Kaw Lake

[Iammichael6499]

This weekend I stopped by Kaw Lake to try the cat fishing and scope it out for waterfowl. I’ve never been on the lake before. First stop was Bear Creek Cove with the intention of running up the river for 5 or 6 miles. However, there’s no way to launch my boat there. The ramp isn’t even close to the water. I/we had to go all the way down to Coon Creek to launch which added a lot of open lake miles to reach the river. Cat fishing was good but I didn’t see a lot of obvious opportunity for waterfowl. I’m sure the locals have a few hidden honey holes here and there but they weren’t obvious to me on such a brief pass thru. FYI, Coon Creek was a descent campground. I saw one deer hanging from a tree next to an RV so I assumed muzzleloader season was in session.

 

[Jeff McEligot]

I believe the aerial seeding of millet has stopped, haven’t been to kaw in about 8 years.

a dangerous lake with a stiff north or south wind, as its oriented n/s and a fairly shallow lake. A few years ago a singer and his friend died up there, not trying o scare you, but it’s a realty. I used to tackle it with a 19 foot 572 powered airboat and it scared me a few times.

take a look around as the season progresses.

 

[Iammichael6499]

I believe the aerial seeding of millet has stopped, haven’t been to kaw in about 8 years.

a dangerous lake with a stiff north or south wind, as its oriented n/s and a fairly shallow lake. A few years ago a singer and his friend died up there, not trying o scare you, but it’s a realty. I used to tackle it with a 19 foot 572 powered airboat and it scared me a few times.

take a look around as the season progresses.

I have an 18’ Lowe Roughneck with a Yamaha 65/90 jet. It’s not suitable for open windy lakes hence the reason I tried to launch at Bear Creek Cove (appeared to be closest ramp to the river). I’ve never been one to push the envelope when it comes to weather so I had already decided it’s unlikely I’ll go back to Kaw given I have safer more accessible (and probably more productive) places to hunt further south. I grew up in Oklahoma and know that the wind can turn on you in a heartbeat. It’s a shame the ramps and access to the lakes and rivers in N. Oklahoma are so run down and sparse. Thanks for the input.

 

[JP]

Kaw has been a ghost town for waterfowling since the COE nixed the ODWC aerial (~1200 acres) Japanese millet seeding program ~6 seasons ago. They claimed the environmental study hadn’t been done which is male bovine based organic fertilizer. A client (retired environmental biologist with Tulsa District of COE) is the one who actually did the requisite study ~23 years ago which is on file at the COE office in D. C.. There’s something afoot on this perhaps PETA based.

The upshot is this millet program was responsible for ~35-45,000 birds using the area until the food was gone and them moving south down the river system. That’s not the case anymore and has had a major negative impact on hunting quality for the region.

IMO, it’s another nail in the coffin of what once was decent hunting in NE Oklahoma.

Don’t cry for me Argentina, I am heading your way.

 

[Matfield]

Kaw has been a ghost town for waterfowling since the COE nixed the ODWC aerial (~1200 acres) Japanese millet seeding program ~6 seasons ago. They claimed the environmental study hadn’t been done which is male bovine based organic fertilizer. A client (retired environmental biologist with Tulsa District of COE) is the one who actually did the requisite study ~23 years ago which is on file at the COE office in D. C.. There’s something afoot on this perhaps PETA based.

The upshot is this millet program was responsible for ~35-45,000 birds using the area until the food was gone and them moving south down the river system. That’s not the case anymore and has had a major negative impact on hunting quality for the region.

IMO, it’s another nail in the coffin of what once was decent hunting in NE Oklahoma.

Don’t cry for me Argentina, I am heading your way.

Add to that pressure. Time was you could go to Kaw and wait another hunter/group to shoot out and then set up. Time was the lake would rise 40 ft. and there'd be waterfowl everywhere up to Ark City. All gone now. Like most places, quality has gone in the sh#%$tter. Just my opinion. Too many traveling duck hunters and duck hunters but that's all here to stay. Not complaining just glad to have been able to see what it used to be like. Used to base out of Blackwell and hunt that area. Moved down to Perry, same thing. All gone now.

 

[Iammichael6499]

Add to that pressure. Time was you could go to Kaw and wait another hunter/group to shoot out and then set up. Time was the lake would rise 40 ft. and there'd be waterfowl everywhere up to Ark City. All gone now. Like most places, quality has gone in the sh#%$tter. Just my opinion. Too many traveling duck hunters and duck hunters but that's all here to stay. Not complaining just glad to have been able to see what it used to be like. Used to base out of Blackwell and hunt that area. Moved down to Perry, same thing. All gone now.

Back in the day (40 years ago) when I lived in Sand Springs/Stillwater areas the hunting was predictable. Very rare to get skunked on ponds or Arkansas River. Over the last 20 years it’s been in a downward spiral in both areas. I come down to waterfowl/deer hunt with my brother and dad but they are getting too discouraged to put much effort in to the waterfowl. As for deer, on my parents place we call it “deer shooting” rather than hunting because there are so many bucks and does. Saturday was a 5x5 and a 4x5 then we passed on all the does until later in the season. Healthiest/fattest deer I’ve seen in years.

 

[Renobber]

Sounds like some locals need to get together around june-august and just plant that sucker theirselves.

 

[Ross Fields]

Sounds like some locals need to get together around june-august and just plant that sucker theirselves.

Wouldn't do any good as the lake has been too high in the summer to plant. That was the biggest difference. The lake level was controlled for the aerial seeding and now it is not. In fact, it appears the water control strategy is to hold as much water as possible in the summer and then let it go downstream in the fall/winter....not a good recipe for duck habitat.

 

[Renobber]

Wouldn't do any good as the lake has been too high in the summer to plant. That was the biggest difference. The lake level was controlled for the aerial seeding and now it is not. In fact, it appears the water control strategy is to hold as much water as possible in the summer and then let it go downstream in the fall/winter....not a good recipe for duck habitat.

Ya that is not good at all. Such horsesheet

 

[WuChang]

Wouldn't do any good as the lake has been too high in the summer to plant. That was the biggest difference. The lake level was controlled for the aerial seeding and now it is not. In fact, it appears the water control strategy is to hold as much water as possible in the summer and then let it go downstream in the fall/winter....not a good recipe for duck habitat.

While it has been years since I lived and hunted in Oklahoma, the COE always dropped water levels in its lakes at the end of the summer in anticipation of fall/winter/spring rain in the River drainages that feed the lakes.

Their main job is/was flood control. The COE seemed to tolerate fishing,skiing and summer stuff—tourist dollars etc.

For duck hunting…….not so much.

That was why we bought topo maps and had the COE and Southwestern Power Authority water level phone numbers on speed dial…..pre internet. We looked for the “two foot deep” areas around the lake perimeter. Back then there was some of the best green tree hunting….if you scouted and could get to it.

We would have have killed if the COE and OWDC had planted food for ducks.

Sorry to see that OWDC hasn’t changed when it comes to ducks.