We have been talking to a bioligist in the area and he told us that japanese millet would be good to plant for duck food for next season. He also told us that we could not touch it once it was planted for one whole year or else it would be considered manipulation, or baiting. After one year you can cut it down and let it reseed. Has anyone else heard of this. Here are a few pics of the 20 acre pond that is drained right now and the creek that runs through it. [image]http://[/image] [image]http://[/image] [image]http://[/image]

That is true. Unless it is used for agricultural uses, you can not hunt over it because it would be considered baiting. However, after a year, as long as it grows back naturally, it is considered wild vegitation and therefore you can hunt over it. If you look in the front part (like page 14 or so) there is a section "Definitions". Look at the part where it defines "natual vegetation".

Natural vegetation - Any nonagricultura, native or naturlalized plant species that grows at a site in response to planting or from existing seeds or propagule. Natural vegetation does not include planted millet. However, planted millet that grows on is own in subsequent years after the planting is considered natural vegetation.

Also is covered again in the "Unlawful hunting methods" subsection "Baiting"

yeah I think I am gopnna talk with the game warden in the area anyway. I think it would be to his disgretion. We had previously talked with officer Hurst which I am sure you heard aobut in the news was killed by a poacher, but I am sure there is a new one by now.

Looks like a nice piece of land. Let us know how it turns out.

Guy and BlueMoon both swear that nothing works for ducks like a few fifty pound bags of milo one foot from the water line a few days before the season. Spilled in the process of normal agricultural practices of course.

Yep, that's a winner and as long as the milo or grain or by-products are completely gone/absent of the area and 10 days have passed, you can legally hunt migratory birds in that area. Unless it's Japanese millet.

REM788 - from what I see, you have a way to control water....heck, plant rice and once it heads up and ripens, hunt doves over it first and then flood it again 3 weeks to a month before duck season opens!!! You'd have a duck hot spot.

Yeah there is a creek that flows through the middle of the pond that is conrolled flow. There is also another one that goes around one side of it. We divert the water for our needs at the time. I will talk to my brother in laws and see what they think about the rice idea. This past year was pretty bad for duck hunting, but I have been thinking about it and the surrounding properties plant rice usually and they didn't last year.

It isn't to any game warden's discretion, it is the law. He may let you get by with it, but none the less, you get caught, it is against the law. Don't be so sure that they have a new game warden to replace him yet. I know the Austin county game warden (and many other law officials there) and Austin county didn't have a game warden for two years prior to Sonny. At any rate, Wharton county has more than one game warden, so there is one around to ask.

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yeah I think I am gopnna talk with the game warden in the area anyway. I think it would be to his disgretion. We had previously talked with officer Hurst which I am sure you heard aobut in the news was killed by a poacher, but I am sure there is a new one by now.

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or was he colorado county? I can't remember.

It was actually Wharton county. Yes there is another one to talk to, but I just want to get some reassurance as to when the area will be considered agricultural, and not baiting so there will be no descrepencies. If we have to miss out for a year on this pond there are plenty of ather spots in the area to hunt.

what about carry a 50 lbs bag of corn to the deer feeder and walk around the tank and trip on a rock and dump the corn in the water,ducks absolutely love it...











just kidding.

My brother in law got the final word from the federal game warden last night. He gave us approval to plant the millet, but stressed that it can not be manipulated. This even means if a bird falls in it that the dog cannot go get it because it is too disturbing, so one of us will have to walk in and get it taking the same path in and out.

Natural Vegetation
Any nonagricultural, native or naturalized plant species that grows at a site in response to planting or from existing seeds or propagule. Natural vegetation does not include planted millet. However, planted millet that grows on its own in subsequent years after the planting is considered natural vegetation.

whos to say Millet wasnt there last year?

exactly...but it would be obvious if row planted and a field of grasses and weeds weren't established with the millet

Have ya'll thought about planting grain sorhgum in the food plot. It's great for flooding because of the height of the heads and ducks love it. It's also not a hard plant to get up, as well as possible dove hunting. Milo seeds are much easier to handle than the tiny millet as well. We've planted lots of millet around and have had the best stands where the seed bed was packed after broadcasting the seed.
If you do plant milo it needs to go in the ground now. You could mix millet in with the milo. It would be a good way to control how much you plant. Hope this helps!

Milo is going into another section of the pond. The way the treeline follows the creek, the lake ends up being split up into three sections. One will be milo, one millet, and one just water until they start to spread. I will take some better pics this weekend to show what I mean.

REM788, That sounds like a great place to shoot a few ducks. How and when do ya'll flood it?

Anyone who has every planted millet before knows that it does not look the same as planted and heads-out as it does when it re-seeds itself...the game wardens have seen both planted side by side. Go ahead and take that chance...makes me no difference.

"ALL" wildlife food plots are ag based , you can plant anything you want you just can not "manipulate" it in any way. Contact mike meridith Federal Game warden at the Dallas/ Fort worth offive or Duglas volcik TPW game warden, Hill CO. I promis this info to be precise and correct, if you have any doubt contact one of these two and ask!