Riparian roosts rule in Wyoming

Turkey hunters know that big toms spring from healthy roosts found in riparian areas, as do other game, so wildlife pressure for these sanctuaries remains high. Meanwhile, riparian area health and productivity continue to decrease in grasslands.

Thanks to the NWTF’s Northern Plains Riparian Restoration Initiative (NPRRI), several projects on the Wyoming Game and Fish Yellowtail Wildlife Habitat Management Area and surrounding private lands will improve roosting areas vital not only to wild turkeys, but also big game, songbirds and even bald eagles.

The area hosts more than 160 species of birds, including waterfowl and shorebirds. The massive project encompasses more than 19,000 acres near Lovell, Wyo., along the Shoshone and Big Horn rivers.

Projects include reducing invasive species such as Russian olive and tamarisk (or saltcedar) and reclaiming areas by planting cottonwoods, as well as seeding with select grasses and forbs.

Local high school students will continue to lend a hand through the “CRM in the Classroom” program, by performing simple vegetative monitoring and GIS mapping.

Through these efforts, which began in earnest in 2009, project managers expect a decrease of invasive species by 20 percent within five years.

Jared McJunkin, NWTF senior regional biologist for the Northern Great Plains, based in Hermosa, S.D., said he is especially proud of the NWTF Wyoming State Chapter for its support of these projects and the NPRRI, which should make one of the richest riparian areas in the state even better.

Packsaddle WMA

Put on your boots to hunt Packsaddle

The story goes that an Army soldier left a packsaddle on the bank of the river as he was chased by a band of Indians, and that’s how the Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area got its name. Another theory is it’s named for the terrain that formed the shape of a saddle at the South Canadian River.

Situated in northwest Okahoma’s Ellis County, this WMA just feels wild, with its few interior roads and more than 17,000 acres for hunters to roam. And even more hunting opportunities are just next door, because of the Oklahoma State Chapter’s funding toward acquisition of approximately 4,700 acres adjacent to the WMA.

“We’re just a small link in the big chain here,” said Mike Evans, Oklahoma State Chapter president. “Our wildlife department does a great job of cultivating conservation partners, allowing us to partner when we can.”
Scott Parry, a wildlife biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, described Packsaddle as a great habitat for Rios, with predominantly upland terrain. He noted that the Southern Great Plains Riparian Initiative has helped roosting areas at Packsaddle by clearing cottonwoods and salt cedars over the past years.

He also stressed the remoteness of Packsaddle, but mentioned that you can find a great cheeseburger in the one-diner town of Arnett.

Lending a hand in the Dakotas

Turkeys don’t know the difference between public and private property — especially when it comes to chow time. Through the NWTF’s Operation Big Sky program, NWTF state chapters in South Dakota and North Dakota contributed funds for projects to help flocks of turkeys survive the long, cold winters there.

In North Dakota, funds helped state wildlife agencies purchase netting to protect stored hay grain, as well as food plot seed used by private landowners.

“This is an example of the NWTF lending a helping hand to generous landowners who sustain wild turkey populations on their property and, in many cases, grant access to appreciative hunters,” said McJunkin.
Some of the funds in South Dakota aided ranchers near the Black Hills, and in particular a local rancher with food plots on his property that provide winter forage for a turkey population that sometimes tops 1,000 Merriam’s. The rancher allows access to turkey hunters, too.

The Black Hills have been known to lure not only turkeys, but also hunters, throughout the years. The NWTF’s own James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., said one of his fondest hunting memories is bagging a Merriam’s wild turkey with Mt. Rushmore in the background. — Barbara Baird