Hunters were out bright and early Saturday morning as teal season opened in the state’s three Low Plains Zones, and many stopped in at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center for its annual Hunter Appreciation Breakfast.

Free breakfast burritos, coffee and Tang were available in the shelter house outside the Center, where people could sit at picnic tables in the fresh air. Also going on inside the shelter was the Cheyenne Bottoms Ducks Unlimited raffle and silent auction.

It was a short walk to live demonstrations of hunting dog testing, performed by members of the Jayhawk Retriever Club.

As member Aaron Blasi gave commands to his dog Sage, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, club president Dennis Cox from Pratt explained the test. Vice President Rodney Fowler and Secretary/Treasurer Mark Balkenbush headed into the field, where they would each use a duck call as a mark for the dog and then “shoot” at frozen birds that they then tossed into the testing area from two locations.

“We try to make it like it’s a real hunting situation,” Cox said. After both birds were down, Blasi gave his dog the go-ahead with the command, “Sage!” After she retrieved the first bird, Blasi sent her after the second one.

People could also go inside the Wetlands Center, which is located at 592 NE K-156, Great Bend, and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 31. Admission is free; masks are required inside.

The Hunter Appreciation Breakfast was sponsored by the Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau and organized by the KWEC, Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism, and Ducks Unlimited. 

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is dedicated to educating the public about wetland communities, their importance, and the need for conservation and restoration, with emphasis on  Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. It offers interactive exhibits and interpretation, educational programs and outreach.