Rouse Outdoors
Check out our social media
  • Home
  • Videos
  • News
  • Resources
    • Heated docks in Kansas
  • Contact Us
  • Partner Sites
  • Chatroom
  • Photos
    • Hunting Photos
    • Fishing Photos
    • Weather Photos
    • Scenery Photos

Ducks Unlimited helps put hunters at forefront of waterfowl conservation

7/30/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Freeimages.com
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON CJONLINE
Fall is right around the corner, and with it some great waterfowl hunting.
One of the largest nonprofit organizations responsible for the success of the Midwest duck and goose populations is planning several fundraising efforts in Topeka to help keep the sport alive and well for years to come.

The Topeka chapter of Ducks Unlimited will host its 51st annual banquet and auction Sept. 6 at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Topeka.

Doors open and refreshments will be served beginning at 5:30 p.m., with dinner set for 7 p.m. and the live auction and raffles to take place at 8 p.m. Among the prizes that will be raffled off are the DU 2018 Shotgun of the Year: a Browning A5 Sweet 16 semi-automatic shotgun with a Ducks Unlimited engraving and walnut stock. Also available will be the DU Edition CZ 712 3-inch, 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun in camo wrap and a Ruger Precision bolt-action rifle.

Tickets are available at the early-bird price of $40 for a single person, $70 per couple and $20 for Greenwings until Aug. 29. Tickets will be available at the door for $50 apiece or $20 for Greenwings.

DU volunteer Jeff Neal said the organization isn’t just a great way to help ensure the future of waterfowling in Kansas, but it also helps connect hunting enthusiasts and conservationists who otherwise might not have met.

“I’ve been a volunteer for in excess of 20 years and have been serving as one of the ‘District Chairmen’ in northeast Kansas for about 10,” Neal said. “I started on a committee in Manhattan and over those years have assisted with events in Manhattan, Rossville, Topeka, Osage City and at various other locations within the state. This involvement has introduced me to some of the folks I now consider my closest friends. I’ve been hunting in several states and Canada with DU volunteers and have created some great memories along the way.

“My association with the organization not only allows me to give back to a resource I enjoy so much, but it also allows me to get to know others who share the same passion for the outdoors and commitment to protecting it for future generations.”

As of Jan. 1, Ducks Unlimited in Kansas had a total membership of 15,652 people and has spent nearly $16 million on projects in the state since its inception. That includes $1,173,389 raised in 2017. Past and current projects the organization has undertaken include work at the Ogallala Aquifer, Cheyenne Bottoms, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Jamestown Wildlife Area and the Kanopolis Reservoir, some of the most important waterways in the state.

Neal said there were several more projects ahead for Ducks Unlimited, including at the Clinton Wildlife Area near Lawrence, the Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge, the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita and the Gurley Marsh, Neosho and Talmo Wildlife Areas. A total of 30,894 acres have been conserved in Kansas as part of the organization’s efforts.

“We have two great chairmen leading the effort this year — Thad Wende and Cheech Kehoe,” Neal said. “Both of these gentlemen have been volunteers for some time and have some new and exciting things in store for this year’s event. In addition to our fall banquet, we have an annual ‘Wing Fling’ fundraiser at the local Hooters restaurant.

“Thad, Cheech and the rest of the committee put in countless hours in preparation of our events and are really great examples of the ‘grassroots’ fundraising machine that makes DU so successful.”

The Topeka chapter’s 50th anniversary banquet last year raised $30,942, and when combined with the event it hosted at Hooters in Topeka, the total amount of money raised was $35,863.

For more information about the group’s events and volunteering efforts, contact Neal at (785) 221-6625, Keehoe at (802) 233-1472 or Wende at (785) 845-5212 or follow the chapter’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/y9yz86nz.

The chapter also is hosting a volunteer recruiting event from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Celtic Fox in Topeka. Those who are interested can come in and enjoy a free drink and food at the Fox, 118 S.W. 8th Ave., #202. The group also will be giving away a Sitka cap and a box of Avian-X decoys. Those wishing to attend should RSVP by contacting Chris Young at (913) 333-2922. Those who can’t attend but still wish to volunteer should also feel free to contact him.

