How it hunts
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 license agreement works, which public land nearby is open or closed, and how to stay safe.
Treat sandbars as unstable
Even at low water the current stays fast, and exposed bars can cave in under your weight. Wear a life jacket on and near the water.
Check the gauge every morning
The river stage decides which chutes, bars and ramps you can use that day.
Bring a real river boat
A wide johnboat with enough motor to handle current, plus paddles, a kill switch, extra fuel, a spotlight for fog, and a float plan left with someone at home.
Hunt resting birds
River ducks come in to loaf and roost. Look at the downwind side of islands, behind dikes and along high banks on cold, windy days.
Hunt late, in the hard freeze
When oxbows and fields lock up, moving water stays open and pulls in mallards, gadwalls and divers. Low, sand-colored hides work on the bars.
Getting there and ramps
Meeman-Shelby Forest WMA and State ParkOpen to duck hunting
- Park headquarters: take TN-388 north to its end, go left 1 mile to the four-way stop at the Shelby Forest General Store, turn right 1 mile, then left into the park.Source: TWRA Meeman-Shelby Forest WMA · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Eagle Lake and the WMA bottoms: from Benjestown Rd take Island No. 40 Rd. A gate leads to a rough gravel road; it opens on an irregular schedule and closes during high water.Source: TWRA Meeman-Shelby Forest WMA · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- The Mississippi River ramp is free, and the Poplar Tree Lake ramp is open year-round. The park notes that One Way Road past the campground is closed due to erosion.Source: Tennessee State Parks, Meeman-Shelby boating · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Wapanocca National Wildlife RefugeClosed to duck hunting
Access details are on the area page.
- Tennessee and Arkansas honor each other's waterfowl licenses on the river, boat-accessible sloughs and old river runs, and boundary chutes, only on days both seasons are open. You follow the rules of the state you are in. WMAs are excluded, as are the Wolf, Loosahatchie, Hatchie, Forked Deer and Obion rivers. Floodwater over the natural banks is not public water.Source: AGFC Code H1.03, TN–AR reciprocal agreement (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Rules
- Tennessee duck season: Nov 28–29 and Dec 5, 2026–Jan 31, 2027.Source: TWRA migratory birds · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Arkansas duck season: Nov 21–29, Dec 10–23, and Dec 26, 2026–Jan 31, 2027.Source: AGFC waterfowl dates and rules · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Presidents Island WMA in Memphis is not a duck option: it is open only to drawn quota deer hunters and can't be reached from the river.Source: TWRA Presidents Island WMA · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- The Corps of Engineers warns that exposed river sandbars can collapse into fast current.Source: USACE Memphis District · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Days both seasons are open, worked out from the two season pages above: Nov 28–29, Dec 10–23, and Dec 26, 2026–Jan 31, 2027.
Not confirmed yet
- Greenbelt Landing on Mud Island is under Corps construction; its status during duck season is not confirmed.
- Arkansas-side public ramps near West Memphis have not been confirmed.
- Whether city firearm rules restrict the downtown Memphis reach has not been confirmed. Do not hunt near downtown without checking.
Water levels
Best water level: No agency publishes a duck stage. Exposed sandbars can collapse.
Source: USACE · checked Oct 22, 2026
- Today2.6
- Fri2.1
- Sat1.4
- Sun0.3
- Mon-0.5
- Today10.2
- Fri9.7
- Sat9.1
- Sun8.5
- Mon7.5
Check the rules and the water
Confirm this season’s rules on our state law pages or the agency’s own site, check draw and permit deadlines, and look at today’s river levels on the migration map. Areas can close or flood on short notice.
