Gurley Salt Marsh Wildlife Area
The Gurley Salt Marsh property is 160 acres in size, located in northern Lincoln County. Approximately 18 miles south of Beloit, KS and 6 miles west of Barnard, KS. Or ½ mile north of the intersection of Kansas Highways 14 and 284 on the east side of Highway 14. Click here for a Google Earth map of the area.
Gurley Salt Marsh has a diverse mix of both wetland and upland habitat. When full the main basin covers about 45 acres with shallow water. There are also approximately 50 acres of high quality Smoky Hills prairie in the southeast corner of the property. The property is currently managed with a grazing program and plans are being developed to enhance the wetlands with water control structures that will allow for manipulation of water levels as well as construction of additional berms to expand the managed wetland acres on the property. The property can only be accessed via walking from the parking lot off of Kansas Highway 14.
NON-TOXIC SHOT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL SHOTGUN HUNTING
Current conditions at the marsh are between 1/2 and 2/3 full of water and with normal fall precipitation we should reach full levels in coming months.
Each of the last 2 summers, the entire marsh was sprayed for invasive phragmites.
This year we did sprayed for invasive phragmites with a helicopter. Phase 1 construction, which included reshaping of the berm and installation of a water control structure was completed in fall of 2019. This allows us to manipulate water levels for the most beneficial vegetation results.
We hosted our first Teal Special Hunt at Gurley Salt Marsh this year and it was a success. The hunt consisted of four hunters that harvested about 20 birds.
From September 1st through March 1st all public access and hunting on the property is managed through the KDWP Special Hunts program with the goal of providing hunters with a quality experience. More info on Special Hunts can be found at http://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Special-Hunts-Information From March 2 – August 31 the property is open to public access for hunting, fishing, hiking, etc. Bird watching and photography opportunities are excellent especially during the spring migration months. The property can only be accessed via walking from the parking lot off of Kansas Highway 14.
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*NON-TOXIC SHOT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL SHOTGUN HUNTING*
Camping, fires, and target shooting are all prohibited activities on the property. Please take all trash with you.
Here is a complete list of Public Land Regulations or you can download the regulation summary.
The property was purchased by KDWP in 2012 from owner Jim Gurley utilizing both a NAWCA Grant and a Conoco-Phillips Playa Lakes Joint Venture Grant. This wetland area has long been known as one of the few historic salt marsh locations in Kansas. The property has a rich tradition of waterfowl hunting in past decades primarily with the Barnard Gun Club group.