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seaveeboats Member Posts: 28 |
posted 02-01-2010 09:19 PM
  
OK i just finished my first season and im hooked. I have 6000 acres in central florida and part of it is along a large lake. Theres a flock of about a dozen woodies and a few black tree ducks on the property. I have the equipment and was thinking about building some flooded fields for next season. one problem is the lake is sprayed so its not a huge draw... with pumps and planting could i create my own PRODUCTIVE duck habitat, or am i pissin in the wind? thanks in advance IP: Logged |
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JMiller Admin Posts: 1366 |
posted 02-01-2010 10:21 PM
No, you could be building paradise. IP: Logged |
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QwackHead Member Posts: 248 |
posted 02-01-2010 10:36 PM
If you need any help, you can always get ahold of me and I will work for permssion to hunt! Im in central Florida as well and would love to jump on a project like that. Let me know. IP: Logged |
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rustybeaver Member Posts: 54 |
posted 02-01-2010 10:37 PM
I know some people in Stuart that do Wetland mitigation work. If you contact someone who knows about wetland management they will be more than glad to help you out. Better off, if you call DU and tell them they will do it for free (property easement), and its damn worth it. There is a lease up here in Tally where they charge 5000$/ blind and dont have nearly as much land. hell, I will set everything up through DU if you want IP: Logged |
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seaveeboats Member Posts: 28 |
posted 02-01-2010 10:46 PM
ya rusty im goin to school up here in tallahassee too.. definitely i was going to try to start talkin to DU when i get home in april i'm graduating this year so i wanted to join my chapter down south... how many acres yall think id b lookin at planting to get the desired effect? i hunted a place down south 400 acres planted but it drew from sta5 and it was loaded with birds but i figured that was just cuz of location IP: Logged |
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duckbone Member Posts: 32 |
posted 02-02-2010 12:57 AM
If you build it they will come and thats a large plot. I don't know how much you could have available for impounds but there are alot of hoops to jump through with the state. It is alot of work and a survey is going to be needed so you know the grades. I don't think you will be allowed to just pump continuously to keep it flooded you would be much better off making it hold rainwater. You may even have enough storage to get the state to pay you to hold water. Natural SAV and wild rice would be your cheapest and best way to go for habitat instead of planting every year and even that will mean annual management with draw downs and disking to keep out unwanted monocultures of cattails and myrtles. If I had the chance as you do I would have done it a long time ago Florida is in desperate need of waterfowl managed habitat. If it's large enough FWC might even put together a management plan for you. Alot to learn. IP: Logged |
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SUTHERNDUCKHUNTER Member Posts: 657 |
posted 02-02-2010 01:57 AM
Like mentioned above, im a firm believer in "IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME" Especially if you manage your hunts! My dad has 6 Watertreament impoundments behind His house in Viera Fl around all the nice hoods out there. After the Hurricanes of '04, that fall, There were Thousands of ducks out there in those things not being harrases by anyone Execpt me with a camera and calls. Tons of puddle ducks were out there. These are normally dry but Put an Ankle to thigh deep flood on them, and the birds just Find it... PS...if you get it started out there, and need a couple guides with dogs, holler at me! lol ------------------ Of Course there's more to life than duck hunting.... IP: Logged |
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Bender Member Posts: 93 |
posted 02-02-2010 02:00 AM
What duckbone said is great advice. In my experience you have to be very careful about who you talk to, and what you're planning to do. Believe it or not there's lot of things that would be okay from an Ecological Standpoint, and great for Ducks, but if you do things with Water, or Plants that is anything other than what different Agencies like you could have trouble. DU, or State Agencies would be good to talk to IMO, but I'd not be too up front about your Plans, and Property. Do your research, before you show your Cards so to speak. Here in MN I have a Buddy who got shut down on a Project because it was found there is some goofy plant with not much overall value in His Marsh, and He was told He could not disturb anything on His own land, or else. I don't remember the consequence, but He had tried to do everything by the book, and some recent College-Grad working for the Natural Resources Dept. came out for an inventory, and made it a problem just that fast. Now the place stands as a Cattail Filled Mosquito Breeding Ground with no open water, or food for Ducks. Point is find out what you need to, and do what you can to go forward with your plans, but be careful about it, because if it's anything sizable you can bet it will draw notice, and you'd want to avoid complications, or hassles. You could have a great place for Ducks if you can hold, and move water freely, between areas planted with good Duck Food. Rotate, and rest the areas so Birds don't get too much pressure, and you'll have a Duck Mecca-Hole. There's lots of good Varieties of food you can plant, and flood over for Ducks... IP: Logged |
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Bender Member Posts: 93 |
posted 02-02-2010 02:09 AM
Not saying FWC, or DU would be your Enemy. Not at all what I mean. Just that your intentions may conflict with other things you don't yet know of. Simply best to find out everything you can, and move forward in a calculated way. I wouldn't just start calling around telling everyone you're gonna build some Big Duck Impoundments to quickly that's all... Good luck though. Many serious Waterfowlers would love to have the property, and equipment to do what you're talking about. Many places in CA, MO, AR, MS, LA, OK, KS, TX, and other Duck-Killin States have lots of Areas like this, and it's no wonder they annually kill the most Birds in the Country... IP: Logged |