Other 2018 Ducks Unlimited chapter events in northeast Kansas include:

• The 2018 Northeast Kansas/KC Area Ducks Unlimited District Meeting, set for Aug. 1 at Powder Creek Shooting Park, 8601 Monticello in Lenexa. Shooting will begin at 4 p.m. at a cost of $30 per 50 rounds of sporting clays. Top Flight awards to be presented. Free dinner and beer follows shooting at 7 p.m., and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Chris at (913) 333-2922.

• The Johnson County DU 9-Hole Golf Tournament and after-party, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Aug. 9 at Falcon Valley Golf Course, 9801 Falcon Valley Drive in Lenexa. Check-in will be from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., with a prompt shotgun start at 5:30. To RSVP by Aug. 8, contacting Nick Neff at (913) 620-1073 or neff1313@hotmail.com.

Harvest numbers

The most recent waterfowl harvest numbers through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show an increase in the number of geese taken in Kansas from 108,900 in 2015-16 to 128,000 in 2016-17. That includes an increase of 25,688 in the harvest of Canada geese and an increase of 1,096 in the harvest of white-fronted geese. The data also show an increase in the number of active goose hunters from 14,100 to 15,100 during that time frame.

However, duck harvest numbers were in decline in 2016-17, with about 5,600 fewer duck hunters hitting the fields and marshes of Kansas over the 2015-16 season. The total duck harvest dropped from 236,200 to 179,200, with a drop in the mallard harvest in Kansas from 112,358 to 95,986. Gadwall harvest numbers dropped from 31,068 to 13,981, green-winged teal dropped from 20,813 to 19,738 and blue-winged/cinnamon teal dropped from 39,816 to 27,609.

Despite the drop in harvest numbers, however, season duck harvest per hunter increased from 12.1 birds to 12.8, meaning Kansas hunters on average shot more ducks during the 2016-17 season.

Duck and goose harvest in the Central Flyway both increased overall from 2015-16 to 2016-17, with 2,430,800 total ducks and 912,200 total geese harvested compared to 2,225,600 and 670,900 the year before, respectively. The Central Flyway, one of four flyways waterfowl migrate along during the year, is made up of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Part of the Mississippi Flyway also passes through extreme northeast Kansas into Missouri.

The total amount of geese taken in 2016-17 in the entire United States increased to 3,266,900 from 2,537,500 in 2015-16, while the duck total across the U.S. increased from 10,992,900 to 11,607,400.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Josh Rouse is an outdoor enthusiast from Topeka, Kansas. He is the Outdoors Editor for The Topeka Capital-Journal.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    August 2013
    April 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

