Smartweed Infestation

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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My employer lets me hunt one of his properties for waterfowl which is extremely convienent as it is only 15 minutes from my house. This fall Thomas and I tried to scout it but quickly learned smartweed has completely taken over. I know smartweed is an outstanding food source for waterfowl but it has grown so thick you cannot wade and there isn't even any surface water visible. The swamp is at full pool so I don't see it getting covered with water when more rain comes. In 3 foot deep water I can lean my entire weight into it and not go anywhere. I had no idea smartweed had such extensive roots. We are unable to even get to the blind which is just a few yards from the shore and putting out decoys is impossible. I wonder if ducks will use it gives they won't be able to paddle around.

Does anyone have experience with controlling smartweed infestation in water up to 4'? I talked to the local waterfowl biologist and he suggested spraying herbicide in the spring and summer. He tells me that once it gets in a pond it is nearly impossible to remove but spraying will help some. We do not have any means to drain the swamp. Natural wet/dry cycles is the only water level control this place knows.

Spraying is out of the question this season. For the short term I wonder if a hard freeze will kill some of it off and make it possible to wade. If not we have lost the most convient location to hunt that I have access to.

Eric
 
Down here we take the airboats & run circle till we mash it down.

Not only does it flatten it, it puts the seed heads into the water!!!

Other than that, Round-Up in the summertime.
 
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Be careful. If you cut it down you are baiting under federal law. It usually thins out once you get a little cold weather.
 
Eric,

If you have hemorrhoids ...........

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=240

[font=]Facts and Folklore: [/font]
  • [font=]
  • Swamp smartweed has several close relatives – one of which is Polygonum hydropiper, or water-pepper smartweed. In the past, extracts of water-pepper smartweed were applied to ulcers and hemorrhoids. The uses gave rise to two of its more earthy folk names, arse-smart and smartass.[/font]
Always a use for anything and everything.

Matt
 
Eric,

I would contact your county extension agent (the ag folks) and see if they can come up with a viable solution.

I did a little searching on the web and it seem that treatment with herbicides is highly variable in effectiveness, so I think you will need a fairly serious management plan developed to make any headway.

Matt
 
Brad

I did a 30 second check on Fed Baiting laws and found this

If you restore and manage wetlands as habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds, you can manipulate the natural vegetation in these areas and make them available for hunting.
Click to expand...


Does this not apply or is it circumvented by another law that pertains to my situation?

Eric
 
Excerpts from Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 20.21(i)​
No persons shall take migratory game birds:
(i) By the aid of baiting, or on or over any baited area, where a person knows or reasonably should know that the area is or has been baited. However, nothing in this paragraph prohibits:
(1) The taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over the following lands or areas that are not otherwise baited areas--
(i) Standing crops or flooded standing crops (including aquatics); standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation; flooded harvested croplands; or lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural planting, harvesting, post-harvest manipulation or normal soil stabilization practice;
(ii) From a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with natural vegetation;
(iii) From a blind or other place of concealment camouflaged with vegetation from agricultural crops, as long as such camouflaging does not result in the exposing, depositing, distributing or scattering of grain or other feed; or
(iv) Standing or flooded standing agricultural crops where grain is inadvertently scattered solely as a result of a hunter entering or exiting a hunting area, placing decoys, or retrieving downed birds.
(2) The taking of any migratory game bird, except waterfowl, coots and cranes, on or over lands or areas that are not otherwise baited areas, and where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered solely as the result of manipulation of an agricultural crop or other feed on the land where grown, or solely as the result of a normal agricultural operation.​

I am not in law enforcement but I interpret this to mean that you can't hunt over areas where the seed is exposed by cutting natural vegetation down. If in doubt, I'd call your local law enforcement agent.
 
Brad

That sure does seem to conflict with the statement I quoted from the USF&WS website. Agreed, a call to the local Game Warden would be prudent before mowing it down with a boat.

BTW, the below pic is the wetlands in question. Only now you can't see water, just a reddish brown carpet.

LongPondSwamp.jpg

 
Knocking it down by boating into it is different from using mowing implements to actually cut the plants down and exposing the seeds. Its a narrow line between knocking it down unintentionally by moving around and intentional cutting it down and spreading it. I was merely trying to say be careful.
 
Eric,

It is hard to tell from the photo, but is there any form of headgate or culvert structure near the road (left side of pic) that could be used to drop the water surface elevation during part of the year and allow mechanical manipulation of the smartweed? Here in the West many waterways are managed by such structures.

If I had the lat long or UTMs I might be able to produce you a map using ArcView 9.3 that might help in management strategies. It might be possible that one foot to one meter aerial images such as NAIP are available free over the web from a state sponsored server. From those images polygons associated with specific vegetation (*.shp files) could be drawn giving you exact square footage of the areas of interest...From that info cost and application schedules could be developed. That is just an example. Let me know I am always willing to help with GIS directed towards natural resource management for no charge (non-profit organizations or a good cause).

Matt
 
Brad, yes, better to be careful than regretful.

Matt, I appreciate the offer but you should hold off on such an exercise. I'm going to see what my employer is considering doing since as he owns it and bears all costs. I am not sure if there is a control structure under the bridge. I suspect there is but haven't walked it over. Were there one the duck club on the other side of the road (the locally famous Long Pond Duck Club) probably controls it. Again, I'd have to go look and see. I'll do that the next time I'm there.
 
Eric,

No problem...I own a small environmental firm and do environmental consulting for the Feds (USFS) and various engineering firms. I work mostly with fisheries (endangered species issues in the Pacific Northwest) and hydrology. Just always like helping out the average Joe as they can't afford cost of high end consulting.

Matt
 
Matt

Thanks. I panned the sat image a bit and sure enough there is a control stucture on the Long Pond Duck Club side. Any request for them to open the valve and drain the water next spring would have to be approached by my employer. I hunted this same property in college when it was owned by another party. Looking back there were more trees and button bush than now (more ducks too). I suspect the water stays in there longer and deeper killing back some vegetation while others, namely smartweed, thrives in the new conditions. My employer said he was going to try and get his consulting biologist to take a look. Hopefully he has a recommendation that is affordable/doable given other landowners are involved.

Eric
 
Eric,

Not sure how the NRCS is there or your state/county extension agent....but those resources are cheap/free in many cases..I use their expertise at times.

Matt
 
Eric:

It is kinda cool to see the satelitte image w/ hwy 231 right next to it. My office is also located on hwy 231, just that it is in southern Indiana!!!
 
Brad

I just reread the baiting info you posted. It does agree with what I pulled from the USF&WS. Last night I missed the part "However, nothing in this paragraph prohibits:" Seems to be pretty clear that you are not hunting over bait when hunting manipulated natural vegetation.

Just noticed this and wanted to point it out.

Eric
 
Exactly. I read a different Title of the CFR every day (40 CFR) and that appears to be the operable line. "Nothing in this paragraph prohibits..." You can hunt it. If not, it would be akin to saying that if one were to pole through wild rice or move through other similar natural vegetation, inadvertently knocking some down in the process, setting out their spread close by would be illegal.
 
Eric

Now read the section that I put in bold in the context of the rest of the paragraph. To paraphrase it, "You can hunt it as long as the manipulation is part of a normal practice". Cutting smartweed with mowers after the growing season for the purpose of hunting MAY not be considered a normal practice by your game warden.
 
Eric,
If you need anything regarding mapping for it, let me know, as well. I may have access to a little more data, due to location, past work in the area, and other factors. I'm thinking I may have some LIDAR that clipped your area that we imported to GIS, if I can find it.
 
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