Area News

Youth/Mentor Dove Field at Jamestown WA

Jamestown will have one 13-acre Buckwheat/weedy field for the 2021 dove hunting season. The managed dove field is located on the East side of Buffalo Creek North Marsh; 1.5 miles north of KS 28 at the City of Jamestown and ½ mile west on Vale Rd. The field is the first field North of the parking lot with the grain bin on the north side of Vale Rd. A trail will be mowed from the parking lot to the managed dove field.

You can find a Google Earth map of the Dove Field here.

Sept. 1 through Sept. 6 the dove field will be limited to youth/mentor hunting only and will be open to all hunters Sept. 7. The age for a Youth has been raised to 17 and under. A Mentor is a anyone age 18 and older. One Mentor can sponsor one or more Youths.

Jamestown WA is a non-toxic shot only area.

Hunters need to register on-line to create an account at https://ksoutdoors.com/checkin. Login to the system using your licensing login credentials. 


WETLAND RENOVATION UPDATES

Construction Projects Still Underway at Jamestown Wildlife Area

Hunters planning to waterfowl hunt at Jamestown Wildlife Area this season will see construction equipment and new infrastructure. While all the planned projects have not yet been completed great progress has been made. Gamekeeper Marsh and Gun Club Marsh will both be kept at a low level while construction on a division berm is underway in Gamekeeper Marsh. Work on raising the height on the Gamekeeper Marsh Dam will begin later in the year. During this time, waterfowl hunting access will be limited, but the managers have been working on providing access for the opportunities that still exist.

While construction is taking place, hunters can find huntable habitat on the south end of the property throughout the waterfowl season. Staff will be pumping select off-channel storage pools from Marsh Creek and Buffalo Creek Marshes for the season. A PDF map of these pools can be accessed by visiting ksoutdoors.com, then clicking “Hunting,” “Reports and Forecasts,” and scrolling down to “Jamestown Wildlife Area.”

“These areas have excellent moist soil food production and teal are starting to show up,” said Matt Farmer, Public Lands Manager for Jamestown. “We just ask that the public be mindful of the tighter spaces this season, and we appreciate their patience while we make improvements to the Wildlife Area.”

Since early July, construction crews have been building a division berm in Gamekeeper Marsh. As of the middle of August, construction is just over half way complete. Borrow areas where the contractors took the earth to build the berm will become new, managed wetlands.  A Pittman-Robertson grant has been submitted to raise Gamekeeper Dam 18 inches in order to accommodate the increased sediment load the marsh has taken on the last several decades. This work could start as early as late winter to early spring. The berm construction and dam increase will allow area managers to flood a larger area and better control water elevations, to manage for optimum moist soil production and increased hunting opportunities. While there is no set date on a final product as working conditions and Mother Nature will determine progress, managers expect an entirely new look for Gamekeeper Marsh by next season.

For more information on the construction taking place at Jamestown Wildlife Area, contact area staff at (785) 439-6243.