Cattle Grazing in WPAs/WMAs

[creepworm]

Blackjack, it is a WATERFOWL production area. Not a deer hunting area or a pheasant breeding area but a waterfowl production area. It is bought with waterfowl stamp dollars and is managed for the production of waterfowl. It is right in the name, a Waterfowl Production Area, solely there to produce waterfowl. Trees would give avian predators a place to sit and pick off waterfowl thus hindering the ability of the waterfowl production area to produce waterfowl. Therefore, leaving trees on a waterfowl production area would not make sense because the waterfowl production would not be as good on that waterfowl production area. Maybe it would be nice for deer hunters to be able to better deer hunt a waterfowl production area but that is not the reasoning for the waterfowl production area, the reason for the waterfowl production area is to produce waterfowl. Food plots may also benefit other creatures in a waterfowl production area but it would not benefit waterfowl, and seeing the reason for waterfowl production areas are to produce waterfowl it doesn't make much sense to put a food plot in a waterfowl production area.

I purposely put waterfowl production area into that paragraph as many times as I possibly could because it is a waterfowl production area, bought with duck stamp dollars with the purpose of producing waterfowl. That is all. It is right in the name.

Saying a waterfowl production area should be managed for something other than the production of waterfowl is like saying a wildlife management area should be managed for something other than wildlife.

[candiru]

The problem now is taking this grazing away from farmers if it doesn't do any good. Once something is started no one seems to have the guts to end it. The sooner this is questioned the better.

[LandDr]

WPAs were purchased with duck stamp dollars for the most part...that is true. But ducks are not the only wildlife that use the property and duck hunters are not the only kinds of hunters that use these properties. That's like saying the WMAs were purchased with pheasant stamp dollars (and they are along with some other dollars) and we are only going to manage for pheasants...ducks need to go somewhere else. Taking that position is more of a "preservationist" position rather than a "realists" position. Reality is that we use these properties for hunting all species...it should not matter what dollars were used to purchase them. Also, reality is that pheasant and deer hunters bring in A LOT more money to the local economy versus duck hunters. Why not use the properties to manage for all species for the greater good of all hunters and the greater good of the economy?

What would a 5 or 10 acre conifer planting hurt being put on the north or west side of a WPA? I am talking "conifers" (spruce)...NOT tall maple, elm, cottonwood or other deciduous trees that provide perches for avian predators (as creepworm mentioned). Obviously we are all against those types of trees...but spruce, cedar and RM juniper will provide thermal winter cover without the perches. And would it hurt to supplement these winter areas with a food plot or at least a bunch of feeders? It would not hurt the ducks at all!

Rayguy...you are getting the "canned" response from the DNR. That is what they have been told and read...so that is what they tell you. I would be surprised if they had any personal experience they could reference.

When I put a design together for a property, I design for pheasants, deer, ducks and turkey...and they all prosper incredibly. With the more intense design, there is a greater carrying capacity for ALL wildlife and there is also a greater carrying capacity for the number of hunters that can use the property as well as the number of hunter days the property can be used. I have asked to work on some WMAs and WPAs but they won't let me. I wonder why? Maybe because a hunter and land manager may actually create something that other hunters really like?

It is virtually impossible to change how the DNR operates and thinks. I sat on the MN Pheasant Oversight Committee for two 4 year terms...this committee made recommendations to the DNR for the short and long term management of MN's pheasants. Probably the number one reason people dropped off the committee was because they felt the DNR did not listed to our recommendations anyway. They would put in all the drive time and meetings to give solid recommendations, only to see the DNR do their own thing anyway. Get's very frustrating.

[BLACKJACK]

creepworm,

I understand they are Waterfowl Production Areas but as Landdr pointed out so well, you could manage for duck production AND pheasants/deer, with very little impact on duck production. It would be a win/win situation.

The dollars for these areas came from duck hunters, I'd venture to say that 90% of duck hunters also hunt other species like pheasants and deer and wouldn't object to the the WPA's being managed for other species. But managers of these areas have their own agendas and don't listen to us peon hunters.

You know what their agenda is?? Its not even ducks, its restoring prairie and habitat for prarie nesting birds, they're concerned that the populations of birds like meadow larks, dickcissels, bobolinks, etc. are declining. How do I know that?? I've talked to technicians out of the Litchfield Fish and Wildlife office, they said thats what there goal is. Their boss thinks that the areas that were once prairie should be restored to prairie. I've talked to local biology teachers that the Fish and Wildlife service has hired to do bird counts in these WPA's, they're not counting ducks, they're counting tweety birds. So don't tell me they're managing for ducks.

[Mlaker3]

It is political as mentioned. USFWS is trying to get along with the locals. There are a lot of counties that will vote down any purchases of land tracts by the USFWS and they are trying to give a more positive spin to permanent grasslands. IMHO.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

Lots of arm-chairing going on. For the longest time many of these state and federal properties were neglected. Be thankful the agencies are able to do anything with these parcels with the budgets they have. Lots of bishing and moaning. Grazing is a tool. It's been proven effective. WPA's are for ducks. You won't see the fed changing management policy anytime soon. especially with CRP and grassland conversion in play.