Mallard count good news for hunters

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s waterfowl staff last week completed its December 2022 aerial waterfowl surveys for the Delta, Arkansas River Valley and southwestern Arkansas, with the report issued this week by Luke Naylor, Game and Fish chief of wildlife management.

The big news is while mallard numbers in the Delta were about 100,000 below the 2009-2022 longterm December average, the 480,846 mallards estimated were the most since 2018.

The highest mallard and total duck estimates were in the lower Arkansas River, Black River-White River and Cache River survey zones.

Arctic goose population estimates outnumbered ducks in the Delta, with 1,275,732 counted along with 181,356 greater white-fronted geese.

Biologists conducting transect- based surveys in the Delta estimated 1,136,558 total ducks, in line with past years average over 20092022. In the River Valley, the estimate was 22,860 total ducks and 7,383 mallards. Southwest Arkansas got some good news compared to this time last year, as the survey estimated 24,574 total ducks with 4,487 being mallards, though the number is lower than long-term estimates.

Biologists also noted over 10,000 light geese and 3,000 greater white-fronted geese in southwestern Arkansas, a notably high number for that region.

“Persistent cloud cover, low ceilings and rain limited safe flying conditions and led to a survey that usually takes less than a week to complete dragging out for nearly two weeks,” Naylor said. “Longer survey periods can see more habitat changes and waterfowl movements than during more typical surveys.”

Mallards typically account for about 52% of all ducks in the Delta during December surveys based on surveys in 2009-2022. In this survey, mallards accounted for 42% of all ducks in the Delta.

Arkansas River Valley mallard estimates were a bit below average, while total duck estimates were near average. The highest mallard and total duck estimates were in the Point Remove-Plumerville survey zone, with estimates in the Holla Bend zone a distant second.

This fall has been relatively dry, with the first substantial rainfall occurring toward the end of this prolonged survey period. Recent rains have provided additional habitat, but time will tell if this results in sustained habitat provision and widespread overbank flooding. A long duration of overbank flooding seems unlikely at this point without additional rainfall.