Here is a short update as to what changes have been made and a little history on Bogota.
Bogota is comprised of 10 parcels of property that were purchased beginning in 1995 through 2007. The properties were purchased via the wetland acquisition fund for the purpose of providing more public waterfowl management and hunting opportunities. To this point, it is our understanding that no sportsmen's dollars have been spent in the acquisition and management of Bogota.
Additionally, the management of Bogota has also been paid for utilizing the wetlands acquisition fund and the general area between the town of Bogota and Miston have grown into a waterfowling hot spot in recent years.
The method of management at Bogota represents some new techniques for managing waterfowl given that the area uses low level levees in place of larger levees to manage slash water for ducks and other waterfowl that frequent the area.
Over the years it has been discovered that certain portions of Bogota do not maintain floodwater well due to the geology of the sites. This has been confirmed through the use of ground penetrating radar from the University of Tennessee.
In previous years Bogota was hunted via a 3-day application draw process where applicants were drawn and granted access to the area for 3 consecutive days. While this process was good and provided predictability for waterfowl hunters required to travel significant distances, it was not highly utilized having only about 100-150 applicants during the 2007-2008 waterfowl season.
It our understanding that Bogota will be open to regular season hunting, and the cells (i.e., fields 1, 2, and 3) that can hold water will be pumped and managed for hunting opportunity. It is also our understanding that cells that have significant leaks and do not hold water, which in the past have required continual pumping on a daily basis throughout the season, will not be maintained due to the high cost.
It our understanding that Bogota will be open to regular season hunting, and the cells (i.e., fields 1, 2, and 3) that can hold water will be pumped and managed for hunting opportunity. It is also our understanding that cells that have significant leaks and do not hold water, which in the past have required continual pumping on a daily basis throughout the season, will not be maintained due to the high cost.
