The shallow wetlands of Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area host a number of ducks, shorebirds and wading birds each spring during migration and these wetland birds will be the focus of a series of tours for four weekends in April and May.
“Hackberry Flat is a major refueling station for these birds, and they take full advantage of our wetland units in late April and early May,” said Melynda Hickman, biologist for the Wildlife Department. “Our tours will take visitors on an open-air trailer ride around the most active units so they can experience these wetland habitats at a truly amazing time.”
Visitors will have 12 opportunities to tour the wetlands with a biologist Fridays and Saturdays from April 16 through May 8. Reservations are required for these free events and children must be at least 8 years old. Contact Hickman at melynda.hickman@odwc.ok.gov for more information.
Bird watchers and photographers can visit Hackberry Flat and other Wildlife Department-owned lands outside of these migration tours with a valid conservation passport or hunting or fishing license. These licenses can be purchased through the Wildlife Department’s Go Outdoors Oklahoma online license system.
To get to the Hackberry Flat Center, from the south side of Frederick, take U.S. 183 south for one mile, then go east on Airport Road for three miles. Follow the blacktop road south, and continue six miles. Watch for signs to the center.
Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area, located near Frederick in southwestern Oklahoma, offers 7,120 acres of wildlife recreational opportunities. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, along with many conservation-minded partners, restored this legendary wetland, creating a vast mosaic of wetland habitats for prairie waterfowl, shorebirds and other wetland-dependent birds. Upland areas of native sunflowers and cultivated fields interspersed with mesquite have become one of the state’s premier dove-hunting destinations. Open for scheduled events, the Hackberry Flat Center offers interpretive guidance for wildlife enthusiasts, students and educators. Participants of these educational programs are exempt from needing a Wildlife Conservation Passport or valid hunting or fishing license while on Hackberry Flat WMA. More information can be found at wildlifedepartment.com.