The best mallard numbers seen in Arkansas in recent years continued with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's annual midwinter waterfowl survey released this week. The number of mallards in the Delta region of Arkansas hit a four-year high during aerial observations conducted in December, and that was repeated with last week's count.
The state received heavy rainfall Monday and Tuesday, but instead of 4-6 inches drenching the entire Arkansas Delta, some areas received up to 12 inches of rain while others saw 2 inches or less.
Arkansas waterfowl hunters endured a deep freeze leading into last weekend, but temperatures will rise as the state's 60-day season reaches its midpoint. There are no more splits left in the season as it runs uninterrupted through Jan. 31.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission waterfowl staff recently completed its December 2022 aerial waterfowl surveys for the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (Delta), the Arkansas River Valley and southwestern Arkansas. While mallard numbers in the Delta are about 100,000 below the 2009-22 long-term December average, the 480,846 mallards estimated are the most since 2018.