re: Have the good ole days of duck hunting become a thing of the past.

I believe that this is a multifaceted issue. I live in SE Arkansas and here are my observations.

#1 Farming Practices
When it’s bone dry in October and all the farmers disc the fallen grain fields and hip rows leaning it looking like the Sahara Dessert, ain’t good for ducks. Not to mention if thr land owner Dosent hunt or want to lease the land there’s no water for ducks to stop. I live 60 miles from Miss River and I haven’t seen a duck this year and it’s all Ag fields from my house to river. I also have not seen one snow goose or one speck on the ground.
I’ve lived here for 20 years and the last 3 have been horrendous. Public land has mainly been due to no water accumulation.

#2 hatching grounds
Farming practices up there have nearly ruined nesting grounds and they’re trying to make it right. No birds hatching=decline in numbers.

#3 Humans
We always find a way to frick up something good. Example. I know a gentlemen that has his money and is an avid duck guy. He lives on his property that he maintains for duck hunting. They plant fields and there are some farm fields on this property as well as oak flats. Through his observations, the areas of land that he sees the highest number of birds are the areas he leaves as Natural Vegetation.
This goes back to #1 on the list. If you drive in the SEARK and Miss delta during the summer the only thing green is the crops. All head rows, ditch banks, fallow fields are burned to the ground. No natural vegetation. No feed for the birds.

Just like a Whitetail deer, a ducks main goal every day is to survive. It needs food and water. If it don’t have that. It will find it. Period. There is no food on the ground with water in south east Arkansas right now. Maybe that’s why I haven’t seen a duck!