Waterfowl Hunting

"The best and most comfortable way to experience a Reelfoot Lake Duck Hunt is from a really nice duck blind. We like to be hidden well, eat good, stay warm, and kill ducks. You will not be sitting in a boat blind or standing in the water next to a good duck blind - You will be in one"

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Parker's Outfitting specializes in waterfowl hunts only on Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee. Ben and his family have enjoyed hunting on Reelfoot Lake for 4 generations.

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"We enjoy having folks that love to hunt and have a great time. The most important parts of duck hunting for us is having a premium set up,
a comfortable blind to hunt from, good food, and good friends to share in the experience. If the birds fly, we are gonna kill 'em!"

  

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The Geography of Reelfoot Lake

Reelfoot Lake was formed by a series of earthquakes back in the winter months of 1811 and 1812. The Mississippi River flooded and formed the lake in the middle of an ancient cypress forest outlined by river channels and oxbows of long ago. Currently the lake is approximately 16,000 acres and that includes the open lake, swampy areas, and woods surrounding the lake. On the most northern end of the lake sits Long Point Federal Refuge and along the east side of the lake you will find the Grassy Federal Refuge. A few miles south of the lake you will find Whites Lake Refuge and Lake Isom Refuge. To the west of the lake you will find the Mississippi River. Across the river you will find the Bootheel of Missouri. As you can see, Reelfoot Lake is in the middle of a major waterfowl migration crossing.

Why We See So Many Ducks at Reelfoot Lake

The main reason we see ducks daily during the winter months at Reelfoot Lake is because we are about half way between the northern and southern ends of the Mississippi River Flyway. In my opinion that is the sweet spot because during the season the north winds push the ducks south and the south winds push the birds back north again. This process occurs every time Mother Nature feels like it. Because Reelfoot Lake is in the middle of that North/South Mississippi River Flyway we see an influx of waterfowl every time the weather changes. The hunting conditions are the greatest when we see a full weather cycle occuring about once a week during the season. The toughest hunting conditions are when we go longer than a week without a weather change. If it stays too cold for too long the migration slips past us to the south. If the weather stays warm for too long the birds hang out up north and do not fully migrate south.

An All Day Hunt

I have had the opportunity to waterfowl hunt in many different places in North America over the years. The one thing that is considerably different about Reelfoot Lake is that we are not necessarily hunting where the ducks feed early in the mornings. The lake is surrounded on all sides by wildlife refuges and flooded agricultural land. Because there are more places for waterfowl to feed and rest than ever before we do not see the amount of ducks "roosting" on Reelfoot Lake like we did when my grandfather hunted here. Today we are mainly focused on hunting migrating or traveling ducks. Some days we see 1000s of high migrating ducks cross the lake and on other days we see 1000s of "local" ducks that are trading back and forth between local refuges and fields within 100 miles or so. The best days are when we see both of those things happening at once. I always tell folks that we are not on an "early morning hunt." Yes we have some early mornings that can be great but mostly we are hunting ducks that cross the lake throughout the day. For that reason all of our blinds are set up to be super comfortable for an all day hunt. On Reelfoot Lake we can legally hunt until shooting hours end at 3pm daily. We pack food and have heat so the hunt is like no other.

Book Your Hunt

To book a hunt with Parker’s Outfitting please click on the link below “Book Your Trip Today”
You can also CONTACT US HERE.

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Duck Hunting Packages:

1. The 1-5 Person Duck Hunt - Contact us for prices
2. Corporate/Large Group Duck Hunt
- Contact us for prices

Parker's Outfitting
P.O. Box 101
Samburg, TN 38254

Cancelation Policy:

-Cancelations made before October 1st will receive a deposit refund
-Cancelations made from October 1st until 30 days prior to the scheduled hunt will able to apply their deposit towards a rescheduled hunt
-Cancelations within 30 days of the hunt are non-refundable

More Information about the Hunt

We are not set up to accommodate customer dogs on our waterfowl hunts.  Most of our blinds are not set up with dog boxes and ramps.  We normally pick up ducks with our boats.

Legal shooting hours end at 3pm daily on Reelfoot Lake except for the last day of the season and on that day you can hunt until sunset.  Most of my customers leave immediately after the hunt on the last day.  If you have a long drive headed home most folks find a hotel and stay one step closer to home.  If you prefer to stay one extra night I can give you some contact numbers so you can arrange your own lodging locally. 

