WACONDA LAKE YOUTH/WOMEN PHEASANT HUNT A BIG SUCCESS

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Boys and girls hunt with celebrities and soldiers
GLEN ELDER — “There were 18 happy and tired kids — both girls and boys — leaving the Waconda Lake [Glen Elder Reservoir] area and heading home on the night of Saturday, Dec. 10,” said Chris Lecuyer, Glen Elder Wildlife Area manager.

These new hunters had just wrapped up a full day of activities after participating in the 14th Annual 2011 Waconda Lake Youth, Women, and Celebrity Pheasant Hunt. The event is co-sponsored by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) and Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc., of Wichita.

“We began before sunrise with a biscuits and gravy breakfast served by the Waconda Struttin’ Dusters Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation,” Lecuyer said. “The youngsters listened to a quick talk concerning regulations and safety, and then we introduced them to celebrities and heroes who would join them for the hunt.

Celebrities included John Gillotte, the 2010 National Youth Crappiemasters Champion; Wayne Hubbard, creator and host of Urban American Outdoors TV show; and Guy Caster, former professional drag race car driver. The youth were also joined by four true heroes, soldiers who had been wounded in action, including Colonel Phil McCune and Colonel Tom Kurlick from the Fort Riley Warrior Transition Battalion, and Captain Aaron Isaacson and Second Lieutenant Chad Blow from the Kansas National Guard of Topeka.

Near-perfect morning weather greeted the hunters after breakfast. They were divided into three groups to hunt for the rest of the morning. Several non-hunting adults, parents, and family members went with each group to serve as mentors for the inexperienced hunters. The groups hunted in portions of Glen Elder State Park and the refuges of Glen Elder Wildlife Area.

“Generally, public hunting is not allowed in these parts of the Waconda Lake property except for special events such as this,” Lecuyer explained. “The young hunters were definitely up to our challenge, and the groups managed to bag 16 roosters in just three hours of hunting. Many of the young hunters harvested their first-ever pheasants, and nearly everyone had the opportunity to take a shot or two at the tough birds. A couple of the kids actually harvested multiple birds, and even Colonel Kurlick got his first pheasant.”

A hamburger, hot dog, and chili lunch was served at noon by volunteers from the Waconda Lake Association. The association also sponsored a prize contest for the youth with the longest tail feather from their bird. Devin Basnatt’s 22 1/2 inch tail feather won by more than 1 inch.

After lunch, a trap shoot was held near the Glen Elder Area Office. Three shooting stations were available for the participants to hone their shooting skills. A few of the young hunters and their mentors decided to continue hunting during the afternoon at other locations on the wildlife area.

The day’s events concluded in the evening with a barbeque brisket supper at Memorial Hall in Downs. After the meal, each young hunter received a prize package and heard a few words and got autographs from the celebrities. Attendees also listened to information about youth and mentor hunting opportunities, the importance of recruiting new hunters, and the work of conservation organizations.

This year’s youth participants were Bryce Nichols – Beloit; Rhiley Kaser – Osborne; Bryce Griffin, Andrea Howard, Noah Bradley, Matt Parks, and Cole Sauber – Salina; Cody Heiland – Topeka; Ryan and Megan Richards – Stillwell; Marcus Florence – Olathe; Derek McCarthy – Kansas City, Brandon Regester, Dylan Brittain, Nick Miller, and Jakhai Adams – Wichita; and Devin Basnatt and Sabian Dolvig – Rose Hill.

“We couldn’t have done this without donations from of a host of local businesses,” Lecuyer said. “And a special thanks goes out to all the volunteers and mentors who gave their time to the kids. Almost 50 adults gave up a substantial portion of their day or weekend to help these young hunters.”

KDWPT and Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors believe that offering youth opportunities such as the Waconda Lake Youth, Women, and Celebrity Pheasant Hunt is vitally important to ensure both the development of future hunting generations and well-rounded young people. For information about future special hunts at Glen Elder, phone (785) 545-3345.

