South Central
This is a collection of all the South Central Waterfowl Reports
CHENEY - Last Updated: 1/23/2026
| Waterfowl numbers | Slight increase in the duck numbers with this front. Mostly geese still using the area. Reminder: LPLZ duck season closes 1/25/26 and White Fronted Geese open back up 1/24/26 |
| Water level | Lake level is 1.4 ft above conservation pool |
| Hunting conditions | Good: 3 years of vegetation growth around the lake shore is now flooded. Water is standing in many natural wetlands with good moist soil vegetation. Stop logs have been placed in new control structure in Redbluff wetland and water levels will increase as the area gets precipitation. |
| Expected hunting success | Poor |
| Comments | Vehicles are not to be driven on the lakebed. This includes UTV, ATV, and E-Bikes. Hunters, please remember there is Phragmites and Salt Cedar on the lakebed. Do not move these plants for blind material or take them from the lake to brush in layout blinds. Cheney Wildlife Area is located in the Low Plains Late Zone Daily bag limit: 6 Six ducks is the daily bag limit, with species and sex restrictions as follows: 5 mallards (no more than 2 of which may be females), 3 wood ducks, 2 redheads, 2 canvasbacks, 1 pintail, and 1 scaup. The daily bag may comprise six of any other duck, such as six teal, six gadwall, six merganser or six wigeon. Possession limit: Three times the daily limit. The refuge at Cheney Wildlife Area, located on the south side of Pretty Prairie Rd between Obee Rd and Kent Rd, extends out from the shoreline about 100 yards into the water. What this means is that water along the shoreline of the refuge is included in the restricted access area and is off limits to hunting. Accessing the refuge by boat or hunting near the refuge shoreline is not permitted. Hunting in the state park is prohibited. Hunting in the campground areas must be done inside the line where water would be at conservation pool. Remember Cheney Reservoir has ZEBRA MUSSELS. Make sure to Clean, Drain and Dry your equipment. Clean all visible vegetation and mud from decoys, bags, waders, etc. Drain water from decoy bags and boats. Allow equipment to Dry for a five day period before using it at another area, OR wash with high-pressure hot water. Many of the roads around the reservoir can get very greasy after rain, or melting snow, please use good judgement about which roads you try to travel on. Area roads have been upgraded with gravel. Please keep vehicles on maintained road and parking areas. Off road vehicle use is strictly prohibited. Please report all wildlife and public lands violations that you witness by calling the area headquarters at (620) 459-6922 or operation game thief at 1-877-426-3843. Please leave a detailed message with violation specifics. In the event of an emergency, please call 911. |
BYRON WALKER - Last Updated: 9/17/2025
| Waterfowl numbers | Teal moved in early preseason with the cool temperatures, then left when the weather warmed again. Currently, few teal are using the area. |
| Water level | Kingman State Lake is completely full. The big marsh just west of the lake is flooded and the new Headquarters marsh east of the area office is currently being flooded. Important to note, access for the Headquarters marsh must be from the north or east. You cannot park in or walk through the refuge to access the hunting area. |
| Hunting conditions | Good.
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| Expected hunting success | Poor. Coming cold fronts could bring in new migrants. |
| Comments |
COUNCIL GROVE - Last Updated: 1/27/2026
| Waterfowl numbers | Goose numbers have increased and have approached seasonal levels. Canada geese predominate. |
| Water levels | 0.6 feet below conservation elevation (1,274') on 1/27/26. |
| Hunting conditions | Difficult. The lake is ice covered. Ice conditions are changing daily. The lake remained full through September. Moist soil plants are absent along lake fringes. As such, few food resources will be available for waterfowl within lake environments. |
| Expected hunting success | Fair/Good on nearby feed fields. |
| Comments | Low Plains Late Zone Duck, Coot, Merganser Season is CLOSED. Goose seasons are open through February 15. |
EL DORADO - Last Updated: 1/9/2026
| Waterfowl Numbers | Duck numbers remain low on the reservoir. Fair numbers of geese observed in the area. |
| Water level | At 1339.15', approximately .15" above conservation elevation (1339'). |
| Hunting conditions | Fair. The reservoir was in flood stage for the entire growing season. There is very little moist soil vegetation in the reservoir due to the high-water conditions. |
| Expected hunting success | Poor |
| Comments | NOTE: El Dorado Lake is located within the Low Plains Southeast Zone. |
KAW WILDLIFE AREA. - Last Updated: 1/22/2026
| Waterfowl numbers | There are some ducks and geese using the area. River was slushy with ice pieces. |
| Water level | Normal |
| Hunting conditions | Poor |
| Comments | TEAL, LOW PLAINS ZONE Season: Sept. 13-21, 2024 Area open: East of Hwy. U. S. 283 Daily bag limit:6 Possession limit:18 Stamps Required: Kansas HIP Stamp, State Waterfowl Stamp, Federal Waterfowl Stamp DUCKS, LOW PLAINS SOUTHEAST ZONE Season: November 08, 2025 - January 4, 2026, AND January 10-25, 2026 Area open: Southeast Zone (see map) Daily bag limit:6 Possession limit: Three times the daily limit |
