Mallards in flooded timber, White River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas
Hunt report · Fri Oct 23, 1:52 a.m. CT

Mid‑South Hunt Report

Conditions, openers and draw deadlines for public duck hunters in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

Mallards in flooded timber, White River National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas. Photo: USFWS
Next deadline0daysTennessee: Reelfoot wheelchair-only blindsFirst opener8daysMissouri North Zone, Sat Oct 31Draws open4Application windows open todayMemphis gauge · forecast2.2ftMississippi River, Oct 23, 1:00 a.m. CT
Updated Fri Oct 23, 1:52 a.m. CT

This week in the Mid‑South

Full calendar

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 East Zone: Opens Sat Nov 21Nov 21–Dec 6; Dec 19–Jan 31 · LDWF
  • Louisiana West Zone: Opens Sat Nov 14Nov 14–Dec 6; Dec 19–Jan 24 · LDWF
  • Missouri North Zone: Opens Sat Oct 31Oct 31–Dec 29 · MDC
  • Missouri Middle Zone: Opens Sat Nov 7Nov 7–Dec 13; Dec 19–Jan 10 · MDC
  • Missouri South Zone: Opens Thu Nov 26Nov 26–Nov 29; Dec 7–Jan 31 · MDC
  • Kentucky: Opens Thu Nov 26Nov 26–Nov 29; Dec 7–Jan 31 · KDFWR

Regular duck season. Checked Oct 22, 2026.

Draw windows open now

River levels

Mississippi River at Memphis
2.2 ft
↓ 0.7 ft / 24 hFlood stage 34 ft · Below flood stage
Observed Oct 23, 1:00 a.m. CT
NWS forecast, issued Oct 22, 9:54 a.m. CT
  1. Today2.1
  2. Sat1.6
  3. Sun1.0
  4. Mon0.2
  5. Tue-0.3
NWS gauge page on water.noaa.gov
Full forecast and 14-day chartSource: NWS / NOAA National Water Prediction Service
Cache River at Patterson, AR
2.3 ft
→ 0.0 ft / 24 hFlood stage 9 ft · Below flood stage
Observed Oct 23, 1:15 a.m. CT
NWS forecast, issued Oct 22, 8:18 a.m. CT
  1. Today2.4
  2. Sat2.4
  3. Sun2.4
  4. Mon2.4
  5. Tue2.4
Highest in NWS forecast: 2.4 ft, Oct 23NWS gauge page on water.noaa.gov
Full forecast and 14-day chartSource: NWS / NOAA National Water Prediction Service
Reelfoot Lake near Tiptonville, TN
11.1 ft
→ 0.0 ft / 24 hLake gage height
Observed Oct 23, 1:00 a.m. CT

No official forecast for this gauge

Full forecast and 14-day chartSource: USGS Water Data

All 23 river and lake gauges

From the field

Latest articles

All articles
Season Planning

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.

Oct 22, 2026 · 9 min read
Forecast

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…

Oct 22, 2026 · 9 min read
Weather & Migration

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,…

Oct 22, 2026 · 7 min read
Tactics

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…

Oct 22, 2026 · 8 min read
Public Land

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,…

Oct 22, 2026 · 9 min read
Map of public hunting land in Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi
Migration and conditions mapPublic land, cold fronts and river levels on one map
  • Public land
  • Temperature
  • Fronts and wind
  • Snow depth
  • River gauges
  • Duck counts
Open the map
Draws

Coming up

Full calendar
  • Oct23TennesseeReelfoot wheelchair-only blindsDue by noon, Fri Oct 23, 2026 Due todayTWRA migratory birds · checked Oct 22, 2026
  • Oct26MissouriManaged-area reservations for hunts Nov 3 – 9Tue Oct 20, 12:01 a.m. – Mon Oct 26, 3 p.m. Open · closes Oct 26MDC in-season application dates · 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
  • Nov1KentuckyMinor Clark and Pfeiffer hatchery mentor/youth huntsNov 1 – 15, 2026 Opens Nov 1KDFWR 2026–27 waterfowl guide (PDF) · checked Oct 22, 2026
Spot guides

Where to hunt

All guides
By state

Public land, rules and draws

Arkansas5 public areas · 4 guidesTennessee5 public areas · 3 guidesMississippi1 guideLouisianaOfficial links, refuges and draw datesMissouri15 public areasKentucky8 public areas
Know your ducks

Common Mid‑South ducks

All 19 species
MallardGreen head, white neck ring, curled black tail feathers. The bird of the flooded timber.Wood duckCrested, boldly patterned and fast through the trees. Year-round in the brakes.GadwallA plain gray duck with a black rear end and a white wing patch in flight.Green-winged tealOur smallest dabbler. Fast, twisting flocks and a green wing patch.Northern pintailLong neck, long pointed tail. Prefers open fields and water to the timber.Northern shovelerThe spoonbill. A huge flat bill, and drakes with a green head and white chest.Ring-necked duckA small diver with a peaked head and a white ring on the bill. Common in timber and beaver ponds.American wigeonThe baldpate. White crown on drakes, a whistled call and a big white wing patch.
How we build every guide

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 mark it Not confirmed and link to where you can check.

About this site
Ducks fill the sky, Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas. Photo: USFWS