The latter of the two WMAs Hendricks mentioned covers about 25,000 acres in Clay, Randolph and Greene counties in northeast Arkansas. Flooded green timber is the prime attraction for ducks and duck hunters who visit this spot about 20 miles west of Paragould and 15 miles north of Walnut Ridge.

Of Dave Donaldson Black River, Hendricks said, "When the rains come and the water starts to rise, this is a great place because it's up north, so it's the first high-quality green-tree reservoir that ducks see when they arrive in the state."

Another early-season favorite for Hendricks is a double dip that includes a morning run to Dagmar WMA for wood ducks and an afternoon spent going after mallards at Cache River NWR.

That double dip is possible because both of these public shooting grounds are found close to one another in east-central Arkansas. Dagmar totals 7,976 acres in Monroe County. The area is attractive to ducks because of its many bodies of water -- lakes, ponds, sloughs, bayous and Apple Lake Waterfowl Rest Area. It is accessed off of U.S. Route 70 between Biscoe and Brinkley.

Meanwhile, Cache River NWR runs from the confluence of the Cache and White rivers near Clarendon all the way up to Grubbs, a distance of about 70 miles. The refuge was established in 1986 and includes about 64,000 acres of bottomland hardwood ecosystem. Access points range from one end to the other, and the NWR lies near the communities of Hazen, Brinkley, Cotton Plant, Des Arc, McCrory, Augusta and Bald Knob.

"The key is to find rising water, or even receding water," Hendricks explained, "and hunt the edge areas where water is anywhere from shin deep to knee deep. Areas that have been inundated the longest tend to be least productive."

While a fan of the green-timber surroundings, this outdoors writer also likes one place that is a bit different.

"Early in the season, my first destination would be Steve Wilson Raft Creek WMA," Hendricks noted. "It has a lot of open sheet water and ample amounts of grain forage to greet newcomer ducks. This type of open-water hunting is vastly different than hunting in the green-tree reservoirs, and because it isn't what we consider 'traditional' Arkansas duck hunting, many hunters don't like it." Hendricks likens hunting at Raft Creek to his time spent chasing ducks in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Also on Hendricks' short list are:

Lake Nimrod WMA: "The green-tree reservoir here can be productive, as can upper stretches of Blue Mountain Lake," Hendricks said. Hunters will find 3,634 acres of public ground here, with that encompassing the Fourche La Fave River and Nimrod Lake bottoms. The greentree reservoir that Hendricks mentioned accounts for 1,200 acres. This WMA can be accessed from state Route 28 west of Plainview.

Sulphur River WMA: "This is another fine duck hunting area that isn't well known beyond southwest Arkansas," Hendricks said. "It has great habitat, plenty of food and plenty of ducks that come in off the Red River. In the early season, it may be one of our best." This 16,000-acre area was established in the 1950s and is one of the few remaining tracts of bottomland hardwoods along the Red River. The WMA and its 500-acre Henry Moore Waterfowl Rest Area are located in Miller County.

Arkansas River: "For all-around, excellent mixed-bag hunting, anywhere along this river can be phenomenal in the early season," Hendricks advised. "You can expect to see mallards, teal, pintails, widgeons, redheads, gadwalls, shovelers, buffleheads, goldeneyes, ruddy ducks and just about anything else that flies our friendly skies."