by Mark Bird
DBJ Contributing Writer
Delta hunting remains big business
As
with agriculture, land and weather are two primary factors
affecting the outlook for Delta hunting this fall. Certainly
the region is blessed with some of the nation’s
best hunting lands, public and private, which attract
huge numbers of game and fowl. Especially in the recent
lean years, farmers have seen the value of utilizing their
acreage as hunting grounds and supplemented shaky incomes
through leasing. Add to that the fact that the country’s
largest deer herds are found in the Delta, and that the
region is along the path of North America’s primary
flyway for bird migration, and the foundation is there
for an excellent fall season.
The variable, of course, is the weather. Like farmers,
hunters and the businesses that serve hunters have to
consider the quirks of Delta weather—but a successful
hunting season also depends on weather patterns far to
the north. Many people are reporting a slower than normal
dove season, attributing it in part to rainy weather in
the Delta that caused many birds to move on. The duck
hunting season, on the other hand, promises to be excellent,
with favorable conditions in the northern breeding grounds
bringing about increased numbers of birds—but much
still depends on how cold and wet the coming winter is
in the north-central United States.
Along with prime habitat and game population, the Delta
is blessed with numerous organizations and groups (along
with committed individual farmers, landowners, and hunting
clubs) dedicated to the type of land management practices
that will ensure that the Delta remains a prime hunting
destination. Spokesmen for these groups cite several positive
signs indicating a good duck season.
With a membership of over 700,000, Ducks Unlimited is
the world’s largest private waterfowl and wetlands
conservation organization. Many of the organization’s
conservation efforts focus on the upland nesting sites
and wetlands of the north-central U.S. and south-central
Canada, where fifty percent of North America’s ducks
are produced.
DU regional biologist Mike Checkett comments, “We’re
very excited about the fall flight. Depending on the weather
in the Midwest, the Delta may very well get a much better
share of the birds this year. After a two-year drought
in the north that caused a decline in breeding, we’re
now seeing much better conditions. I was in North Dakota
a few weeks ago, and every pond had ducks.
“There’s no other part of the country that
can compare with Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana
for duck hunting,” he states. “The Delta is
the most important wintering ground for most duck species.
The numbers are unrivaled.”
Delta Wildlife is another very prominent organization
that works to enhance and conserve wildlife resources.
“We’re working hard to restore and enhance
wetlands,” states Trey Cooke. “Our projects
help put an average of 2,000 acres per year into wetlands
habitat.
“There’s certainly an upward trend for leasing
rights on farmlands—especially for waterfowl,”
he says. “One reason is that management practices
for waterfowl habitat usually do not conflict with standard
ag practices—it’s a good fit. The farmer can
raise his money crops, then after harvest the waste grain
is there to be flooded for hunting.”
Considering the prospects for this year’s duck season,
he says, “This is classified as a mild La Nina year,
as opposed to an El Nino year. If weather patterns hold
true, we should have a colder than average winter in the
South. That means favorable conditions to push the ducks
southward, so we stand a good chance of a good year.”
“Our business is driven by waterfowl hunting,”
says Howard Smith of Smith & Company Outfitters in
Cleveland. “The prediction is for a huge increase
in fall flight through the Mississippi flyway, but what
we need is colder weather—we need for the ice to
freeze, and snow to cover the grain left from harvest
in the Midwest, to keep the ducks headed this way during
the hunting season.”
“Duck hunting looked a little dismal after last
year,” admits Jim Sturgill with sporting goods supplier
Marsh Madness, based in Tunica. “But the reports
from Canada are showing millions more ducks counted this
year. And having the 60-day season again will be very
good for Delta hunting.
“After two slow years, I’m really surprised
that leasing of lands is holding up as well as it is,”
he continues. “But leasing land for hunting has
become a major part of many farmers’ operations.
It’s a resource that they’re using well. Our
farmers are really the conservationists in the Delta.”
Other suppliers of hunting products address the outlook
for some of the other popular game and fowl. “Dove
hunting is perhaps not as good this year as in the past
few years,” reports Tim Thompson with Bill’s
Custom Automatics, a full-service custom gunsmith in Shelby.
