Public access to private lands programs incentivize landowners to offer hunting opportunities.
Photo courtesy of USFWS
There are many great duck hunting destinations in the United States, but Arkansas is special. From vast flooded crop fields to the deep, dark timber the Natural State is famous for, Arkansas draws in duck hunters from far and wide. Now, thanks to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s (AGFC) Conservation Incentive Program, there are 12,000 new acres open to public hunting.
“We have contracted with farmers to flood 10,961 acres of rice fields using surface water sources during a 90-day portion of the waterfowl wintering period, and none of those acres will be tilled, leaving as much waste grain as possible for ducks and geese,” said Randy Brents, Assistant Chief of the AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division. “Another 910 acres of native wetland plants will be flooded that can offer even more benefit to waterfowl and other migratory species.”
Arkansas General Assembly designated special set-aside funds for the program, and AGFC staff worked with private landowners to offer $3.5 million in incentives to help improve wildlife habitat on their property. Modeled off other cost-share conservation incentives provided through Farm Bill programs, the Conservation Incentive Program targets wildlife and fisheries needs in Arkansas specifically.
“Those are all acres that are above and beyond what normally would be contracted by other programs,” Brents said. “One of our requirements was that the land couldn’t be enrolled in another cost-share or incentive that paid for flooding.”
Many landowners, me included, look for ways to make ownership more affordable.
Usually, this isn’t a one option answer. Growing crops on ag land in small acreages usually isn’t enough to cover the annual expense of owning said acres. If you don’t hunt yourself, perhaps opening your land to hunters through a controlled program such as the Conservation Incentive Program would help you cover more costs.
“We have another 4,000-plus acres in the Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement Program this winter that promotes flooded rice fields with an additional caveat that landowners allow some limited public hunting through a permit-based draw system,” Brents said. “And this year, thanks to the federal Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative, an additional 29,946 acres are enrolled in federal programs to promote wetlands in the state for wildlife benefits. Our private lands biologists have been working hard with landowners to apply for these incentives as well.”
Public access to private lands is an important aspect of ensuring there are sufficient opportunities for hunters to have places to go. Many states have similar hunter access and walk-in programs. The AGFC will fund nearly 16,000 acres of wetlands on private land this season.
“You don’t manage wildlife in a bubble. Whether it’s private or public land, the success of wildlife habitat management depends on the land surrounding you, not just what you control. Even if we manage the public land absolutely perfect, we’re only affecting 10 percent of Arkansas’s land, the rest is up to private landowners, so we want to help with their efforts as well,” said Garrick Dugger, AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division Chief.
Citizens are the most critical conservationists. Most of the land in the Midwest is in private control. Having strong Game & Fish agencies is only part of the equation. Landowner involvement is a must for the overall health of wildlife.
“We know that it takes wetland habitat on a landscape level to provide energy for migrating ducks and geese,” Dugger said. “Even if all of the public land in Arkansas is flooded and full of food, it’s only a fraction of the habitat needed to draw ducks to Arkansas and give them the nutrition they need during and after migration. Private land accounts for so much more of our state’s landmass, and it’s the actions of those landowners that play a pivotal role in wildlife management for us all. If rice fields aren’t wet, hunters everywhere notice it in empty skies and empty game straps.”
The Conservation Incentive Program is an undertaking by the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division and is made possible by Greenway Equipment, an AGFC cultivating partner. Visit www.agfc.com/habitat for more information.
See you down the trail…
Brandon Butler writes an outdoors column for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
