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Just finished saving for my Arkansas duck hunt in November. We are going Thanksgiving week. I know the hunting might be better later but we went 17 years ago and the whole Wings Over the Prairie experience was just perfect for two guys from New Hampshire. Gonna try to pick a couple of outfitters today when my buddy comes over, and get things set up, reservations, deposits, etc.
Two Guys Reunion Tour!!

Way to go. I have never been to Ark. yet but it is on the list for a future date.....whack em and stack em

If you want to talk about the reality of the changes that have occurred over the past 6 years in Arkansas I'd be happy to do it in pm's.
From what I keep hearing Kansas has better opportunities. Arkansas is all jacked up due to social media. Maybe not on private land but the public I see is not so good anymore.

aunt betty wrote:If you want to talk about the reality of the changes that have occurred over the past 6 years in Arkansas I'd be happy to do it in pm's.
From what I keep hearing Kansas has better opportunities. Arkansas is all jacked up due to social media. Maybe not on private land but the public I see is not so good anymore.

Could you give a summary for a guy who isn't particularly interested in hunting Arkansas, likely never will, but is interested in what your talking about?

The whole place has went nuts due to social media.
The hunters there have an intense grapevine and it's online now.
They text or pm each other nightly asking, "where are the ducks?".
Have buddies down there that text me the night b4 they hunt, not to ask me to hunt with them, but to ask where the ducks are, what time I shot them, and how many I got. They have no interest in hunting with me but want the info.
It's gotten to where I either won;'t reply or will lie. (I hate liars)

It's young men who want to kill some ducks real quick, run home and bone their gf's. I remember wishing that but gee whiz...get out and have a good time...not just slay some easy ducks and go play at something else. Sigh...I guess I''m just different. (touched by the sun or something)

The ducks fly from WMA to WMA trying to find safety and they get it for a day then someone "finds" them, gets online, and blabs. Next day the circus is in town, the ducks leave...repeat. It's sad and makes me angry. (what doesn't?)
These days there is so much lazy and just plain evil in the world.

They are working hard on trying to make up some rules (legislation) to exclude or limit oozers. One proposal is to sell us a license that's only good for a certain number of days (not the whole season) and make us declare which days. Another proposal is to limit us to week days. Third proposal is to make the license so expensive that we simply won't buy them.


I suppose there is some private ground where it's different but I only do public now. Bayou Bottoms shunned me.

Thanks, I sort of figured that's what you were talking about. It's something that happens everywhere, though I'm sure with Arkansas being such a "destination" sort of hunting experience it would certainly be amplified there.

Personally, as someone who has been an OOS hunter his entire life, I think it makes sense to regulate us differently than in state hunters. We're visitors, tourists, and while we should be able to visit and enjoy something that a state other than our own has to offer we shouldn't take precedence over the people that live there. I'm fine with states doing what they feel is necessary to protect their resources.

Botiz630 wrote:Thanks, I sort of figured that's what you were talking about. It's something that happens everywhere, though I'm sure with Arkansas being such a "destination" sort of hunting experience it would certainly be amplified there.

Personally, as someone who has been an OOS hunter his entire life, I think it makes sense to regulate us differently than in state hunters. We're visitors, tourists, and while we should be able to visit and enjoy something that a state other than our own has to offer we shouldn't take precedence over the people that live there. I'm fine with states doing what they feel is necessary to protect their resources.

I'm gonna a little bit and ask if you'd be ok with paying voo-coo bucks to drive on Illinois roads next time you travel here? It's called "taxing those who can not vote you out of office". It started in Wisconsin. They wanted to charge Illinois or out of state residents extremely high prices to visit or camp in their state parks. Of course Illinois had to do the same and it spread nation-wide.
It's sort of a political trick and I'm disgusted with politics. To me the word "politics" means "HOW TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO PAY FOR ICE CREAM FOR ME AND MY FRIENDS".

It's just smart Betty. Wisconsin (and Michigan) get trampled to death by people visiting from Chicagoland. It is definitely good, bringing tourist dollars into local economies but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Those resources that the people come to visit: campgrounds, lakes, rivers, etc. can only support so much pressure before being negatively impacted by the amount of traffic. A good way to regulate that traffic is to raise prices until you find the happy medium between bringing people to town and protecting your resources.

Same goes for Arkansas and their duck hunting, there is only so much room and it can only handle so many hunters. The numbers need to be managed in order to keep from hurting the resource. If Arkansas feels they've gone too far, raising license prices for OOS hunters is a great way to dial back the pressure.

Botiz630 wrote:Same goes for Arkansas and their duck hunting, there is only so much room and it can only handle so many hunters. The numbers need to be managed in order to keep from hurting the resource. If Arkansas feels they've gone too far, raising license prices for OOS hunters is a great way to dial back the pressure.

Sigh. Residents pay $25 and they get four turkey permits and four deer. (Pretty sure)
For me to just get a duck license, wma permit for whole season, and the state stamp is ~$200 and they want more?!?!?
Never complained but they're getting silly. Here is why they have a problem. Locals post this shit everywhere. The locals ARE the pressure. They just want to crybaby like panty wastes.

Betty you might as well complain that your neighbor doesn't have ESPN for you to watch when you go over to his house. You're a guest, you get what you're given. If you don't like it then you don't have to visit your neighbor during football season.

It's as simple as that, it's their state and they can make whatever rules they want. If you don't like it, don't go. Complaining about it isn't doing you any good, nor does it make anymore sense than getting upset over your neighbors TV package.

That's a lame analogy but for the sake of argument I'll capitulate to your moderator whims. (yeah. you're right)
Plz don't ban me.

I'm not a moderator here.

I just think you're upset because it's bad news for you, but you want to have something to "blame" for it so you're trying to create a bad guy. That's all.

Botiz630 wrote:I'm not a moderator here.

I just think you're upset because it's bad news for you, but you want to have something to "blame" for it so you're trying to create a bad guy. That's all.

Maybe you're right. 50/50.
I'm being a toad today. Sorry. Have an incredible string of bad things going on and it never quits. You're one alright guy.
I'm the bad guy. (I know)

I know you're not a mod here. Just yankin your chain. Bad betty, bad.

I do know it sucks. I've hunted and fished almost exclusively in a state I don't live in my whole life. Few hundred bucks a year for all the licenses I purchase, I get it.