“But that’s partly because farmers have been
having a better year, and are busy working on their crops.
They’re not as concerned about planting for the
doves.
“Deer hunting was superb last year. I’m glad
to see that most of the clubs have gone to an 8-point
minimum for bucks. This allows more of the mature bucks
to continue to mature, and that means a stable population
of larger deer.”
At Slater’s Quality Outdoor Products in Indianola,
Jimmy Slater agrees that dove season has been slower this
year. “I’m not really sure why—with
the rain and the changing weather, it just seems that
a lot of the birds moved on,” he comments. “But
there’s a lot of feed for them here, and the second
season may turn out to be really good if more birds are
attracted to the area.
“Duck season looks good. We’ll have 60 days
of hunting, and the dates are lined up well to provide
a lot of weekends. I’m also glad to see that they
kept the 6-per day limit.” He says that sporting
good sales have generally been down over the past few
years, and attributes that in part to the Delta’s
agriculture/aquaculture economy. “We’ve had
some years of good-looking crops that were ruined right
at harvest time by a lot of rain,” he explains.
“We need the farmers to have good crops in the field—not
just to attract the wildlife during hunting season, but
so the farmers can see their incomes increase. They spend—when
they have the money to spend.”
Comments Keith Tarver with Greenville Motorsports, “This
may be the best year in several years, if September was
any indication. The farmers are reporting good grain crops—they
were able to get out with their crops early, and got good
prices. We’ve always sold to a lot of the farmers,
and now we’re seeing them coming back to buy again.”
Tarver also says more families are hunting together. “Especially
since 9/11, a lot of people are realizing what’s
really important, and they’re giving family activities
a high priority. Hunting is one of the top things families
can do together in the Delta.”
The Delta hunter will find thousands of acres of available
hunting land, and good numbers of whatever type of game
or fowl he (or she) wants to hunt. He will also find well-established
firms—offering all the newest equipment, clothing,
accessories, and services he needs for an enjoyable hunt—throughout
the region.
“We depend a lot on hunters,” comments Brent
Rowsey with Big Delta Honda in Batesville. “Our
business is probably eighty percent ATV’s.
“Honda’s 650cc Rincon, with automatic transmission,
is a big seller,” he reports. It’s new for
2003. The 400cc Rancher model with automatic just came
out for 2004. It’s a similar machine, but smaller.
Automatic transmissions are getting more and more popular
on ATV’s.
“Honda is offering the lowest interest rates ever
on ATV’s—4.9% for up to 60 months,”
Rowsey continues. “We’re also offering a cashable
voucher program, where you can get cash back in 36 months.”
Keith Tarver reports that ATV manufacturers are aggressively
going after market share at present. “The result
is that buyers are not only seeing a lot of new models,
but also big rebates and lower prices, lower than they’ve
been in ten years,” he comments. “It’s
providing a shot in the arm for our ATV business—things
had slowed down somewhat in recent years, because the
ATV’s are so reliable. But now the great prices
are attracting more buyers.”
Top Dog Powersports in Greenwood has been in business
since 1948. Vernon Ricks, III, who is the third generation
of the family in the business, says they carry a full
line of Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki powersport products.
“Our products range from motorcycles, dirt bikes
and ATV’s to jet skis, boats and boat trailers and
outboard motors,” Ricks says. “Our newest
item for this year is the Rhino, a new product from Yamaha.
It’s a utility vehicle, sort of like a mule, but
with a lot more features. These will be available in October.”
Says Jane Clements with Paul’s Mart in Cleveland,
“We’re somewhat unique among sporting/hunting
goods suppliers—in addition to carrying top brands
of the latest in firearms, clothing, and accessories,
we also have antique firearms, vintage clothing, and hard-to-find
discontinued firearms—such as Smith & Wesson
and Colt pistols—still new in the box.”
She adds that the store (named for its founder, her late
husband Paul Clements) carries calls for most game in
the Delta region. Camouflage clothing, as well as footwear
from Wolverine, LaCrosse and other top brands are available
in sizes for toddlers to adults.
