Mid‑South Hunt Report
Conditions, openers and draw deadlines for public duck hunters in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.
This week in the Mid‑South
Duck seasons, 2026-27
- Arkansas: Opens Sat Nov 21Nov 21–Nov 29; Dec 10–Dec 23; Dec 26–Jan 31 · AGFC
- Tennessee: Opens Sat Nov 28Nov 28–Nov 29; Dec 5–Jan 31 · TWRA
- Mississippi: Opens Fri Nov 27Nov 27–Nov 29; Dec 4–Dec 6; Dec 9–Jan 31 · MDWFP
- Louisiana: Dates not confirmedNot yet confirmed on an LDWF page · LDWF
Regular duck season. Checked Oct 22, 2026.
Draw windows open now
- Tennessee: Reelfoot wheelchair-only blindsDue by noon, Fri Oct 23, 2026 · TWRA migratory birds
- Tennessee: WMA waterfowl quota hunts, Mid segmentOct 21 – Nov 10, 2026 · TWRA migratory birds
River levels
- Today2.6
- Fri2.1
- Sat1.4
- Sun0.3
- Mon-0.5
- Today2.4
- Fri2.3
- Sat2.3
- Sun2.3
- Mon2.3
No official forecast for this gauge
Source: USGS Water ServicesLatest articles
Duck Season 2026-27 Is Almost Here: Your Mid-South Countdown
Opening days for Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana, the draws and permits closing before then, and a week-by-week to-do list until opening morning.
2026 Duck Hunting Forecast for the Mississippi Flyway: The Mid-South Version
USFWS breeding numbers, Canadian pond counts, what Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana biologists are saying, and today's river…
A Very Strong El Niño Winter: What NOAA's Outlook Means for Mid-South Ducks
NOAA's official winter outlook leans warm up north and wet across the South this year. Here's what that could mean for flooded timber,…
Low Water, Dry Timber: How to Hunt Mid-South Public Land Before the Rain Comes
The Mississippi, Cache, St. Francis and Reelfoot are all low heading into the 2026-27 opener. Where the ducks go in a drought, how to find…
Public Land Duck Hunting Checklist (Printable)
Licenses, stamps, HIP and WMA permits by state, a gear list, safety basics, and the public-land rules that catch people out: noon closures,…
Coming up
- Oct23TennesseeReelfoot wheelchair-only blindsDue by noon, Fri Oct 23, 2026 Due Oct 23TWRA migratory birds · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Nov9TennesseeLeftover drawing (in person)Mon Nov 9, 2026, 6 p.m. Opens Nov 9TWRA public land duck hunting · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Nov10TennesseeWMA waterfowl quota hunts, Mid segmentOct 21 – Nov 10, 2026 Open · closes Nov 10TWRA migratory birds · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Dec7TennesseeLeftover drawing (in person)Mon Dec 7, 2026, 6 p.m. Opens Dec 7TWRA public land duck hunting · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Nov18TennesseeWMA waterfowl quota hunts, Late segmentNov 18 – Dec 8, 2026 Opens Nov 18TWRA migratory birds · checked Oct 22, 2026
Where to hunt
Reelfoot Lake
Reelfoot is a shallow, stump-filled lake in the northwest corner of Tennessee, and one of the most famous duck spots in the South. Public hunting happens on TWRA's Reelfoot WMA; the two national wildlife refuges on the lake are closed to waterfowl hunting.
Cache River
The Cache River bottoms are classic Arkansas flooded-timber country. Public ground comes in three pieces: Cache River National Wildlife Refuge,…
Meeman-Shelby Forest
Meeman-Shelby Forest is the closest public duck ground to Memphis: flooded cypress and bottomland timber along the Mississippi. It is split into a…
St. Francis River
The St. Francis Sunken Lands are 30 miles of flooded cypress, sloughs and river along the St. Francis floodway in northeast Arkansas. It is some of…
Tunica Cutoff
Tunica Cutoff (Tunica Lake) is a long Mississippi River oxbow on the Mississippi–Arkansas line, not in Tennessee. The state line runs down the old…
Mississippi River near Memphis
The big river is open water you can hunt with the right license on the right days, but it is also dangerous. Here is how the Tennessee–Arkansas…
Public land, rules and draws
Common Mid‑South ducks
Mallard
Drakes show a green head and white neck ring. Hens are mottled brown with an orange-and-black bill. The bird of the flooded timber.
Wood duck
Small and fast through the trees. Drakes are boldly patterned with a swept-back crest. Early-season regulars in the brakes.
Northern pintail
Long neck and long, pointed tail. They like open water and flooded fields more than the timber.
Gadwall
A plain gray-brown duck. Look for the white patch on the back edge of the wing when it flies.
Tips from the water. Rules from the agencies.
Hunting tips come from time spent in these bottoms and on these rivers. Every rule, date and fee links to the official page and shows the day we last checked it. If an agency hasn't published something, we say Unknown.
About this siteThe Delta duck report
New survey counts, the week's cold fronts and the draw deadlines coming up, in one short email during the season.