You’ll find a number of widgeons in hunters’ bags on the reservoirs in the north-central part of Kansas. Photo by Mike Gnatkowski.

The Great Plains States can offer some of the best waterfowling in the world, when conditions are right. It takes a combination of snowmelt and spring rains and just the right amount of frigid weather at the right time. It appears that half of the equation is in place. We can only hope for well-timed cold weather.

KANSAS
During a pheasant hunt late last season in Kansas, I was struck by the sheer volume of water last year and into 2009. There were oodles of swollen creeks, ponds, rivers, tanks and reservoirs. And water is key to good waterfowling anywhere, but especially in Kansas.

“We’ve had quite a bit of water. So there are plenty of places for waterfowl,” said Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks waterfowl specialist Faye McNew. “Lots of areas reported average to above-average hunting for ducks last season. The way this year is shaping up, this fall should be even better.”

Kansas has been mired in a prolonged drought until recently. As water again filled ponds and reservoirs, better hunting will follow.

Although Kansas is not considered a production state, it will benefit from improved habitat conditions in the Dakotas and Canada as well.

“The majority of birds we see are pushed down by cold fronts and weather from points to the north. The attraction is open water, and in very dry years, birds sometimes fly right over,” said McNew.

This year, birds should find plenty of reason to stop.

Some years, Kansas is a migration stop. Other years, it’s a destination.

McNew said that reservoirs in the north-central part of the state are a big attraction. “The large reservoirs found there are very good when we can get water into them,” said McNew.

Mainly, the harvest consists of mallards, teal and gadwalls during the early part of the season.

Large reservoirs worth checking out include Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (5,700 acres), Glen Elder Wildlife Area (11,314 acres), Webster (8,018 acres) and Lovewell (5,215 acres).

Jamestown Wildlife Area (3,239 acres) is managed for waterfowl hunting and is in close proximity to the reservoirs.

The reservoirs are used for irrigation, and their levels can vary greatly, which will affect the number of waterfowl they attract.

One exception is Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area, located 16 miles south of MaKeeney. The state of Kansas recently negotiated the water rights to the reservoir at Cedar Bluffs, so it’s not subjected to drawdowns. That’s good news for waterfowl hunters.

Hunters can get current information on water levels and waterfowl population counts that are updated weekly on the state’s Web site at www.kdwp.state.ks.us/hunting.

Another area that attracts big numbers of waterfowl is the Golden Triangle in the central part of the state. “There are several large natural marshes that are managed for waterfowl by controlling water levels,” said McNew. “It offers hunters a classic style of waterfowling over decoys. At most of the managed areas, there are permanent blinds that hunters can use or you can bring your own boat.”

The triangle consists of nearly 20,000-acre Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (620-793-3066) near Great Bend, one of Kansas’ premier waterfowling areas, 7,000-acre Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (620-486-2393) near Strafford and McPherson Valley Wetlands Wildlife Area (620-241-7669), which sports more than 1,750 acres of surface water in more than 50 wetlands during normal conditions.