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Administrative | Water LevelThe next Missouri wetlands duck hunting development issue that may seem not to be a problem, but it is, is water. The typical Missouri water condition is either too much or too little. Too much water and hunter safety and duck attracting vegetation characteristics are degraded. Too little water and the right vegetation will be in the wrong place, the blinds dry and worst of all the ducks will simply fly by. How to get that right water level is through a system of levees the longest of which on a single MAHA duck hunting wetlands and costing the Association $80,000+ is one long levee that requires vermin control year round. A levee alone however, is not enough. The levee's purpose is to retain water and that requires an elevation survey and a dirt mover that knows what an elevation survey is. Once built the problem remains how to get water inside of that levee. The next essential element is the inflow and outflow. The inflow needs to be at the higher elevation so that the lowest elevation is not too deep while creating enough surface area of a limited water depth that will most enhance the total area of water and vegetation mix. And, by the way, do not impact on the neighbor's ground. The inflow must be reliable regardless of rainfall in the case of a watershed, creek or river levels in a slough or well depth and capacity on dry land. The next is outflow that will have the reactive capability to allow the levees to survive any amount of flood level flow while sustaining the desired water depth. These elements all seem simple to describe and require work over a long period of time to acquire. We have never built any of our wetlands from start to finished status in one year.
LocationJust water management alone is not enough to bring a waterfowl area development to being nothing more than a frog pond. The location within our state of choice makes a big difference. Having the best looking waterfowl area will probably make the initial sale, but the best looking duck hunting spot in the wrong location will make only for a lot of nature watching. To ensure we are in the right region of Missouri we reach back into history to determine the best locations. Such locations are only acquired through a long time, lifetime, of living in an area, hunting ducks regularly and knowing how to put all the elements together. If anyone aspect is lacking you will find a wetlands that looks good and has no ducks.
Micro FlywaysThere are many historic references of the decades ago Missouri market duck hunting. This hunting was conducted on natural existing areas that were very specific in their locality and did not cover all of any one watershed. These localities are what the waterfowl experts now call micro flyways. These areas are where the stories come from of days when the ducks and geese darkened the sky and the hunters with their 10 gauge, long barreled, bipod mounted shotguns would harvest ducks piled as high as a man's belt by noon. A waterfowl area designed to attract ducks within these micro flyway makes for membership renewals based on the hunter having a good hunt. That is what we are after as we are a business, not a collection of good ol' boys duck hunting club. |