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Belly up dux Member Posts: 200 |
posted 02-02-2010 07:55 AM
Sounds like you need some help. I got a buddy that does deer, duck, and pond work all over the south. I will contact him and get some info if you want me to. He used to work for the FWC, and knows his stuff. IP: Logged |
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duckmanjr Member Posts: 13 |
posted 02-02-2010 09:01 AM
Generally speaking...If you "farm" an area in rice....then do some sloppy harvest of the fall crop...flood it low...you will get away from all the previosly mentioned "issues"..... Farming is much less controlled than wetland building/mitigation etc. The state can't regulate you being a half azz farmer....Food for some thought. IP: Logged |
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snakeman Member Posts: 49 |
posted 02-02-2010 09:22 AM
Where can I buy rice to plant?? IP: Logged |
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quackandwack Member Posts: 239 |
posted 02-02-2010 10:17 AM
im also in the situation with planting a new duck habitat. my buddy has 200 acres of flooded marsh which he can control the water levels and whether it will be salt or freshwater. he drains it every year at the end of the season and re-floods it about a month before the season. my question is what can i plant in there to bring the best food sourse to keep ducks around for a longer time. any suggestions?? thanks Nick IP: Logged |
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Dignan Member Posts: 85 |
posted 02-02-2010 10:36 AM
This is a really cool concept. About how large of a flooded area do you suppose it would take to draw birds? 10 acres? 20?
IP: Logged |
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Dignan Member Posts: 85 |
posted 02-02-2010 11:12 AM
A really easy cost effective idea might be to add wood duck boxes along your perimiter of the lake to increase their population... IP: Logged |
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seaveeboats Member Posts: 28 |
posted 02-02-2010 02:48 PM
thanks for all the help guys.. heres the game plan so far, im gunna poke around a little with DU and at the least her wat they have to say. i like the rice idea, and am definitely puttin up woodie boxes... would the rice provide a good enough draw? that might b a stupid question since thats wats all over Arkansas... i was likin about 100-150 acres, whats yalls thoughts on that? IP: Logged |
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nimatime Member Posts: 146 |
posted 02-02-2010 03:39 PM
I would set up about 200-250 acres (more if you have the time and resources) along the lake, create some sort of impoundment so that you can control the water level, begin planting in the spring and "harvest" during the early fall. That is the setup that our buddy has that Nick is talking about, except he has never planted anything. Set it up long ways along a side of the lake that way it you can zone it, and you can better manage the way you hunt it so that the birds have safe places to stay at and feel unpressured. I would google earth some of the popular impoundments that consistently hold birds that are always mentioned on this site and get a feel for their layouts and designs. Maybe even drive over and check them out. This has so much potential to turn out amazing. I cant wait to find out how it turns out. IP: Logged |
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JMiller Admin Posts: 1366 |
posted 02-02-2010 04:09 PM
A few more suggestions; If you do a part of it as native plants, etc etc etc you may be able to get funding to help you. If you are doing such a project on such a scale , it would be possible to form a nonprofit group that would help you offset the cost if it is for habitat restoration, etc ect. Yes, it'd cost some money to start, but it would pay for itself in a heartbeat. A nonprofit could even be able to apply for grants, etc. I have a bit of experience writing them and would look around for you if you go that route. You may also want to establish a couple of different areas that are separated...that way you could have a "refuge" zone that would keep birds on your property. An uncle of mine does this on a pond that is on 10 acres, and it holds his wood ducks and draws them in as well. He also has a 20 acre piece of cypress head which he NEVER hunts for such purposes... the bucks that regularly use that head would make you gasp theyre so big..and they know they are perfectly safe. A very interesting project; good luck with it; you very well could find some people to put some "sweat equity" into helping you create such a habitat...especially if there were perks in it for them. Heheheh Ive got summers off, btw
Say it with me, brother: "Ringneck Central" [This message has been edited by JMiller (edited 02-02-2010).] IP: Logged |
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duckmanjr Member Posts: 13 |
posted 02-03-2010 11:51 AM
I know where this is located...and hydrilla isn't going to move birds to that spot..besides, it is illegal to transport non natives...and if they caught you..you'd need to sell the property to pay your legal bills! I would call down to TMG and make an appointment to speak with Steve Rockwood down at TMG...He is the head of wetland management for the state...he deals with these things every day...Is a great guy and a unbelievable resource. As far as native....plenty of that around your area...think "duck candy store"...and LIMITED HUNTS..no more than twice a week. IP: Logged |
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seaveeboats Member Posts: 28 |
posted 02-03-2010 02:41 PM
ya i got a call into rockwood now, so hopefully he can come give me a little survey let know wat he thinks then go from there.... IP: Logged |
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indamarsh Member Posts: 22 |
posted 02-07-2010 08:18 AM
you should find the following link helpful http://home.mdwfp.com/ContentManagement/Html/htmldownload.aspx?id=322 IP: Logged |
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