have a platform then shutting down comments you don't like is a tad pigeon hearted. Given the scores of potential customers alienated wouldn't it be better to just pull the video?

But my real gripe isn't about the video, not even close, it's the risk of personal injury that exist in the current environment. I think the Ark G&F have got a complicated problem to solve. For certain the solution is going to have a portion of hunters up in arms. You know me well enough that if the solution means I can't hunt the days I choose and where I choose, I'll be one of them. I hope they can come up with a smarter solution than that.

Dave Donaldson Black River WMA • Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

Get the complete details on Dave Donaldson Black River WMA.

www.agfc.com

It's a no-win for AGFC.

The 4 am departure rule combined with the "me first" creates the situation where people are going to do stupid things....for a duck. But the 4 am rule came about because people were sleeping out in the holes and "holding" them, which doesn't actually give the ducks a rest even though hunting ends at noon.

Rules beget rules, and some idiot always wants to find a way to skirt them.

You can't tell people they can't run wide open on a public waterway - there are boating safety laws, including overtaking/passing, etc. The idiocy on Lake Ouachita during the summer is probably as much or more of a danger than the duck hunters on the WMA's in the winter, truth be told, but the conditions during duck season are more conducive to bad outcomes.

The other issue is that historically, I think we averaged somewhere between 25,000 and 35,000 duck hunters. After 1999/2000, that number has ranged from 85,000 to 99,000. The sheer number of people has increased, and people are more willing than ever to go where the ducks are - people will now drive across the state to go gun someplace they don't know because the ducks are in, rather than hunting their local WMA's and other spots closer to home.

And while I realize that's 25 years of increased hunter numbers, it still has an impact.

 

[Rick Pierce]

This is a really good comment on the state of social media these days. I very often trickle pictures out on my social media accounts just because there's so many eyes on everything it's the only way to try to manage pressure.

A newfound wrinkle to this is when it comes to our offshore fishing situation here in the NJ/NY area, with the advent of Starlink internet most folks are able to live post on social media from 100 miles offshore. In the past where reports might trickle in or get filtered by others now people can post live as it is happening. I often know via text or Instagram how the bite is as it happens. A blessing and a curse for those who don't want to fish, or hunt, in crowds.

Craig, it has ruined so many outdoor sports, in my opinion.

There is an area I grew up fishing that wound up getting all but ruined by the flyfishing craze, three magazine articles, and three different books about the area...and the third author basically said, "the first two guys didn't even tell you where the good streams are...."

Now, there are Facebook pages dedicated to that area, and people will post up and ask things like, "hey...I'm headed to _____________ this weekend...what are they hitting? What is the water condition?" It went from not even mentioning the area or the names of the streams outside of a small circle, to everyone posting up live from wherever they are, as they are catching fish. Or posting up fishing reports as soon as they get home....

It's this drive for acknowledgment..."likes"....in things like hunting and fishing that makes me shake my head.

I don't post "grip and grin" pics on social media at all, unless it's a sunset or other, more artistic type picture. I know I can catch fish and kill ducks; I don't need admiration for something that I do for personal enjoyment.

I recently got to go flyfish for Atlantic Salmon - something I've always wanted to do and figured I wouldn't. I caught a hen about 12 pounds, bright chrome, beautiful fish. I saw bucks pushing 20 pounds and had an amazing hit, multiple follows, and just thinking about being back there with a Spey rod in my hand makes me shiver. But the picture of me holding it will never hit social media because some things ought to remain moderately quiet.

 

[Eric Patterson]

Rick

I imagine first gps and then satellite images on phones is a major reason for the dramatic increase in folks hunting flooded timber. It has never been easier to find your way around and not get lost. What factors do you think kicked off the roughly 300% increase? Technology has to be the #1 culprit.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

SJ

Interesting you mention dinner for the guys in the timber. While at the launch on Saturday I was standing there in awe of the folks using the ramp. I am not lying or exaggerating when I say at least half the men hunting were obese. I don't mean a few pounds over. I mean FAT, REALLY FAT. Call them plump, portly, chubby, rotund, paunchy, dumpy, etc.. Take your pick, they all apply. If hunting ducks today called for even moderate physical exertion crowding issues would be non-existent. I'm not joking. Not in the slightest.

I resemble that! LOL Not really, but I don't miss many meals. You do know those bellies are natures own recoil pads, right? So you can shoot the 3.5", 2 oz, faster than light speed loads.

I agree, it really is sad to see some of the guys. They aren't gonna be around too long if they keep it up. I think brewskis are responsible for more of it than the food. Twelve ounce curls are the most exercise many of them get.

 

[SJ Fairbank]

This is a really good comment on the state of social media these days. I very often trickle pictures out on my social media accounts just because there's so many eyes on everything it's the only way to try to manage pressure.

A newfound wrinkle to this is when it comes to our offshore fishing situation here in the NJ/NY area, with the advent of Starlink internet most folks are able to live post on social media from 100 miles offshore. In the past where reports might trickle in or get filtered by others now people can post live as it is happening. I often know via text or Instagram how the bite is as it happens. A blessing and a curse for those who don't want to fish, or hunt, in crowds.

In the 70's we went to the canyons navigating with a compass and RDF. If you saw another boat, you got on the radio for a hello.
In the 80's we got LORAN. You might see ten boats if there was a bite. Late 90's came GPS. You knew where the fleet was at night because of the light pollution. Now you can share food with the boats near you at night, if you troll they run your spread over. And as you point out, if there's a bite, an entire new fleet arrives at first light thanks to real time reporting.