    Categories

    All
    Abu Garcia
    Alabama
    Alaska
    All American Catfish Tournaments
    All-American Catfish Tournaments
    Angler Feature
    Apps
    Aqua Vu
    Aqua-Vu
    Arbogast
    Archery
    Arkansas
    ATVs
    Audubon Society
    Backlashers Bass Club
    Badger
    Bald Eagles
    Barbel
    Bass
    Bassmaster
    Bass Pro Shops
    Bear
    Benelli
    Berkley
    Big Bucks
    Big Cats
    Big Game
    Big Horned Sheep
    Big-horned Sheep
    Bird Watching
    Bison
    Boar
    Boating
    Books
    Booyah
    Bosnia
    Bow Fishing
    Bow Hunting
    B&P Jighead
    Brandon Palaniuk
    Browning
    Bullfrogs
    Burbot
    Business
    Buzzbaits
    Cabela's
    Calendar
    California
    Camping
    Canada
    CarbonTV
    Carp
    Catfish
    Catfish Chasers
    Catfish Weekly
    Chubs
    College Fishing
    Colorado
    Connecticut
    Conservation
    Cougars
    Country Stampede
    Coyotes
    Cranes
    Crankbaits
    Crappie
    Crappie Masters
    Creeks
    Critters
    Culprit
    Cycling
    Daiwa
    Deer
    Dogs
    Doug Vahrenberg
    Doves
    Drum
    Ducks
    Ducks Unlimited
    Eagle Claw
    Education
    Elk
    Environment
    Europe
    Fall
    Fireworks
    Fishing
    Fishing's Future
    Fish Stories
    FleFly
    Fle Fly
    Fle-Fly
    Flint Hills Bass Association
    Florida
    FLW
    Fly Fishing
    Frogs
    Fur Harvesting
    Gander Mountain
    Gar
    Geese
    Georgia
    Government
    Great Plains Nature Center
    Grilling
    Gulf Of Mexico
    Guns
    Hawaii
    Health
    Heartland Bowhunter
    Heddon
    Henry Repeating Arms
    Heroes On The Water
    Hiking
    Humminbird
    Humor
    Hunters For Life
    Hunting
    Hunting Shows
    ICAST
    Ice Fishing
    Idaho
    Illinois
    In Fisherman
    In-Fisherman
    Insects
    Instagram
    Invasive Species
    Iowa
    Jackson Kayaks
    Joey Nania
    Kansas
    Kansas Crappie Club
    Kansas Crappie Trail
    Kansas Herpetological Society
    Kansas Wetlands Education Center
    Kayaking
    Kentucky Lake
    K State
    K-State
    Lake Of The Ozarks
    Lakes
    Lake Trout
    Lake Wheeler
    Lazy Ikes
    Lightning Photos
    Little Cleos
    Louisiana
    Lure Lock
    Lures
    Mackerel
    Mahi Mahi
    Mahi-Mahi
    Marcum
    Maryland
    Melvern Reservoir
    Memories
    Michigan
    Micro Fishing
    Micro-fishing
    Midwest Finesse
    Milford Nature Center
    Milford Reservoir
    Mille Lacs
    Minnesota
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Moose
    Mountain Lions
    Mr. Crappie
    Mushrooms
    Music
    Muskie
    Muzzleloaders
    Nace
    National Park Service
    Nature
    Nebraska
    Ned Kehde
    Ned Rig
    Neko Rig
    Nevada
    New Jersey
    News
    Newspapers
    New York
    Night Fishing
    Noodling
    North Carolina
    North Dakota
    Northern Pike
    NRA
    NWTF
    Ohio
    Oklahoma
    Old Reel Collectors Association
    Oregon
    Paddlefish
    Panfish
    Pennsylvania
    Pflueger
    Pheasants
    Pheasants Forever
    Pond Management
    Ponds
    Prairie Chickens
    Predators
    Pro Cure
    Pro-Cure
    Published
    Q&A
    Quail
    Quail Forever
    QUWF
    Rage Tail
    Ranger
    Rapala
    Reading
    Rebel Lures
    Records
    Redfish
    Reviews
    Rivers
    Roach
    Rose Kuli
    Safaris
    Safety
    Salmon
    Saltwater Fishing
    Sauger
    Saugeye
    Sharks
    Shimano
    Shotguns
    Slovenia
    Smallmouth Buffalo
    Smelt
    Snakes
    Snapper
    South Africa
    South America
    South Carolina
    South Dakota
    Species Feature
    Spiderwire
    Spring
    Spring Turkey
    SPRO
    Storm Lures
    Storms
    Sturgeon
    Sufix
    Summer
    Summertime
    Sutherlands
    Sweetwater TV
    Table Rock Lake
    Tackle
    Taxidermy
    Tennessee
    Terminator
    Texas
    Tightlines UV
    Toledo Bend
    Topeka
    Top Secret Jig Co.
    Topwater
    Tornado
    Tournament Fishing
    Trail Camera
    Trapping
    Trapshooting
    Trent Siegle
    Trilene
    Trout
    TTG Lures
    Turkey
    United States
    Upland Birds
    Varmint
    Veterans
    Vibe Kayaks
    Vibric
    Video Games
    Vintage Lures
    Virginia
    VMC
    Walleye
    Washburn
    Washburn Review
    Washington State
    Waterfowl
    Weather
    Westar Energy
    Westin Fishing
    West Virginia
    Wetlands
    White Bass
    Wild Game
    WILD Kansas
    Wilson Lake
    Winter
    Wiper
    Wisconsin
    Wyoming
    Yakima
    Youth
    YouTube
    YO ZURI
    YO-ZURI
    Zebco
    Z Man
    Z-Man
    Zoom

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly