W
ood Duck Wildlife
Management Area (WMA)
has just about everything.
Created by centuries of flooding and
the erratic movements of the wayward
Elkhorn River, the area features
over 1,800 acres of wetlands, oak
woodlands, eastern riparian habitat,
and to the west, a slice of Sandhills-
type prairie that is rare in eastern
Nebraska. This Stanton County jewel
is one of the state's most diverse
WMAs, capable of holding such
species as Blanding's turtles, bald
eagles, burrowing owls, jackrabbits,
ornate box turtles and prairie chickens
as well as unique plant species such as
marsh marigold and wild rice. Healthy
stands of cottonwood trees support a
thriving population of wood ducks, the
area's namesake species bestowed in
1966 when the first 223.5 acres were
purchased.
Hunting and wildlife viewing
opportunities abound from fall through
spring. Wood Duck's cattail marshes
and small pools offer migrating and
breeding waterfowl such as blue-
winged teal, mallards and puddle ducks
an ideal place to stop and rest. About
15 white-tailed deer were harvested out
of Wood Duck WMA during the 2015
November rifle season, and the WMA's
oak woodlands hold turkeys. Rabbit
hunting is favorable due to recent tree
clearing and the availability of brush
piles, while grasslands that were once
crop ground now hold pheasants and
some quail. Walk the treelines in the
A Place of Bounty
Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen
Cain Johnson of Norfolk fishes for largemouth bass in the oxbow lake at Wood Duck Wildlife Management Area in Stanton County.
Wood Duck Wildlife Management Area in Stanton County is
a beautiful place to visit and enjoy year-round.
44 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2016
