Wetlands
Pictures showing water in/out flow within a wetlands.
This levee separates the lowest portion of the wetlands from the shooting pools above it and still further up is the reservoir lake used to drain into the wetlands during dry years. Putting this levee at this point ensures both large pools have water at a level that allows food to show through and give ducks a place to land, feed and loaf while keeping it at a safe depth for the hunter. Additional benefits include quicker flooding, post season drain off.
On the inflow side a gate that we can close to to hold water on the upside wetlands.
This wetlands has no inflow other than what we allow and any rain that may fall on it. Having a low volume flow drop block tower allows us to refine water level to 6 inch increments as well as drain off the entire wetlands at the end of the season.
Tough to show the amount of mud flats available during early teal season.
This is one panoramic shot of just one part of three separate wetlands within 5 minutes drive of each other that we maintain.
The timing of this picture means a lot. It is well after we drained the wetlands as much as we could. There is about 12 inches of water in the deepest part. We allowed it to dry for as long as the weather would allow so we could get the tractor in to smooth over the dry mud surface. And, we had just planted it just a couple of days earlier. The light green in the foreground is germinating millet.
The blind gap between it and the water surface shows how much we will flood this marsh land.
After we plant the millet and it heads out, we close off the outflow, open the intake and let mother nature provide as much free water as she will. By the time teal season arrives there will be more water and plenty of the shallow mud area they seem to prefer. The blind will be covered in time for the regular duck season.
Blind covering detail. Bruce Johnson the Mid-America Hunting Association wetlands manager and humbly efficient duck hunter with all the elements. Waders, small boat to ferry the rippy grass below it and the ATV to get the boat with grass as close to the water as possible. Float the rippy out to the blind and weave it in place to last the season.