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GLEN ELDER WILDLIFE AREA MENTOR/NOVICE AREA ENTERS THIRD YEAR

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Area set aside to increase young and new hunter participation
GLEN ELDER — After two years, the 1,000-acre Walnut Creek Mentor/Novice Area on Glen Elder Wildlife Area is receiving great reviews from hunters. Many youngsters, as well as a few new adult hunters, have harvested their very first pheasant or deer on the area. Other young hunters have taken advantage of the opportunity to build on their newly acquired outdoor skills and experiences.

The Mentor/ Novice Area is located on the southeast portion of the 12,500-acre Glen Elder Wildlife Area, near Glen Elder Reservoir in Mitchell County. The Walnut Creek area was chosen for this designation because of the wide range of hunting opportunities it provides. Pheasant and deer are found in good numbers, and the area also harbors small game, waterfowl, dove, furbearers, and turkey.

The purpose of the Mentor/Novice Area is to provide a public area for beginning hunters with a good opportunity for success while maintaining overall hunting opportunities on the entire property. “Novice” includes youth age 18 and younger and any person who has not previously purchased a hunting license or permit in any state for the particular game species they wish to pursue. For example, a veteran pheasant hunter can qualify as a novice deer hunter if that individual has never previously purchased a deer permit. Experienced adult hunters are allowed to hunt in this area if they are mentoring at least one youth or novice hunter.

In 2000, participation in Kansas’ first youth pheasant season was high at Glen Elder, with an estimated 78 youth and 74 adult hunters taking advantage of this new opportunity. In succeeding years, adults were not allowed to hunt with the youth, and annual participation dropped to an average of 15 youth. With this in mind, the concept of the Mentor/Novice Area was developed — a place for new hunters to learn and experienced hunters to recruit new hunters during regular seasons.

The Walnut Creek Cove of the lake is a popular duck hunting area. Waterfowl hunting without the Mentor/Novice requirement is still allowed, but hunters are only allowed to hunt and access the shoreline areas by boat. The nearby Walnut Creek boat ramp is open and available for this purpose.

In 2004, the Walnut Creek Area was designated as a survey area with free daily permits required of each hunter. Five years of baseline background data is available and provides a wealth of information on who uses the area, what they harvest, and how they rate their experience. Data collected from the Walnut Creek Area including the Mentor/Novice Area will supply data for a three-year study comparing information from before and after the designation. A decision will then be made to continue, modify, or eliminate the Mentor/ Novice Area based on data evaluation.

For more information on this special opportunity, phone the wildlife area office at 875-545-3345.

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FUN DAY AT LOVEWELL STATE PARK AUG. 7

Image via Wikipedia First ever Disc Golf Tournament to highlight many events
WEBBER — The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Lovewell Marina at Lovewell State Park are sponsoring the annual Lovewell Fun Day on Saturday, Aug. 6. A new addition to the day’s events is the first ever Disc Golf Singles Tournament. Eighteen holes will be played beginning at 9 a.m. Competitors need to register at the park office by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The tournament will have two divisions: youth (15 and younger) and adult (16 and older). A $5 entry fee is due at time of registration, fully refunded to the first three places in each age division.

The Co-ed Mud Volleyball Tournament begins at 10 a.m. This event is double-elimination with a $20 entry fee per team and a 10-team limit. Pre-registration for the mud volleyball tournament is requested at the Lovewell State Park Office by August 4.

Other events scheduled for the Fun Day include minnow races at 10 a.m. at the marina, log races at noon at the Pioneer Day use Area (playground), water balloon toss at 2 p.m., waterslide contest at 3 p.m., and a Frisbee-throwing contest at 4 p.m. These events are for all ages.

In addition, an Outdoor Cook-off Contest will be held at the Pioneer Day Use area. Pre-registration is required by August 4 at 6 p.m. at the park office. Each cooker must cook 100 1-ounce servings for the judges. Judges will be chosen from the first 100 people who contribute $5 for a taste-testing ticket. Donations are used for prizes at Lovewell State Park’s special events throughout the year. Judging tickets will be available at the cook-off area beginning at 5 p.m., and judging will start at 6 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. Additional samples will be available, depending on availability of food entries. (If too few entrants register, this event may be cancelled.)

To check on the status of any of these events or for more information, phone Lovewell State Park at 785-753-4971. A vehicle permit is required to enter the park. Daily permits are $4.20, annual permits $24.70.