Archery and muzzle loading are on the increase, reports
Clyde McGee with the Sportsman in Greenville, since more
public and private lands are allowing only primitive-weapons
hunting. Scopes and binoculars employing new, innovative
optics are popular among The Sportsman’s customers,
he says. “Laser range finders and lighted crosshair
scopes are really catching on. GPS units are also becoming
more popular for hunting and fishing.”
“In archery, the Whisker Bisket arrow rest is very
popular,” reports Allen Arnold with the Bow Shop.
“One of our new products that’s really exciting
is a deer scent line called Buck Wild Flaming Doe. Unlike
most deer scent, where the deer urine in the bottle grows
bacteria and gets clouded, this company uses a new, patented
process that suppresses the bacteria. The urine stays
clear, which means a better scent.”
The biggest news at The Bow Shop is its imminent move
to a new, larger facility and a name change to Cleveland
Outdoors. “We’re going to be able to offer
a wider selection of products, and we’ll carry guns,”
Arnold reports. “The new facility will include a
3-person indoor shooting range.”
Despite its colorful name, Mean Mallard in Jackson actually
carries equipment and accessories for all types of hunting.
Kids’ gear, hunting dog supplies, summer wear, and
gifts are also part of the shop’s offering, says
new owner Chris Bates. “I’ve added a lot of
new merchandise—we’re offering our customers
a broader selection of products get them ready for all
the hunting seasons.
“Because of our central location, we serve hunters
from all over the state who are equipping for Delta hunts,”
he comments. “We also have a lot of customers from
the Delta itself who come to Jackson to shop.”
Tim Thompson says Bill’s Custom Automatics is providing
some new services for the deer hunting rifle season. “We
offer in-house barrel fluting, which lightens the gun.
It gives mass and stiffness without the weight. We also
do a lot of refinishing and offer several after-market
finishes.”
The Co-Op in Greenville is a full service hunting/sporting
goods store, carrying guns, bows, clothing, and accessories.
The firm has been established for years as a supplier
to area farmers, so expanding into the hunting market
was a natural expansion, says Floyd Trammell. “This
part of the business gives us more to sell in the fall
months, when the farmers aren’t as active. Plus,
many of our farmers are also hunters.
“We try to offer things locally that people would
otherwise order from catalogs or shop for at the big chain
stores,” he continues. “We’re also a
Beretta Showcase dealer, which means that we offer a more
extensive line of their shotguns and rifles.”
A new line of Drake Waterfowl Systems clothing, including
insulated, waterproof coats and vests, are featured at
Slater’s Outdoor Products, and Jimmy Slater says
they are ideal for deer and duck hunting. “We’ve
also got new lighter weight waterproof jackets, and an
insulated pant/bib combo that people really like,”
he adds. “And LaCrosse’ new Alpha Burley boots
are very popular with hunters.”
At Tunica’s Buck Island Seed Company, producer and
processor of seed designed to attract deer to hunting
lands, Alan Gho says their biggest product is Buck Forage
Oats from Arkansas County Seed—in fact, it has already
sold out. “It’s a much better product than
wheat, with more protein,” he comments. “The
deer will walk through the wheat to get to the oats.
“Also, we’re offering Horns-A-Plenty, a mineral-vitamin
supplement that comes in a loose, granular form that appears
more natural and is easier for the deer to consume than
blocks.”
Hunting remains a popular pastime (and big business) in
the Delta, although some says things have generally slowed.
“The trend is towards fewer hunting licenses each
year,” comments Trey Cooke. “But ducks seems
to be the exception, and the availability of hunting lands
is a big reason.”
Adds Jim Sturgill, “In the Delta, there are still
a lot of kids who grow up hunting, but overall it’s
slowed among those who live in the larger cities. Kids
just don’t have the opportunities to experience
hunting, and there are so many other things for them to
do these days.
“I’m glad that we hold Youth Day hunts in
the Delta. It provides the opportunity to get the kids
out there, and emphasizes safety as well. And you know,
hunting isn’t just about the kill, it’s also
about the camaraderie—and there are still a lot
of positives about being in the outdoors and challenging
yourself.” DBJ
