WMA Discussions

[Xtreme]

Well Folks the use of and management of our WMA's seems to be a hot topic. Lets hear the Good as well as the Bad. Remember this is to be a polite discussion and we must remain civil and professional.

The only experiences I myself have had with WMS's is Yellowbanks. It seemed to be well cared for and managed for all types of game. Other than crowded at times I had no complaints. There are many I have not been to I admit. OK folks lets here it.

[Multidigits]

One comment is that some of these areas are not really Wildlife Management Areas. A better term would be Public Hunting Area. Some have had absolutely nothing done to them, in any way to "manage" the wildlife, including uncontrolled hunting, no harvest satistics taken or any habitat manipulated in anyway, with the exception of posting the outside boundry with yellow signs.

But you right about Yellowbank, especially considering the amount of people working the area. The last time I talked with the manager, he only had 2 employees. He also has other area responsibilities and the employees are used there too. For an example, the manager at Yellowbank also had Lapland WMA under his management. When the state lost this area, they couldn't even free up the manpower to take down the signs.

The guys at Yellowbank also grow and combine a lot of Native Warm/Cool Season grass seed ffor use in other areas and and to private landowners.

[MrBowhunter]

I currently don't have an opinion either good nor bad. Although new here I have been fortunate enough to make some good friends who have offered their property to me for hunting privileges. I guess if I didn't have that I would look to buy more property just for hunting. I have never in my life relied on any state game commision to provide my hunting area, I have just always looked ahead and made sure I had my bases covered.

[Valley Station]

Gentlemen,
I think the correct term, in many cases, is Wildlife Mismanagement Areas. F&W put on their "blinders", by eliminating the sign in/out procedures. How can you properly manage an area with No Information on number and types of hunters using an area, game harvest??
From what I have seen, most area managers are doing a good job, considering the decisions and small budgets they receive out of Frankfort.
"It's tough to get much done when you have both feet and hands tied."

[CSS archer]

I'm just thankful for public hunting opportunity. Regardless of management, we do not have enough public land in my opinion.

[Darton73]

Valley,

I have to disagree with you on the Check Station issue. The poor rate of return on the cards, as well as the often "left out" information made the data useless for anything other than a year-to-year index. It took enormous man-hours to keep the cards stocked (because people would grab them by the handful), collect cards and tabulate data.

With that said, I DO think it would be nice to have some way of keeping a tab on harvests and hunter usage, but the old check card system is not the way in my opinion.



Brian Grossman
Darton73@alltel.net

[Highbow]

I have been able to hunt and spend time on four WMA's here in east KY and up till last year had not seen very much done to improve these areas. Dewey Lake WMA has got some food plots and is going to produce some nice deer in the future, there still needs to be more work done on it as a whole, Paintsville WMA has some good project work being done and should help improve hunting for everyone , Grayson and Yatesville WMA's both could use more food plottings but provide good deer hunting. Turkey are plentiful on all and it is great to haver these areas to hunt on, I wish we had more because not everyone can afford hunting land.

[KYhunter]

Clay WMA in Nicholas county is VERY well run. Kleber HAD its problems but changed managers a few years ago. I wrote Bennett years ago about fescue eradication and he said they had a yearly program on Kleber, but I never could find it. Taylorsville appears to be run OK, but I would like to see the Waterfowl Refuge open year round. Private landowners are using OUR land during rut and deer firearms season. Food plots are no longer planted in those bottoms(Palmer Lane) as Dept is using a new approach(letting things grow-up). I haven't seen much waterfowl on that section of Salt River either, plus I don't like private landowners hunting an area when the public can't.

[GSP]

Kyhunter is on target with Clay.
It is managed by a person that loves what he does and it shows. It is the best run WMA I've been on.
Central KY on the other hand is 1700 acres of NO HUNTING ALLOWED!
KEEP OUT!

[Ky Headhunter]

I will second what Kyhunter says about Clay WMA, and add that I have found the area manager to be extremely helpful the few times I talked to him. It's not hunting Utopia; a couple times it seemed like horses & dogs had completely overrun the place. And I'm not convinced the dogs were running rabbits... but I can't prove it.

Only been to Lloyd WMA a couple of times, but it was plenty crowded both times. I could see that some things had been done to help manage the property, but with a relatively small chunk of land, and a large population of hunters within driving range, there's only so much that can be done. I counted over a dozen vehicles in the parking area one Aug. morning coming in from squirrel hunting there, and that was a weekday. Maybe that was an aberration, but I don't see myself spending much time there in the future.

It's not actually a WMA, but LBL is my favorite public property so far. It can get crowded (spring turkey season comes to mind) but at least it's big enough that you can go try another spot.

I'll also second what CSS archer says. We could live in Texas, where you shell out high $$$ or you don't hunt.

