Published: March 31, 2008 02:43 pm         

New Maryland public hunting area open

The Maryland Wildlife and Heritage Service has welcomed a new piece of ground into its system of wildlife management areas and it lies 55 miles to the east of downtown Cumberland.

Prather's Neck is a parcel of Washington County land bounded on three sides by a sweeping bend of the Potomac River. On Wednesday, I walked through the lowland wildlife habitat with Jim Mullan, the agency's regional biologist, and Donnie Rohrback, a habitat manager who deals with the wildlife management areas in Washington and Frederick counties.

You, as am I, are probably used to wildlife management areas that go up in one direction and down in the other.

Once you slip east of Sideling Hill, though, and especially when you get in a river bottom setting, walking gets a little easier. That was the case at Prather's Neck where the 204 acres cost the state $1,020,000 in Program Open Space money.

Prather's Neck has hardwoods, fields and some pieces of property that Rohrback says remind him of African savannahs.

We didn't see any water buffalo or zebra, but we did see plenty of sign of Maryland's two high-profile species, deer and turkey.

In addition, Prather's Neck offers squirrel and rabbits. I'm walking along on a beautiful day Wednesday, watching Rohrback's English setters, Jack and Molly, run and jingle. We break into a very large field and my mind immediately flashes to my shotgun with improved cylinder choke and visions of mourning doves flicker across my brain.

"I'm wondering if this could be a good dove field," I said.

"Could be," Rohrback answered.

Signs of the former human presence crop up often. There is an old stone wall that once supported a very large barn. To me such remnants add to the aura of a place and a hunt.

A massive frame house still stands, but barely.

"We'll tear that down," Rohrback said.

Below the house is the wide Potomac, which offers waterfowl hunting. Recently, some wood duck nesting boxes have been installed along the shore.

The West Virginia side of the river appears to be substantially inhabited by the human species.

The Maryland side and most of Prather's Neck is basically rural.

"The WMA bumps up against the National Park Service land (C&O Canal) where there is no hunting allowed so that serves as a sanctuary for deer," Mullan said.

The new WMA will be hunted under general regulations for all seasons. Because such a small portion of land could quickly get crowded, the agency will allow a maximum of 10 cars to be parked in the new, small parking lot that has been constructed.

"We'll put in numbered parking slots up to 10 so people won't have any problem knowing when the capacity has been reached," Mullan said.

The biologist agreed that the unit could handle a good number of bowhunters without crowding people. Bowhunters tend to get in a stand and stay there. Ample sign of whitetails was visible Wednesday.

There is a narrow band of 35 acres of old growth forest on the west side of the unit.

I have always believed that the most important task a wildlife agency can perform is to purchase land on which the public can hunt or fish. As we watch what is called development continue to tear up private lands in Western Maryland, our public lands become more and more precious.

Just the other day I ran into a friend who had lost access to his private hunting grounds a year or so ago. He and his comrades discovered the massive Green Ridge State Forest and did quite well with deer there.

"There are a lot of cars (opening day of rifle season), but nobody seems to go back in the woods," he told me. "The toughest part is getting the deer out because you can't take 4-wheelers through the woods."

The purchase of Prather's Neck by the state includes another 10 acres that is separated from the larger parcel. Mullan said a management plan will be drawn up for the small tract and it may be used strictly for bow hunting.

The WMA is reached by taking state Route 56 south out of Clear Spring. Take a left onto Four Locks Road. From the boat ramp at Four Locks, continue on into the woods on a paved but rough road (Ankeney's Lane) that leads to the parking lot.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com.