Description
Muscadine Farms Wildlife Management Area (WMA) was a 700 acre catfish farm in Washington County when it was purchased by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for mitigation in 2002. The property is located approximately 5 miles west of Highway 61 on Avon Darlove Road. In 2009, an additional 700 acres of catfish ponds and approximately 1,400 acres of replanted trees, the Washington and Po-Lutken Tracts, were added to Muscadine Farms WMA.
The 90 retired catfish ponds are intensively managed for waterfowl. These ponds are managed in three or four pond hunting units. Each hunting unit is managed individually, with at least one pond per unit having corn, milo, or millet planted in it. The majority of ponds are managed for moist-soil vegetation with beneficial native plants. Plant species that are selected for include smartweed, sprangletop, wild millets, and various sedges. All of these native species produce large numbers of seeds that are relished by waterfowl in winter.
Waterfowl hunting is by draw hunt only with a combination of pre-season draws and stand-by opportunities. Hunts are conducted on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Random drawings are conducted at 5:00 am the morning of each hunt day. Pre-season draws guarantee a hunter he will hunt on the day of his draw, but he must still draw for a hunt unit the morning of his reservation.
The 1,400 acres of replanted trees on the Washington and Po-Lutken Tracts will be open for small game hunting. The early successional stage of the habitat in this area is ideal for rabbits.
The permit station with cards is located at the headquarters.