Is anyone here really familiar with DBNF? If so, how the H#%l do you keep track of what's public and what's still privately owned? Are there any maps that can tell you exactly where a fellow can park his truck, pitch a tent, and start hunting? I have some maps, but they all have a disclaimer at the bottom, "there may be private inholdings withing national or state forest boundaries" or something to that effect. Driving along some of the roads, I see houses & yards where the maps show "forest". Then all of a sudden, I see one of those little signs saying "forest service land beyond this sign". But the only way I see into it is through private land, or by parking right there on the side of the road (and I'm talking about county roads, not gravel Forest Service roads). Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[corydon boy]

Higginson-Henry here in Union County is pretty nice. They have anew manager who is more than willing to listen to the hunters and do what he can for us. They do seem to have some poaching problems,probable because it is archery only except for the two day quota gun hunt. It is also under QDM bucks must be 14 inches outside to be harvested. The KBA held our rendevous there last year and will do so again this year.


Corydon Boy

[MULESKINNER]

Concerning T-ville lake WMA...

Checking in and out made it difficult to hunt because most all of the area is only accesible through private landowner or by boat.
I run a small guide service that borders the WMA and it is a bonus for folks to be able to just move on over to WMA land without checking in and hunt if things are slow on my place (bow only of course).
I don't think that checking in ever did much good other than restricting point of access.
Just my opinion.

MrBowhunter,
Consider yourself very fortunate. The days of doorknocking for a place to hunt are almost completely over. So many people wouldn't be willing to pay me to hunt if they could hunt somewhere else for free.
I don't plant food plots and don't provide lodging (other than pop up campers) and folks still pay to come hunt.

KYHUNTER, email me @ sacmarata@juno.com. I would like to discuss your findings about T-ville. I can't get much out of the KDFW other than a map. Are they still doing fescue eradication anywhere?
L A T E R . . .

[KYhunter]

MS- I tried to reply but email would not send. I would like to respond in private if I could.

[Valley Station]

Brian ,
The Sign In/Out cards with one(1) check station didn't work well for larger/spread out WMA's, such as Green or some in eastern Ky. Too time consuming/trouble for hunters and managers.
But it worked pretty well for smaller areas like H.H. and Yellowbanks.
Not perfect, but, better than no information.Those of us who hunt these areas, felt like it was worth the effort. If its to much trouble , go find some place else to hunt!
We have "QDM programs" at some of these areas and "don't have a clue" how many deer are harvested during bow season, what age class, how many hunters using area.At least 75% of the harvest is with a bow!
How many quail hunters?? Shoot last bird out of covey, O.K.??
Card system is not perfect,but, what system should we use??

[Multidigits]

I thought you were limited to ONE deer at T'ville. If you were drawn for the Quota hunt and had killed one with a bow, then you couldn't hunt. How do they know if they don't ask???

Seems like somebody has to keep score somewhere and somehow???





Edited by - Multidigits on 08/08/2002 09:31:29 AM

[Brutus Hedgeapple]

Ky headhunter, What part of the DBNF have you checked out? I have 4 acres in a subdivision in southern Pulaski co. that is surrounded by DBNF. The roads in and around the area are pretty easy to park and hunt anywhere. I don't remember how they mark the boundary, I think it's with red band of paint on trees. I'm very close to Beaver Creek WMA.

BH

[MrBowhunter]

This is something you folks should be very proud of. I didn't have a full understanding of WMA's until I reread this thread again. PA only has state gamelands you can hunt. No one manages them, they are simply state owned tracts that the people of the state can do food plot and habitat improvement if they choose do so.

[Birdman]

The WMA's in Eastern Ky. at least our larger ones are on Crop properity(conbine for over 300,000 acres). Before these areas were taken, (from people like you and I) they were usually the best hunting areas within those countys. Why, because they were remode areas that had a diverse habitat and food, provided by the people that lived there, through framming practices. When KDFWR leased these areas from the Corp, they agreed to continue working this land for the purpose of food and habitat for wildlife.

I would like to explain this in more detail but this site is really not the place to do so. And when I say not the place, I simple mean it would take so long to type all the details that I would be here for days.

We have had some work on these areas, the last two years but it's just a piss in the wind to what needs to be done. With your help (Cyber Hunters, LOKS, and anyone that would like to get involved) down the road we may be able to make a difference on these areas. So that we can be PROUD of these areas again.

[MULESKINNER]

The CORPS took over 200 acres from my family to make Taylorsville WMA. That is a 7 generation farm that was in the family when KY was still part of Virginia. They made a crappy offer to buy and then just took what folks wouldnt sell.
I will admit though that most of the land is steep hillside.
L A T E R . . .

[Darton73]

Hey Muleskinner & KYHunter,

I'll be glad to help you guys out with any info I can on Taylorsville WMA. Drop me an email darton73@alltel.net



Brian Grossman
Darton73@alltel.net