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Travis Faulkner
FYI > Interested in hunting the Kentucky River WMA or any other of the Bluegrass State's public land locations? Check out the Spring Turkey Hunting Forecast in this issue. |
Kentucky River WMA
The NWTF and the state's wildlife agency are improving public land hunting up and down the river
At one point, a hunter would be hard pressed to even hear a fired-up longbeard sounding off at daylight in Kentucky. As a lifelong resident of the Bluegrass State, I can still vividly remember coaxing my first strutter into gun range many years ago. Back then you hunted a single bird, just hearing a gobble was an accomplishment.
Things have changed throughout the Commonwealth since I punched that first tag. The hard work of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and the NWTF has gradually transformed the state into a turkey hunting powerhouse.
Over the past two seasons, Kentucky hunters have experienced back-to-back record harvests, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. Intense management practices, acres of prime land and numerous wildlife habitat improvement projects have allowed flocks to expand and flourish.
Take a peek into what the NWTF and the KDFWR are doing to ensure the Bluegrass State continues to have excellent turkey habitat and healthy populations of birds for future generations.
Prime public land
Kentucky is covered with turkeys and loaded with seemingly endless tracts of public land. The state is made up of 120 counties, which are divided into five regions managed by the KDFWR. Each region has public land offering a variety of terrain, strategically placed wildlife openings and designated trails.
Most regions have great turkey populations. However, some of these areas still need work to reach their full turkey potential. The NWTF and KDFWR are creating areas of suitable nesting and brood rearing habitat, two necessary components for balancing and maintaining turkey populations that many heavily wooded locations lack. Many of these habitat improvement projects are subsidized through the NWTF Super Fund, money from state wildlife agencies and other contributions.
Kentucky River WMA
The Kentucky River WMA is inside the Bluegrass Region and stretches across Henry and Owen counties. According to NWTF Regional Biologist Jadd Campbell, 2,600 acres make up this small tract of public land.
"The area is primarily oak-hickory forest, upland grasslands and river bottoms that run along the Kentucky River flood plain," Campbell said. "Hunters can expect to see white-tailed deer, songbirds, raccoons, turkeys and many other native wildlife species. A decent turkey population already inhabits this WMA, but there is definitely room for growth."
"Hunters looking to break away from the pack and target birds not beaten by competition might want to give this area a try," he said. "Sometimes, these smaller tracts of public land get overlooked, and the turkeys are virtually left alone, which can lead to some intense gobbling action on opening day."
This heavily wooded area contained only about 20 percent of open land. Additional wildlife openings were created and, according to Campbell, the impact should be quickly noticeable. Isolated plots of clover and other native seed blends were added to provide expanding flocks with sufficient nesting cover, brood rearing habitat and a reliable food source.
All species of wildlife will ultimately experience both short and long term benefits from the creation of these openings. Hunters should see an increase in flock numbers, which will significantly improve the quality of hunting throughout the WMA.
Plans for 2011 include similar projects in the area. — Travis Faulkner