Fountain Grove waterfowl page 6
On prime waterfowl flyways there is always competition with both private land and State Refuge areas to pull the ducks. this is especially the case for our Missouri duck hunting and wetlands.
Feed is a key ingredient to attract both ducks and geese during the fall migration, but planting crop on a true wetland is a difficult task and the period of time to do so is short.
The stages MAHA went through to enhance the quality of waterfowl hunting on one of our managed wetlands with a focus on duck hunting.
After draining the wetlands and the day we planted Japanese Millet.
This wetland is approximately 240 acres and is broken down into 6 separate pools.
The field that was drained in the photo is roughly 60 acres and it has a 12' drop log pipe that enables us to control the water lever in 6" to 12" intervals at will.
This particular year we drained the entire marsh except about 20 acres of low area that is not able to drain.
Japanese Millet at mid growth stage.
We drained the marsh in mid-June to keep the weeds and trees from taking over and planted the balance in Japanese millet 2 times in Mid-June. The ground is too wet for a tractor to work so we planted the millet over the mud flats, which is prime conditions for millet.
The same stand at 3/4 head.
Japanese millet takes 10 to 15 days to geminate and roughly 60 days to make seed. The plant grows close to 4 feet tall and has a head of seed resembling milo, but it is much finer and waterfowl thrive on it. After millet grows out the plant lays down but floats on the surface of the water, so the waterfowl has easy access to the seed.
Japanese millet can grow on both dry ground or in water, just so the head of the plant is above the water.
On this particular wetlands we have a 12 acre, 20 foot deep holding lake with a 12" drop log pipe above the marsh to drain into the marsh when we are ready to set up for the season.
Two views of the Japanese Millet right before opening weekend.
When it comes to do it yourself duck hunts the choices between public wetlands, private clubs and MAHA is dramatic with the contrast making the decision criteria easy.
We offer leisurely paced duck hunts over a choice of blinds and wetlands that gives the do it yourself duck hunter flexibility and confidence he will be hunting every day available. This flexibility is well beyond the capability of a single wetlands club or public waterfowl areas.
After the regular and late/early spring goose season we drain the wetlands and start over.
End of this Fountain Grove waterfowl series.