In January and February, another influx of Canadas descends on the river to provide excellent waterfowling. They'll join up with the local birds and the shooting can be fierce.

Boyington recommends launching out in at least a 16-footer with a 25-horsepower motor at a minimum. Whitecaps develop and several boats have overturned.

Jump-shooting along the riverbank can also be productive. Set up some driftwood or other cover for concealment to target snow geese that are roosting on midriver sandbars.

The Ozark WMA lies on the river in Crawford, Franklin and Sebastian counties and covers 10,600 acres.

For more information, contact the AGFC office at (877) 478-1043.

STEVE N. WILSON/RAFT CREEK WMA
"We don't have a lot of goose habitat in eastern Arkansas, but the exception is the Steve N. Wilson WMA," area wildlife biologist Mike Coker said. "We'll have mostly snows and blues that move into the fields and onto the moist soils. Depending on the cold fronts, the geese will move on down through Cross County, into Monroe and Arkansas counties and out onto the farm belt. On the WMA, we do some flooding later on in the year to create moist soil areas. How wet these moist soil areas are varies from year to year, but that's where the food will be on the public areas."

The AGFC does quite a bit of work to make the area hospitable for visiting geese. Seed-producing grasses are cultivated, disked and sprayed to create additional habitat.

"The snow geese aren't easy to hunt," Coker said. "They're hunted all the way down the flyway with people taking potshots at them. They don't decoy well when they reach Arkansas and prefer to spend their time out in the middle of fields. By the time they've gotten this far, they're leery."

Many area farmers are more than happy to give permission to use their property for field hunting. Area chambers of commerce keep lists of private landholders who will give permission to hunt. The AGFC's Region 2 office is also willing to connect hunters with willing landowners.

Boat ramps are available along Cypert Road and area roadways. Raft Creek and its tributaries allow some boating access into the area. The WMA lies just east of the Henry Gray/Hurricane Lake WMA.

The Steve N. Wilson/Raft Creek WMA covers 4,000 acres in White County.

Access is on Cypert Road 20 miles northeast of Des Arc and about 15 miles southeast of Searcy.

Contact the AGFC at (877) 734-4581 for more information.

BALD KNOB NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
There aren't many spots in the Natural State that offer up both the quality and diversity of goose hunting that the Bald Knob NWR does.

"At times, there are large numbers of geese on the refuge and you can find any kind of goose you're looking for," said Richard Crossett, the federal wildlife biologist who oversees the area.

Crossett knows geese both on and off the clock. When he has the chance, he'll be in the field.

"I've taken snow geese for the most part," Crossett said. "I'll set up with a lay-out blind and silhouettes out in a field or be in a blind with decoys near open water. A lot of geese will show up on Bald Knob at times."

About half the area's 15,000 acres are open to public hunting, while the rest is a waterfowl refuge where no trespassing is allowed. Field hunting tactics are the only way to go here since the vast majority of huntable ground is open, and it's on a first-come, first-served basis. The area consists of moist soil areas, farm fields and both harvested and standing crops.

According to Crossett, getting decoys and other equipment onto the area before the geese arrive can be tricky. Hunters will usually have about an hour before the first flights start arriving. There aren't many goose hunters on the area, said Crossett.

To be legal, hunters must carry a signed statement from the area brochure that affirms they've read the rules printed in the brochure. Pick one up at the area's north entrance on the way in. Hunters can park at the parking lot at 4:45 a.m. and move onto the area at 5 a.m. Watch for the marked waterfowl refuge signs.