Marion Wildlife Area News
Dove Hunting Opportunities at Marion Wildlife Area:
Waterfowl Hunters MUST Do Thier Part To Stop The Spread Of Zebra Mussels:
Japanese Millet Seeding on Mud Flats:
Wood Cutting on Marion Wildlife Area:
Dove Hunting Opportunities:
Marion Wildlife Area will have three areas designated as Dove Management Fields for the 2011 season. The first area is located along the Cottonwood River just north of the Reservoir, directly west of the area office at 260
thand Jade. This two acre sunflower field will be mowed prior to opening day. The second field is a 35 acre wheat stubble field that will be burnt in sections prior to season. This field is on 220
thjust east of Kanza Road. Parking for this field will be along 220
th. The third field is a 7 acre wheat stubble field that will be burnt prior to season opener. This field is on the west side of Kanza Road just south of French Creek Bridge.
Marion Wildlife Area is holding a good number of doves. If we don’t receive any cool weather or big rains, the area should provide some excellent dove hunting opportunities. Additionally, landowners adjacent to the Wildlife Area have been burning wheat stubble and these fields are really bringing in the doves. As always, staff at Marion Wildlife Area encourages those who will not be hunting the dove management fields to scout before they hunt to find concentrations of doves on the area.
Additionally, KDWPT staff has been trapping and banding doves directly south of the Wildlife Area for most of the summer. 100 doves have been trapped and banded by KDWPT. Therefore, all hunters should remember to check each dove that is harvested for a silver leg band. If a hunter finds a bird with a leg band, they should call the 1-800-327-BAND number listed on the band or go to the website www.reportband.gov and enter the requested information. The hunter does NOT have to return the band. They will receive a certificate giving them information about the bird they harvested. Give a kid the chance to harvest a banded dove, PASS IT ON!
Waterfowl Hunters need to help stop the Zebra Mussel:
With waterfowl season just around the corner, hunters need to be aware that Marion Reservoir now is infested with Zebra Mussels. Hunters need to follow three simple steps to ensure they do not spread these invasive mussels to other bodies of water. CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY:
- Hunters should clean and remove all visible vegetation, mud and debris from decoy’s, bags, waders, boats, and any other equipment that gets wet.
- All water should be drained from boats, decoys and decoy bags, etc. Research has found that vellegers (young Zebra Mussels), which are microscopic, are transported in large volumes of water.
- Hunters should allow their equipment to dry for a 5 day period before returning to their favorite duck hunting spots. However, if hunters wanted to hunt before that, they can run through the car wash and hose their equipment down with high-pressure, hot water.
If hunters take a few minutes to inspect their equipment before leaving Marion Reservoir, they will keep Zebra Mussels out of other bodies of water.
Japanese Millet Seeding on Mud Flats:
With this year’s high temperatures and low rainfall amounts, much of the upper end of Marion Reservoir has become dry and exposed. This can have a negative impact in regards to boating and recreational use at the reservoir, but it can be good when it comes to the ability to plant crops to increase waterfowl usage. With the reservoir sitting at 2.5ft below conservation level, this summer has turned out to be an excellent time to plant crops on the over 120 acres of exposed mudflats present.
Jap Millet is an annual that grows 2 to 4 feet tall. It will tolerate wet and muddy soil conditions and can be slightly flooded while growing, as long as the leaves remain above water. Seeding rates can vary from 15-40 lbs/acre depending on planting type and density desired. The seed will mature on the stalk in 45-60 days and waterfowl go crazy over it once it becomes inundated.
Planting millet can be done by drilling or broadcasting. In this case, where we can not get a tractor into the area, the millet is planted by an airplane that contains a broadcast seeder that spreads the seed while in flight. Hillsboro Municipal Airport was used as a meeting location between the pilot and the area manager to coordinate seeding locations, refuel and load seed. The airplane was loaded with 600 lbs of seed per flight and could cover up to 40 acres of mudflats per load. Flying time took approximately one hour per trip before landing at the airport for reloading. A total of 4 loads were flown with 2400 lbs of seed being planted in the reservoir.
Seeding was done in late July and early August, so with a little help from Mother Nature, there should be plenty of feed out there for migrating waterfowl this winter. Marion Wildlife Area is located in the Low Plains Late Waterfowl Zone so check the regulations on season dates before hunting in different areas.
Wood Cutting on Marion Wildlife Area:
This winter, KDWPT have sheared trees in a few spots around the wildlife area. These trees have been piled to be burnt at a later date. If you are interested in cutting some of the wood for personal use, a wood cutting permit is required. You can pick up this free permit at KDWPT headquarters located at Broken Bridge.
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