new to Anchorage need help

[fisherman19]

I am new to the Anchorage area. I just got here this summer and have been tying to figure out where to go get some ducks and geese this fall.

I heard the Palmer hay flats is the place to go. I know where they are but do not know how to get to them and when I look on a map it says that it is a wild life refuge. Are there certain arear you can and can not hunt out there? Also how would I get out on them? can I just finda place to park an walk out there? I am not asking for anyones secret spots or anything. I just want to get my dog some work and have alittle fun and maybe shoot some ducks.

If anywone knows of any other spots not to to far from Anchorage. I would greatly appriciate it.

 

[summitx]

Down at 20 mile and placer river is pretty good area and I suspect with all this rain it should fill up some of the pot holes down there that were getting low on water

 

[yukon]

twenty mile area by portage is a good walk in area. Contact f&g as they will be able to help out. The RR is a pain about trespassing so look into that. The f&g office is located at Rasberry and C st. Stop by the desk in there, they are very helplful.

 

[fisherman19]

Thanks I will have to stop in at the F&G office sometime this week.

 

[AK Ray]

Hay Flats

Hay Flats

You may have gotten all your info now that it is only days away, but I'll chime in now that I am back in town.

Walking out to any place on the hay flats is real work from the Knik side. Lots of brush and you will be parking on the side of the highway so I don't know how the troopers like that. If you follow the channels down from one of the Knik pull outs be careful in the mud. You won't know it you will sink out of site or be able to walk on it until you step on it so hunt with a buddy.

You can go all the way around to Wasilla and access the hay flats at the Cottonwood Creek area and walk out on the trails there.

Palmer Hay flats link this link has good info on the flats for accessing them. The links page has lots of good links for info.

Other places to walk into are very few around Anchorage. If you go to the Butte area on the Old Glenn Highway you can take Maude road out to the Jim creek area and get all the way to Jim Lake and walk around the shore there and get a few ducks. If the other lakes are pressured by us boat hunters the ducks will drop in to this lake some times first before going all the way back to where they are no longer being shot at.

 

[Alaska Gray]

in Palmer you can go to Mud, Jim, Leaf, Swan lake are other you can try

Mud and jim yuo can walk. The other you would need a boat.

 

[SockeyOrange]

Places around anchorage....

Places around anchorage....

In terms of the Hay flats they are probably talking about cotton wood creek. Take Hayfield road (check a map and you should find it) there is a parking lot and a trail. If you have a 4 wheeler bring it to that spot. The whole hay flat area is pretty much open look try some spots off the highway that look like they may hold ducks but check your regs first. If you have a hunters saftey card you can hunt in certian areas of Anchorage, usually accross from potters marsh. Drive south to 20 mile river and there is several places to road side hunt, a little foot work and you should be able to find some decent spots. Good luck!

 

[Adventures]

4 wheelers

4 wheelers

If you bring a wheeler to the hayflats off of hay flat rd there are certain stails you have to stay on to be legal. You cannot just drive accross the swamps where ever you want.
The trail goea accross the metal bridge to the far left of the parking lot and then takes a right and follows cottonood creek along for a while. I'm not sure how far you will be able to go being how wet it is this year.

I will be there tommorow bright and early so make sure and kick me some ducks.