LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will host two public meetings Feb. 10 in northeast Arkansas to address future renovations to Dave Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area and other waterfowl-focused areas. The first meeting will be 9-11 a.m. at the Pocahontas Junior High gymnasium at 2405 N. Park St. It will be followed by a meeting from 2-4 p.m. at the Nettleton High School Cafeteria at 4201 Chieftain Lane in Jonesboro.

The AGFC will present an update on infrastructure improvements and wetland management modifications to conserve the bottomland hardwood forest within Dave Donaldson Black River. Additional information about Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA, Bayou DeView WMA and Henry Gray Hurricane Lake WMA also will be available. These improvements will balance maintaining valuable habitat for ducks now and in the future with the wants and desires of the waterfowling public to ensure both short-term and long-term waterfowl hunting opportunities on these famous public duck-hunting areas.

LITTLE ROCK – Opening day of Arkansas’s 2023-24 duck season is Saturday, and the first report for habitat conditions on Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife management areas is available to get the lowdown on prospective hunting areas.

Jim Harris, longtime sports reporter and editor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, digs up the details each week of waterfowl season to give a preview of what hunters might expect as they head out to the marsh. In addition to habitat conditions and water levels on popular public duck-hunting areas throughout the state, readers will find some insight into how weather patterns coming to The Natural State may bring new waves of ducks or cause hunting conditions to stall. Wrapping up his report, Harris also offers some great updates on news duck hunters want to know most about.

“I reach out to all our biologists each week for an outlook on the habitat and what they see in terms of waterfowl numbers and migration,” Harris said. “You’ll also find me out in the field as well in central and eastern Arkansas, and other spots as well, trying to get the feel of how the season is going from other hunters and from my own experiences. We’ll also keep readers up to date on how weather and duck movement outside of Arkansas is affecting us in The Natural State.”

Although the report gives conditions as accurately as possible, there’s always a little time lag between the report and the next time some hunters may be able to hit the woods. Even with the most accurate information available, there’s still no substitute for on-the-ground knowledge gained by scouting.