There are lots of things that you can create on your property but the old real estate adage, "Location, location, location" applies to duck hunting properties. If you are in the flyway and on a property with lots of water and wetland species that ducks love, then you have something that can't be created in other areas. These places are special and they are valued by those who love waterfowl hunting. The sight of ducks forming a quacking vortex of feathers and extended feet spiraling down into a wetland is a sight to behold. Riverbend Duck Haven is one of those special places. This 135-acre wetland paradise is located on the north bank of the Little River in Pottawatomie County, OK just north of the Harjo community. The property has 1/2 mile of frontage on Highway 9A and extends down to the bridge crossing the river. With two entries off the highway and only being a 50-mile drive from Oklahoma City, this property is ideally located for those who want to drive out of the metro and be in the blind for a quick hunt before or after work.

The property is located at the beginning of a 5-mile stretch of wetlands along the river. This neighborhood of great waterfowl properties acts as tremendous draw to migrating waterfowl and owning a piece of it gets you in on the action. The entire property is in the floodplain and was naturally a wetland, and that natural tendency has been accentuated by work done by the NRCS to improve a portion of it as an engineered wetland. Close inspection from the drone shots reveals a central drainage that cuts diagonally through the wetland area. In addition, there is a secondary drainage canal that runs along its southern border. There are multiple islands in the body of the wetland that give you a great opportunity to create hunting blinds close to where the ducks are landing.

The two drainages connect at their intersection near the headgate used to control the water levels. The head gate is typically removed during the spring and summer to allow vegetative growth. This gives you an opportunity to manage the vegetation and plant species that will act as an attractant. As fall and the hunting season approaches, boards can be placed in the gate to retain any water that flows into the wetland from rain or pumping. A transmission powerline creates an open path from the river to the headgate and would be an ideal route to transfer water from the river to the main wetland.

However, there are some other intriguing options for managing this property. A triangle shaped area located to the south of the main berm and north of the transmission line offers natural wetlands and transiently flooded timber. This would be another ideal location to release water and enjoy epic flooded timber hunts. Another area of flooded timber exists between the transmission line and the river.

This property has more to offer than just great waterfowl hunting. Deer cut across the wetlands to feed in the timber to the south along the river before returning to safely bed down in the cattails. Wild hogs also travel back and forth across the property and give you an opportunity to enjoy year-round hunting. If you've been looking for a great wetland close to the OKC metro, please call Sean Childress at 580 320-5791 or email him at .