Japanese Millet for Waterfowl

[Sleepy]

There was a thread I believe Sippy started a while back about planting for duck season. Lots of folks, including myself suggested Jap Millet. I remember there was a lot of confusion on the law regarding hunting over it. I talked with my Game Warden the other day about it and his simple response was "You can not hunt over it unless it comes back naturally in subsequent years."

I asked about the manipulation of the crop and he said that law only goes for corn, rice, ect. Millet falls into another category and is not considered and agricultural crop.

Unfortunately, I had already planted my 3 ponds and a slough, and had to go spray it all except for 2, which I wont be hunting over. Maybe it will come back next year, who knows. It is an annual, so it's not really supposed to come back so I dont really understand the subsequent years deal.

Just thought I would let you all know for anyone that was planning on planting it or have already done so and are planning on hunting over it.

[unclefish]

Yep those laws are tricky, confusing, illogical.....on and on and on.

The key question is............how would they know if its a volunteer crop or not...unless they've been to that property the year before or if you post it on an internet hunting board...

Thanks for the clarification.

[rebelmdb69]

The department here in Oklahoma plants it for us to hunt over that's a bummer about your ponds

[Txnrog]

No issue planting it here in Colorado. Not sure why millet can't be counted as an Ag crop - common ingredient in a lot of pet foods.

[justin156bc]

I would check in to that more i have never heard you cant hunt over what you plant. You just cant manipulate it in a form or fashion where you are trying to spread seed on the ground.

[Sleepy]

It is a bummer, it had germinated and was already standing almost 2 inches in just 6 days. I was pumped till I talk to him.

[Sleepy]

I would check in to that more i have never heard you cant hunt over what you plant. You just cant manipulate it in a form or fashion where you are trying to spread seed on the ground.

Thats what my thinking was, but just like the GW said, it's a gray area in the wording in the book. You can hunt over unmanipulated corn, rice, or any AGRICULTURAL crop, that has been planted for harvesting/agricultural reasons. Once it has been harvested, you can then hunt over the remains from the harvest because it was an agricultural act.

TWPD does not recognize millet as an AGRICULTURAL crop. I really dont know what they consider it, but either way I'm not taking my chances with federal birds.

I just kept 2 ponds planted to keep birds in the area, and I will hunt my other ponds and slough that are in the vecinity.

[zappmaster]

Texas has weird laws over that. I have hunted in ok over jap millet and it was lights out!

[graysonhuntndr]

You need to call the office and ask for it in writing. I was told that as long as you do not cut it, it is ok to hunt over.

[ottert]

From tpwd

Baiting
A hunter may hunt any migratory game bird:

over standing crops, standing flooded crops and flooded harvested crops;
at any time over natural vegetation that has been manipulated. Natural vegetation does not include planted millet. However, planted millet that grows on its own in subsequent years after the planting is considered natural vegetation;
on or over a normal soil stabilization practice;
on or over lands or areas where seeds or grains have been scattered solely as a result of a normal agricultural practice except waterfowl and cranes may not be hunted where grain or other feed has been distributed or scattered as the result of:
pre-harvest manipulation of an agricultural crop; or
livestock feeding;
over crops or natural vegetation where grain has been inadvertently scattered as a result of entering or leaving a hunting area, placing decoys or retrieving downed birds;
using natural vegetation or crops to conceal a blind, provided that if crops are used to conceal a blind, no grain or other feed is exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered in the process.
A hunter may not:

hunt migratory birds with the aid of bait, or on or over any baited area;
hunt over any baited area until 10 days after all baiting materials have been removed;
hunt waterfowl or cranes over manipulated planted millet, unless the millet was planted not less than one year prior to hunting;
hunt waterfowl or cranes over crops that have been manipulated, unless the manipulation is a normal agricultural post-harvesting manipulation in accordance with official recommendations of State Extension Specialists of the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
No person may place or direct the placement of bait on or adjacent to an area for the purpose of causing, inducing or allowing any person to take or attempt to take any migratory game bird by the aid of baiting on or over the baited area.

[Lungbustr]

I would have never sprayed my second year stand of millet like you did.

[TexMax]

The gw you spoke to, I believe, was incorrect.


From tpwd:

"You can hunt over it the first year, however, you may not walk through,
drive through, shred it down, disk it or make any of the seed heads to
drop their seed by anything or any activity you do to cause such. Read
the Waterfowl baiting federal laws very closely since we follow suit
with those."

http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm

[az2tx]

I would have never sprayed my second year stand of millet like you did.

You may be more right than you know, if Jap millet is anything like browntop millet.
I have a lot of browntop on my place and it will mature and drop its seeds and regrow 2 or 3 times a season. It is an annual but reseeds itself so what you would have been hunting over may not actually be what you planted.

[EastTx]

I sent this email to TPWD.....

I planted the banks of a pond that I intend to duck hunt with Japanese Millet on July 4th. The law states that a standing flooded crop can be hunted over. It also says Japanese Millet can not be manipulated and hunted over unless it returns on the second year which then it is considered natural vegetation. So the way I interpret it is, it is legal to hunt over planted Millet the first year as long as it is not manipulated. I have been told by several people it is legal, and several said it is illegal. Could you please clear this up for me? Is it legal or illegal to hunt flooded Japanese Millet the same year you plant it? Thanks for your time.


I got the exact reply that Texmax posted.

You can hunt over it the first year, however, you may not walk through, drive through, shred it down, disk it or make any of the seed heads to drop their seed by anything or any activity you do to cause such. Read the Waterfowl baiting federal laws very closely since we follow suit with those. http://www.fws.gov/le/HuntFish/waterfowl_baiting.htm

I am going to keep a copy of the email in my blind bag just in case.

[TexMax]

Too bad you already sprayed it