Waterfowl Hunters and Wild Rice

The Role of the Waterfowl Hunter in Wild Rice Conservation, Identifying Wild Rice, and Respect for the Wild Rice Harvester

By Jason Fleener, DNR Wetland Habitat Specialist, Bureau of Wildlife Management

This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s August, 2021 Newsletter edition.

Many savvy duck hunters have discovered the power that Wisconsin’s wild rice beds hold for drawing in ducks.  I once heard a respected wetland and waterfowl scientist from Minnesota say that there is no food source more important for migrating ducks in northern Minnesota than wild rice.  I believe the same may be true for northern Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, for many reasons the coverage and density of native wild rice beds has been declining throughout the upper Midwest.  WDNR, tribal partners, WWA, DU and other groups invest a lot of resources into wild rice conservation projects every year.  For example, every funding cycle Wisconsin Waterfowl Stamp dollars are going into the maintenance and renovation of water control infrastructures, which are necessary to properly manage wild rice and other aquatic plant communities on many waterfowl impoundments.  These projects have occurred on Crex Meadows, Mead and many other wildlife areas.

The wild rice harvesting period corresponds with the maturity of the kernels of rice, which may vary from mid-August through late September.  Wild rice growing in rivers tends to mature sooner than rice found in lakes or flowages.  The bulk of the state’s wild rice harvesting activities will occur between the last week of August through the first couple weeks of September.  Coincidentally, this time period overlaps a time when hunters are getting out hunting during the early teal season, early goose season, youth waterfowl season, and when other hunters are out scouting in advance of the regular waterfowl hunting season.  Hunters are encouraged to learn how to recognize wild rice beds, limit disturbance to beds and be aware of others who may be out harvesting wild rice.

Wild rice or “manoomin” in the Ojibwe language, is an annual aquatic grass that typically grows in water less than three feet deep.  Wisconsin is home to two species of native wild rice; northern wild rice (Zizania palustris) and southern or river rice (Zizania aquatica). As their common names imply, northern rice is primarily found in the lakes and flowages of northern Wisconsin, while southern rice is more prominent in riverine systems of southern Wisconsin.  Both species of wild rice may be harvested in Wisconsin.  However, wild rice harvesters will usually find that northern rice is much easier to harvest and the grains are larger, thus making it easier to fill up a sack with the day’s harvest.  Despite having a smaller seed, the southern rice is a taller and more robust plant, often towering several feet above one’s head from a canoe.

Germination of wild rice seed begins in early spring.  The plant will grow through the water column until it reaches the surface, typically in June, which is called the “floating leaf” stage.  This is a vulnerable time for the rice, as plants can be easily uprooted and killed off by wave action from boating activities or from storm events.  After the plant emerges from the water, flowering will occur from late July through August and seeds will mature from August through September.  By October, most seeds will have dropped and the rice plants begin to senesce and break down into the water.

Resources to help hunters identify wild rice are available.  The University of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant program developed some great graphics and scanned images of wild rice through various stages of the life cycle: https://seagrant.wisc.edu/manoomin/graphics/#.  Another great resource that I have recently discovered are plant ID apps for smart phones, which can be surprisingly accurate.  Just take a photo and it tells you the species.  However, these apps are much more accurate in the flowering or seeding stages of grasses, such as wild rice, than they are in the earlier growth stages.  There are also several great photos of wild rice that can be found on the web.

During the early waterfowl hunting seasons in September, wild rice can provide great concealment for hunters, while providing an excellent food source that attracts waterfowl.  The mature seeds drop into the water and are gobbled up by dabblers, and can be a favored food by divers such as the the ring-neck.  However, without care these rice beds can be easily damaged, which can negatively affect opportunities for wild rice harvesters.  Destruction of rice beds can also inhibit the maturity of rice, which negatively affects the crop available for feeding waterfowl and potentially inhibits the future viability of the rice on a body of water.  Hunters can take some simple steps to reduce damage to wild rice beds:

• First, learn to identify wild rice.
• Navigate watercraft around rice beds if possible, or travel through sparse areas if it’s necessary to travel through the rice.
• Avoid using flat bottom boats and/or surface drive/mud motors through wild rice beds, which tend to cause the greatest damage.
• Be aware of any motor use restrictions or refuge designations that may apply to certain bodies of water. Check signage at boat landing sites or consult with DNR for further information.
• Avoid creating wakes near wild rice beds, especially early in the summer before wild rice emerges from the surface.

Many popular hunting destinations are also popular for wild rice harvesting in northern Wisconsin.  These include various natural and dammed lakes and impoundments.  Wild rice harvesters may only harvest from a non-motorized vessel by muscle power, typically by using a push pole.  As one person poles the canoe through the bed, another person in the canoe will use sticks to gently flail or knock rice into the canoe.

Early season waterfowl hunters should not expect to see wild rice harvesters out early in the morning, as rice harvesting on public beds is not permitted until 10:00 a.m. through sunset during the season.  During these early seasons, wild rice harvesters may not always be conspicuous, so hunters are advised to be aware while hunting.  Voices of rice harvesters may not always be heard, but sometimes a push pole can be seen moving over the tops of rice beds.  For afternoon hunters, check parking lots at boat landings for hints as to who else might be sharing the water with you.  And of course, remember the four basic rules of firearm safety.

More information about wild rice harvesting can be found on the DNR website by searching for keywords, “wild rice.”  If you’re interested, give it a try.

Whether you’re an early season waterfowl hunter or a wild rice harvester, we can all respect each other’s space and time on the water pursuing these outdoor activities, as they are both important legacies for wild rice and waterfowl conservation.  I would like to thank WWA and volunteers for their past and future work in their wild rice management programs.  I’m sure the ducks are grateful as well.