We have coffee and bottled water in all of blinds so please bring your own preferred soft drinks and choice snacks. Alcohol is illegal on Reefloot Lake during hunting season and not safe so don't even ask.

List of items to bring on your hunt:

• Hunting license • Reelfoot Lake Peservation Permit • Federal Duck Stamp • Warm clothes/rain gear • Camo Outerwear • Wadders are not required • Face paint or Face Mask • Gun and Ammo • Bringing a backup gun is optional but suggested • No alcohol while hunting 

Please address deposits to:

Parker's Outfitting
P.O. Box 101
Samburg, TN 38254 

photo-icon32green.pngContact us with questions on deposits or book hunting packages 

Directions To Your Lodging

NOTE: that these are "Hornbeak" addresses even though NONE of our lodging options are actually in the town of Hornbeak. They are either in the city of Samburg or on the lake just outside of town. It is a U.S. postal thing…

LITTLE STONEY HOUSE 1
1389 Lake Dr
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

EAST NEST RESORT HOUSE 2
256 West Lakeview Drive
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

LITTLE STONEY HOUSE 3
1401 Lake Dr
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

LAKESIDE LODGE
226 West Lakeview Drive
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

ROADSIDE LODGE
5700 West Hwy 22
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

EAGLE NEST RESORT
265 West Lakeview Drive
Hornbeak, TN
[directions]

Feature Videos

Featured on the Higdon Outdoors Show

Hunting Gallery

Join Us On The Hunt

License information and links

• www.tn.wildlifelicense.com
• www.tn.gov/twra/huntlicense.html

1) Resident License for Reelfoot Lake Duck Hunting

-Federal Duck Stamp $25 - PLUS THE APPROPRIATE STATE LICENSE BELOW

-Type 004 Annual Sportsmans License $166 (for Ages 16-64)
OR
-Type 002 Junior Hunt/Trap/Fish $10 (for Ages 13-15)
OR
-Type 167 Annual Senior Citizen Sportsman $50 (for ages 65 and older)
(Ages 12 and under require no State License for Waterfowl Hunting)
(If you purchase one of these options you do not need to buy a Reelfoot Lake Permit)

(IF YOU PURCHASE A FEDERAL DUCK STAMP AND A TYPE 004, TYPE 002, OR TYPE 167 LICENSE YOU CAN STOP RIGHT HERE. IF YOU ARE 16-64 YEARS OLD AND DO NOT WANT THE TYPE 004 LICENSE THEN YOU MUST PURCHASE THE FOLLOWING LICENSE TYPES TO GO ALONG WITH YOUR FEDERAL DUCK STAMP TO HUNT REELFOOT LAKE)

-Type 006 Migratory Bird Permit $2
-Type 001 Hunting and Fishing Combination $34
-Type 005 Tennessee Waterfowl $38
-The Reelfoot Lake Permit: (Choose one of the following)
1-Day (Type 090 - $3.50)
3-Day (Type 088 - $10.50)
Annual (Type 089 - $17.00)
(AGES 15 AND YOUNGER, AGES 65 AND OLDER, AND HOLDERS OF AN ANNUAL OR LIFETIME LICENSE DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A REELFOOT LAKE PERMIT)

2) Nonresident License for Reelfoot Lake Duck Hunting

-Federal Duck Stamp $25 - PLUS THE APPROPRIATE STATE LICENSE BELOW

-Type 072 - 7 Day - Small Game/Waterfowl $61.50 (Age 16 and older)
OR
-Type 071 - Annual Hunt - Small Game/Waterfowl $111.00 (age 16 and older)
OR
-Type 070 - Annual Junior Hunt/Trap/Fish $11.00 (for ages 13-15 years old)
(Ages 12 and under require no State License for Waterfowl hunting)
AND
-The Reelfoot Lake Permit: (Choose one of the following)
1-Day (Type 090 - $3.50)
3-Day (Type 088 - $10.50)
Annual (Type 089 - $17.00)
(AGES 15 AND YOUNGER, AGES 65 AND OLDER, AND HOLDERS OF AN ANNUAL OR LIFETIME LICENSE DO NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE A REELFOOT LAKE PERMIT)