MCPHERSON VALLEY WETLANDS - Last Updated: 1/5/2026
| Waterfowl numbers | ATTENTION: All hunters MUST check-in / check-out when hunting. Visit https://ksoutdoors.com/checkin using your licensing login credentials to check in and out. January 5th, 2026: THE LPEZ DUCK SEASON OPENS IS NOW CLOSED. THE FIRST SEGMENT OF WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE SEASON IS NOW CLOSED. Canada and snow goose seasons remain open. All goose seasons close February 15th, 2026. The area is holding a good number of geese for early January. Snow geese are the most abundant goose species, but there are decent numbers of dark geese. Waterfowl numbers can fluctuate greatly from day to day depending on ice cover, weather, and other factors. Remember: the North Refuge in the Big Basin is in effect from Oct. 1st to April 1st. All activities in the south refuge in the Big Basin are prohibited year round. |
| Current Information | Due to wet conditions this year: be prepared for un-mowed dikes and access trails, flood damaged parking lots / emergency spillways, and robust wetland vegetation. Be aware of three new regulations in effect at McPherson Valley Wetlands: (1) The Big Basin has been designated as "youth only" during the youth and military waterfowl weekend, (2) the use of motorized boats is prohibited, and (3) centerfire rifles and handguns are prohibited. |
| Water levels | Pumping operations at the Little Sinkhole and Big Basin are now complete for the 2025 - 2026 season. Big Basin: ~75% capacity. Chain of Lakes: ~40% capacity. Little Sinkhole Marshes: ~80% capacity. At the time of this posting, the wetlands were completely ice free. |
| Hunting conditions | Now that we have had some freezing weather and ice, the rank vegetation is starting to break down and open up a bit of water. |
| Expected hunting success | Good, depending upon ice and weather conditions. |
| Comments | **ATTENTION: **THERE IS A "NO TRASH POLICY" IN EFFECT AT MCPHERSON VALLEY WETLANDS. PLEASE CARRY OUT WHATEVER YOU CARRY IN, INCLUDING EMPTY HULLS AND OTHER TRASH. PLEASE TRY TO LEAVE YOUR HUNTING SPOT AS CLEAN OR CLEANER THAN IT WAS WHEN YOU ARRIVED. THANKS!!! **REFUGE AREAS: THE SOUTH REFUGE AREA IN THE BIG BASIN IS OFF-LIMITS TO ALL ACTIVITIES ALL YEAR LONG, AND THIS INCLUDES DUCK HUNTING. THERE IS NO HUNTING OR PUBLIC ACCESS OF ANY KIND ALLOWED IN THE SOUTH REFUGE IN THE BIG BASIN!! THE NORTH REFUGE IN THE BIG BASIN IS A REFUGE-IN-TIME AND IS ONLY OPEN TO PUBLIC ACCESS FROM APRIL 1ST UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH, THEN IT IS CLOSED TO ALL ACTIVITIES FROM OCTOBER 1ST TO MARCH 31ST. The Little Sinkhole/Farland Lake marsh unit is included in the EARLY low-plains duck zone (as is the rest of MPWL). All shotgun hunters at McPherson Wetlands are required to use non-toxic shot for all hunting. This includes upland birds. Throughout all units, please be mindful of farmers and big equipment operators needing to access and maintain roads. Park in designated parking areas when possible, and not on the roadsides. |
SLATE CREEK WETLAND - Last Updated: 1/22/2026
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Waterfowl numbers | There are not very many ducks and geese on in the area at this time. All the pools have water in them and cover with 80% of ice. |
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Water level | Normal |
| Hunting conditions | Poor |
| Comments | Slate Creek Wetland Hunters can check-in / check-out here, using your licensing login credentials. https://license.gooutdoorskansas.com/ TEAL, LOW PLAINS ZONE
DUCKS, LOW PLAINS LATE ZONE
Also, all shotgun hunters at Slate Creek Wetlands are required to use non-toxic shot for all hunting. This includes upland birds.
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https://license.gooutdoorskansas.com/
MARION - Last Updated: 1/27/2026
| Migration | Migration is slowing with even numbers of puddle ducks and divers on the reservoir. The reservoir is currently froze up and isn't holding many birds. Numbers can change daily |
| Ice | 100% |
| Water level | Lake level is at 1350.53 (Conservation pool is 1350.50) |
| Hunting conditions | Fair. The reservoir was in flood stage or conservation pool during the growing season so moist soil vegetation didn't get a chance to take hold this year around the reservoir, limiting food sources. Crops around the area did well this year due to ample rain through the summer. The reservoir remains near conservation pool making shoreline cover abundant. |
| Expected hunting success | Poor. |
| Comments | The refuge at Marion Wildlife area, located on the south west part of the reservoir along French creek, extends out from the shoreline 100 yards into the water. What this means is that approximately 110 acres of water along the shoreline of the refuge are included in the restricted access area, and are off limits to hunting. Accessing the refuge by boat or hunting near the refuge shoreline is not permitted. Remember Marion Reservoir has ZEBRA MUSSELS. Make sure to Clean, Drain and Dry your equipment. Clean all visible vegetation and mud from decoys, bags, waders, etc. Drain water from decoy bags and boats. Allow equipment to Dry for a five day period before using it at another area, OR wash with high-pressure hot water. Many of the roads around the reservoir can get very greasy after rain, or melting snow, please use good judgement about which roads you try to travel on. |