Manager's Updates - State of Michigan

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Fennville Farm Unit Manager’s Update 2013 Season - Week of 10/6 Weather Approximately 1.5” of rain fell over the last week, according to the gauge at the Farm Unit. The rain has helped get some standing water in the Farm impoundments. Hopefully that will persist until this weekend for the duck opener. Waterfowl Abundance Waterfowl numbers increased last week, especially geese. We do have some mallards on the Farm Unit but have seen very few in the Highbanks Refuge – but they numbers have increased over last week. We are seeing an influx of wood ducks, probably due to cooler weather up north and the opener for the Northern Lower. Hunting Conditions Crops are looking nice this year and there will be plenty of winter food for the waterfowl on the Farm Unit. The corn hunting strips are looking much better than last year’s drought-stricken stands and hunters should be able to conceal themselves quite well. So far, the lack of rain has prevented us from filling the Zone 7 impoundment but the other Area impoundments are at appropriate levels. Hunter Numbers n/a Waterfowl Harvest Early goose season appeared to be good in the area with many successful hunts reported. What To Expect This Week With the duck opener we expect to see heavy use at the Farm unit and the rest of the Allegan State Game Area. Sounds like we may have some rain events coming through over the weekend according to the current weather forcast… Upcoming Events The Fennville Farm Unit will be open for duck season. All duck hunting is first-come, first-served until November 2nd, when the Allegan Goose Management Unit season opens. November 2nd will be the AM Youth Hunt at the Fennville Farm Unit. The Farm will be open to youth hunters only in all zones. November 3rd will be the regular opener for all hunters.
Fennville Farm Unit Manager’s Update 2013 Season - Week of 10/13 Weather Approximately 0.3” of rain fell on Saturday, according to the gauge at the Farm Unit. The rain has helped get some standing water in the Farm impoundments. We hope to pick up more precipitation with the forecasted storms this week. Waterfowl Abundance While the survey shows a decline in geese the numbers were probably stable. The previous survey took place when fewer fields were opened up so geese were more concentrated. More mallards showed up on the Highbanks and are beginning to hit the patches of smartweed. There are still a lot of woodies in the Highbanks but I expect numbers to go down over the week due to the start of duck season and colder temperatures. Hunting Conditions Crops are looking nice this year and there will be plenty of winter food for the waterfowl on the Farm Unit. The corn hunting strips are looking much better than last year’s drought-stricken stands and hunters should be able to conceal themselves quite well. So far, the lack of rain has prevented us from filling the Zone 7 impoundment but the other Area impoundments are at appropriate levels. Sharecroppers have been harvesting beans as the fields come ready so they will be disking rye in those fields shortly. Hunter Numbers It sounds like there were a few parties on the Farm Unit, mostly in Zones 6 and 7, for the duck opener. No word on how many ducks were harvested. Waterfowl Harvest There was some shooting from the Farm Unit for opening day and the Ottawa Marsh was surely busy. I have not heard whether or not the hunting was good across the board but have heard that some locations produced full bags. What To Expect This Week Sounds like we may have some rain events coming through this week. Upcoming Events The Fennville Farm Unit will be open for duck season. All duck hunting is first-come, first-served until November 2nd, when the Allegan Goose Management Unit season opens. November 2nd will be the AM Youth Hunt at the Fennville Farm Unit. The Farm will be open to youth hunters only in all zones. November 3rd will be the regular opener for all hunters. Trapping on the Farm Unit is by permit only. We are trying to continue allowing trapping while preventing negative impacts to our primary function: waterfowl hunting. You may contact the ASGA HQ or Farm Unit to get the permit.
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Manager's Updates - State of Michigan

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