Prairie Sportsman

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Bret Narrating

One of Minnesota's most popular waterfowl hunting destinations is the Lac qui Parle Wildlife Management Area in Western Minnesota. The public land lies in four counties. Big Stone, Lac qui Parle, Chippewa, and Swift. In the fall, Lac qui Parle hosts up to 30,000 Canada geese. And the duck migration has steadily climbed over the past decade. Restored wetlands are improving the area's waterfowl habitat. Lac qui Parle Wildlife Manager Walt Gessler, took us out to a moist soil unit that gives birds a safe place to eat during the hunting season. The Jim and Karen Killen Waterfowl Refuge was named after the Owatonna wildlife artist and his wife, both respected conservationists. -

Walt

This is a sanctuary, it's not open to hunting, it was put in place to provide food and sanctuary for migrating waterfowl to help provide them with high energy foods during their migration, and provide a place where they can rest and recover during migration. -

Bret Narrating

The 130 acre sanctuary has three cells, built with the help of Ducks Unlimited. Cells A and B were constructed in 2005, and C was added in 2012. Dykes constructed around each cell hold in water. The refuge is dry through the summer to allow annual plants to grow like smart weed and beggar tick. In July the DNR plants Japanese millet, buckwheat, and other high energy foods for waterfowl. Starting in early September, water from nearby Marsh Lake is drawn through a half mile long pipe into a pump house. About 100 gallons of water are then pumped into two of the cells, which takes about a month to fill. The other cell is left dry to rest for a year. In November, the sanctuary is drained to keep out muskrats that could burrow into dykes and damage them. Since the DNR started planting millet, Walt is seeing more geese in the sanctuary. But primarily it's used by puddle ducks, like Mallard, wood ducks, blue and green-winged Teal, widgeon, gadwall, and pintail. They're primarily looking to feed on the seeds, the annual weeds, and the millet and the buckwheat. They produce a high energy, high protein seed that the ducks are looking for to help them in their migration. Keeps them in the area. Keeps them well-fed. Get them ready to fly south. -

Bret Narrating

When Walt showed us around the Killen Refuge in mid-October, migrating birds had already eaten 50 to 75% of the millet. A good sign the birds are being well-cared for. Hundreds fly in every evening to eat and relax. In the morning, they fly out to area lakes and fields. And that's good news for hunters like me. (bouncy banjo music)