There's simply no need for anything heavier. Most shots in the timber are relatively close, often under 20 yards, and tight chokes and heavy loads are unnecessary, if not a downright handicap.

Chest waders are infinitely better than hip boots for green timber. Often, you'll have to cross waist-deep sloughs to get to the ducks. Also, flooded woods are full of underwater surprises, and falling is common. Waders greatly improve your chances of remaining dry.

Warm clothing is very important when you're standing in water for several hours. Even in mild weather, the water will be cold, and it presses against your legs the whole time. You'll get chilled in a hurry if you're not properly dressed, especially below the waist.

A compass or GPS is vitally important, too. It's hard to walk a straight line through flooded woods before daylight, and that's exactly what a hunter must do. If it's cloudy, everything looks alike and you'll need a direction-finder of some sort to get safely out of the woods.

Camping is allowed on state-owned wildlife management areas in the Stuttgart area, but tent camping in an Arkansas bottomland can be squishy business. A trailer or self-contained camper will prove a better option. There are motels throughout the region, but duck season is a busy time. If you don't make reservations by August, you're probably too late.

Maps are nearly as important as are your shotgun and waders. You'll need a copy of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Arkansas Outdoor Atlas, available at AGFC regional offices or from the Little Rock headquarters, for $18. You can also buy a copy online at AGFC.com. Topographical maps are also valuable because they show much more detail. The old-fashioned but reliable paper maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey are great, but they're expensive ($6 per map at present) and unwieldy. Several companies sell Web-based or CD-based map systems, and in the long run, these are cheaper and more convenient because you can print letter-sized maps from the CDs. DeLorme (www.delorme.com) is one such company; others include Maptech's Terrain Navigator (www.maptech.com), TopoZone (www.topozone.com) and All Topo Maps (www.igage.com).

Finally, don't head for the Stuttgart without first checking the latest conditions there. This is arguably the best place on the planet to find good public timber hunting, but there are off days, off weeks and even off months here, too. Fortunately, up-to-date knowledge is only a phone call or a few mouse clicks away. The AGFC's Waterfowl Hotline, 1-800-440-1477 is updated weekly during duck season; the agency also publishes a weekly Waterfowl Report, available in e-mail format. To get on the mailing list, visit the AGFC Web site, AGFC.com.

All of the above nuts-and-bolts stuff is important if you're planning a freelance trip to the green timber public areas around Stuttgart, but none of it gives you the flavor of the experience. For a taste of that, come with me on a typical waterfowl hunt to Bayou Meto WMA.

Almost 100 percent bottomland hardwood habitat, this 32,000-acre public hunting area about 15 miles southwest of Stuttgart is perhaps the most famous WMA in the country. Two-thirds or more of the area floods annually. White River National Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles east of Stuttgart, contains 165,000 acres, much of which floods annually. A large portion of this area is open to duck hunting. Dagmar WMA, 30 miles northeast of town, is another prime waterfowl area when it floods, as is Cache River NWR.