Daily Archives: August 20, 2015

Special youth dove hunting opportunities abound opening weekend

If you’re looking to introduce a youngster to the joys of dove hunting, opportunities for youth-only hunts will be available throughout the state this season. Listed below are three upcoming youth dove hunts that are sure to provide your kiddo with plenty of action and a memorable time afield.

HAYS- CEDAR BLUFF WILDLIFE AREA

Hosted by: Smoky Hill Chapter of Pheasants Forever

Hunt date: Sept. 5

Registration deadline: Sept. 1. Call to register.

Age limit: 10-17

Contact: Luke Winge (785) 726-1600

A managed crop field on Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area is reserved exclusively for this youth-only event. Hunters will meet at 1 p.m. at the old Cedar Bluff Fish Hatchery to receive wingshooting instruction and meet their mentors. The group will then head to the managed dove field until sunset. After legal shooting light, all participants will return for a free BBQ dinner and lessons on how to properly clean their doves.

Space is limited and kids who have not hunted before will be given preference to participate.

If requested, shotguns can be provided. Shot shells in 12 and 20 gauge will be provided. Hunters age 16 and older must have a hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit prior to hunting.

BUNKER HILL- WILSON WILDLIFE AREA

Hosted by: Black Gold Pheasants Forever Chapter in Russell and Big Brothers, Big Sisters JT VonLintel Memorial Outdoor Mentoring Program

Hunt date: Sept. 5 (with a dinner and trapshooting instruction on Sept. 4)

Registration deadline: Sept. 2. Call to register.

Age limit: 10-16

Contact: Scott Thomasson, (785) 726-1600, or Vickie Cikanek, (785) 501-0867

A managed crop field on the lake property will be reserved exclusively for this event, providing excellent hunting opportunities for youth hunters and their mentors, who may also hunt. Hunters will meet before sunrise on the morning of the hunt at the Wilson Wildlife Area shop to check-in, pair up with mentors if needed, and pick up shotgun shells. Hunters are welcome to spend as long as they choose in the field.

Kids who have not hunted before will be given preference to participate.

Some shotguns will be available for kids without one, and non-toxic 12 and 20 gauge shotgun shells will be provided. Hunters age 16 must have a hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit prior to hunting.

1. MARYS- JEFFREY ENERGY CENTER

Hosted by: Westar Energy Green Team

Hunt date: Sept. 5-6

Registration deadline: Aug. 28. Call to register.

Age limit: 16 and younger

Contact: Barb Cornelius, (785) 575-8125

Spacious wheat and sunflower fields have been prepared to draw in doves, providing plenty of action.

Hunters will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and hunts will be scheduled as requests dictate and hunting groups can be formed. Guides will be provided for each group.

Youth hunters must bring their own shotguns and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult. Hunters age 16 must have a Kansas hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit.

Non-toxic shells will be provided.

Can’t make a scheduled hunt? Visit www.ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” “Where to Hunt,” and “KDWPT Dove Hunting Fields” to plan your own hunt at a managed field near you.

The Kansas dove hunting season is open Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 and Nov. 7-15. Hunters 16 and older must possess a Kansas hunting license and Harvest Information Program permit, unless exempt.

Hunters make take up to 15 doves, mourning and white-winged, single species or in combination. There is no limit on Eurasian collared or ringed turtle doves, but any taken in addition to the mourning and white-winged dove daily bag must have a fully-feathered wing attached while being transported.

Non-toxic shot may be required on KDWPT-managed dove fields. Visit ksoutdoors.com for details.

KDWPT receives $2.7 million grant for public access on private lands

On August 17, 2015, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) awarded $20 million in grants to 15 states to improve and increase wildlife habitat and public access for recreational opportunities on privately-owned and operated farm, ranch and forest lands. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) received a $2.7 million grant, the largest amount awarded to the 15 states. The grant is funded under the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentives Program (VPA-HIP), which is administered by the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

According to Jake George, KDWPT Private Land Programs Coordinator, the funds will be used over a three-year period to lease private land for hunting and fishing access and to help landowners improve habitat on those properties. Program promotion and outreach will occur this fall, with initial enrollment beginning late-spring to early-summer of 2016.

“We were very pleased to once again be awarded VPA-HIP grant funding,” George said. “Currently, KDWPT’s Walk-in Hunting Access and FISH programs have more than 1 million acres of enrolled properties and agreements with nearly 2,300 Kansas landowners, providing numerous public hunting and fishing opportunities across the state. This additional funding will allow for further expansion and improvement of the already successful access and habitat management programs offered to Kansas landowners through KDWPT.”

With respect to hunting, the focus for the funds will be on enrolling new or recently enrolled Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) properties. Participating landowners must be willing to allow public hunting access on the property for the duration of the CRP contract and enroll in wildlife-friendly conservation practices. Landowners are encouraged to enroll or re-enroll their properties in CRP between the continuous signup and the general CRP signup, which begins Dec. 1, 2015. KDWPT expects to add an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 new acres of quality access properties over the next three years.

KDWPT will also use the funds to improve fishing and paddle sports access, enrolling prime stream reaches, as well as quality privately-owned impoundments. Public access to these streams would provide a multitude of angling opportunities and open up recreational paddle sports access, which is limited in the state because most of the 10,000 miles of streams and rivers in Kansas are privately owned.

“This project with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism shows how good partnerships and land management will lead to sustainable recreational and economic opportunities for years to come. Connecting outdoor recreation to private lands conservation is good for wildlife, people, and rural economies,” said Eric B. Banks, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

For more information on VPA-HIP and other FSA programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/vpa.

10th annual northcentral Kansas Outdoor Youth Fair

If your child enjoys all things “outdoorsy,” chances are he or she will have a blast at the upcoming 10th Annual Northcentral Kansas Outdoor Youth Fair in Osborne. This one-day, fun-filled event will take place Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to youth ages 17 and younger (all those 14 and younger must be accompanied by an adult).

Activities include archery, wingshooting, flyfishing, canoeing, dog handling, trapping and many other outdoor activities.

Youth must be registered by 11 a.m. the day of the event to be provided lunch and an opportunity to win door prizes that include a lifetime hunting license, hunting and fishing trips, and a weekend at an area lake cabin.

Archery hunters 14 and older are invited to bring in their bows for tune-ups.

All equipment and supplies are provided at no charge.

The Northcentral Kansas Outdoor Youth Fair is made possible by the Osborne County Pheasants Forever Chapter, Osborne Gun Club, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Nex-Tech, and the Keith Hahn Memorial.

For more information, contact Cleo Hahn at (785) 346-4541, John Cockerham at (785) 346-6527, or Chris Lecuyer at (785) 218-7818.