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Kanopolis Wildlife Area
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We're in Kansas, now what?
Wilson and Kanopolis/Smoky Hill Wildlife Areas offer some of Kansas' best turkey hunting opportunities
The budget for riparian restoration project in Russell Co., Kan., is small compared to some of the other monumental tasks by the NWTF and its partners in conservation. But $3,000 spent along the Saline River in the Wilson Wildlife Area should return big dividends.
"Wilson lies in the heart of the mixed grass prairie region," said Scott Thomasson, wildlife area manager for Wilson and Smoky Hill wildlife areas and an employee of the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. "Forested areas are predominately limited to narrow riparian corridors. Managing this limited resource to promote and encourage desirable trees and vegetation is a high priority for turkey management."
Wilson Wildlife Area contains more than 8,000 acres surrounding a 9,000-acre reservoir in the Smoky Hills of north-central Kansas. Wilson Lake was dubbed the "clearest lake in Kansas," because its water is filtered by limestone. It is located near I-70, between Hays and Salina.
"This [project] will involve removal of eastern red cedar from beneath cottonwoods, improving roost sites as well as brood rearing and nesting cover," NWTF Director of Conservation, Western Region Brandon Houck said. "Cedar removal will also make it possible to conduct prescribed burns without threatening the cottonwoods. When present, cedars can act as ladder fuels, carrying flames into the canopy of more desirable trees such as cottonwoods."
According to Thomasson, the more desirable grasses and forbs are already present in the seed bank of the areas that will be selected this winter for thinning of cedar trees.
"Prescribed burning is also difficult because many of the cedar trees have grown so large that the intense heat from a fire would damage the more desirable trees," Thomasson said. "By selectively removing the cedars, we can conduct prescribed burns to manage for the long-term viability of higher quality turkey habitat. In addition, creating openings in the understory of these riparian areas by removing cedars will create improved conditions for hunters to set up and pursue wild turkeys."
Wild turkey populations in this area are increasing.
"Hunting pressure is generally high during the opening days of the season and declines through the latter part of the season," Houck said. "The success rate is high."
If you want to take a youth hunting in Kansas, Thomasson recommends Wilson, and also the Kanopolis/Smoky Hill area, for this express purpose.
"Some of the best hunting opportunities on public lands in Kansas, and certainly the best turkey hunting opportunities at Wilson and Kanopolis/Smoky Hill, are during the youth/disabled turkey season," he said. "Hunting pressure is generally low and the turkeys have not 'wised' up yet." The 2011 Youth/Disabled Season is April 1 to 12, for youth 16 and under.
Wilson is Rio Grande country, in Hunting Unit 3, with over-the-counter permits available: one bird in the fall and two in the spring. Regular firearms season for turkeys is set for April 13 through May 31.
The KDWP offers a Spring Turkey Walk-In Hunting Access program where the department leases hunting rights from private landowners for public hunting access. Typically, hunting pressure can be high during the regular spring turkey season on public wildlife areas. The turkey WIHA program provides additional access on private lands for turkey hunters. Spring 2011 Turkey WIHA maps will be posted online in early spring at www.kdwp.state.ks.us. Click on the "Hunting" link, then the "Turkey Information" link on the website. Wilson is in Map 9 and Kanopolis in Map 16.
The fishing is fine at Wilson Lake in early April and into May. The walleye spawn ramps up into full swing in mid-April, and Wilson touts the reputation as premiere striper fishing lake in Kansas. In fact, the state record walleye and striped bass came from Wilson Lake at 13.16 and 44 pounds, respectively.
Wilson State Park offers utility and primitive camping, with cabin rental available.
Want to hunt an Eastern-Rio hybrid? Head on down the road.
Thomasson suggests including the Kanopolis/Smoky Hill Wildlife Area in your turkey hunting plans. About an hour's drive southeast of Wilson, it contains 15,000 acres open to public hunting. Of that, 11,000 acres are managed by the Corps of Engineers, and the rest is managed by KDWP. — Barbara Baird