Officer's Logbook

April 10, 2012

• The weather has been way UN-Normal for this time of year, and we are at the point we NEED some rain. LOTS of birds being seen, IF we get some spring moisture, things are gearing up for a GREAT Bird season later this fall.
• Checked a couple of archery turkey hunters and a few people trying to catch fish.
• Snuck up on a group of local high school kids drinking red bull and skinny dipping at the lake Saturday night. Most of the girls in the group I pretty much know everyone's parents.
• Taught hunter ed in Salina
• On Sunday I managed to find a couple of youth turkey hunters that were finding plenty of ticks but no turkey.
• Warm weather and low water levels have caused some big changes to the "normal" spawn dates of various species of fish.
• Local lakes getting fished a lot with warm weather and seems the saugeye and crappie are biting at Wellington Lake by the looks of the crowds.
• Helped at the State NASP archery shoot in Hays with a record number attending again this year.
• Ran the jet ski simulator at the Pomona open house. Should of had spray bottles to spray people in the face, it was very warm.
• Helped the fish biol. try to catch some Sauger from Perry for the hatchery. We didn't have much luck since most of the Sauger have already spawned this year.
• Friday and Saturday I taught hunter education. Got about 65 students certified. Then I took a call about a possible early turkey season road hunter.
• Assisted fisheries with Walleye eggs at Hillsdale lake.
• Sunday checked numerous anglers catching Crappie in the shallows and a couple of Cat-fishermen. Checked two archery Turkey hunters.
• Water temperatures are warming up fast and Crappie will soon be spawning. More mushrooms hunters everywhere.
• John Redmond still dumping water. Paddlefish still going at Burlington City Dam.
• Saturday was hunter education in Leroy.
• Helped at EKCP with their open house by setting up a check lane for vessel inspections and putting on a couple of boat programs. While I was there setting up, I was able to check multiple crappie anglers that were trying their best but the fish are still in deep water.
• Helped with a Hunter Ed class in Pittsburg.
• Helped with a boating program for the girl scouts at Pittsburg.
• Checked several turkey hunters finding three turkeys, one by a bow hunter and two by youth.
• Held boating program at Pomona State Park on Saturday; the PWC simulator was popular.
• A 38 pound flathead was caught at Santa Fe Lake so fishing fever has hit.
• Checked several anglers having moderate success catching crappie around Perry Lake and on the DE River.
• Saturday morning had the opportunity to guide a youth hunter during the local NWTF youth turkey hunt. Hunter got a shot at a bird but couldn't connect, but had a good time. Out of 16 youth hunters, 4 were able to harvest birds
• Friday assisted Council Grove Public lands Manager with setting up for the 12th Annual Youth Turkey hunt. Friday evening cooked hot dogs for the kids,parents and guides and helped with target practice with shotguns on paper Turkey heads with the kids. Saturday up at 4AM assisted with youth hunt with some patrol around CGRR. 15 hunters, 9 Turkeys harvested. All had a great time.
• JRDR is back down to almost normal level, still dumping water.Seeing lots of turkeys around the area. Not finding many hunters after them.
• Crappie are still in the deep water.
• I checked many anglers around Toronto Lake who were chasing crappie with fair success. Midweek the fish shut down, but people kept trying.
• Helped with government day at Mound City we had about 80 students come through and ask questions about KDWPT.
• Helped a youth hunter with the application for an award after he harvested a nice three bearded tom.
• Fishing has been slow in my area for everything. With all the rain the past couple of weeks, the lakes and rivers have come up and changed the fishing patterns.
• Turkeys were out once the weather cleared up, but didn't see to many hunters out.
• Did some patrol for youth and archery turkey hunters, found a couple of extremely happy kids with gobblers.
• Slow for the start of Turkey season, had a few lads complete the task and stop by the house the show their new trophy.
• Trout are starting to slow down a little bit.
• Checked fishermen with some success. Found several violations x2 exceed creel limit (one guy with 28 catfish, excuse was wal-mart did not tell him there was a creel limit...always wal-marts fault)
• Patrolled by parambulation the parameters of his purview perchance to espy proceedings requiring punitive measures in a park primarily occupied with a plethora of piscine predators perturbed by the paucity of prey perhaps they should embrace mudita as some of their number were at least minimally successful. One pensive piscador posited that perhaps perciformes possibly possess a purposeful penchant for provoking apoplectic paroxysms in proponents of pleasurable piscine predation. I personally reject the proposition of anthropomorphism especially as it pertains to piscine intelligence, ergo fish do not comprehend nor seek to evade the strategies of the slightly more evolved (in some cases) species, sometimes they just aren't biting.