The most recent hunting season was not great in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley – which covers parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana – and people in the area have mixed opinions about it.

"The MAV," as it is called, has historically had some of the highest concentrations of waterfowl on the continent but the number of ducks coming to the area has decreased over the years, affecting the tourism industry.

Wayne Carlton, a rice farmer, said he wishes there were more waterfowl to hunt but he’s OK with out-of-state hunters staying away.

"The economic benefits, being a landowner, probably outweigh having to deal with what the duck hunters leave," Carlton pointed out. "Rutted-up roads – they rut your fields. They’re just not real great neighbors while they’re here."

Conservation groups said drought, farming efficiencies and economic issues for farmers have resulted in fewer waterfowl migrating to the area. They’re hopeful the Farm Bill being debated in Congress will include conservation programs to incentivize farmers to maintain wildlife habitats for birds and other species.

Ryan DuLaney, Lower and Middle Mississippi River representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the financial success of the MAV depends on landowners, farmers and hunters working together.

"Our local economies are built – and culture are built – around the waterfowling traditions," DuLaney emphasized. "The economies of out-of-state funds that come in state to recreate, and waterfowl hunting is a massive contributor to small communities."

Carlton noted in his experience, out-of-state hunters often do not seem to respect the land or the landowners.

"They don't ever even ask permission most of the time," Carlton observed. "They just go set up and if they get run off, they get ran off. There was a time this year, we were on a cruise and learned that some goose hunters had set up on us – and I had to call neighbors to have 'em run off the field."

Source: Public News Service