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Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, KS Events

March

2 - 3 Central Kansas Spring Expo Great Bend - Over 200 Booths with exciting products and services!! The Great Bend Spring Expo is an excellent opportunity for local businesses to showcase the serv ... more

30Annual Easter Egg Hunt Lyons - Easter Egg Hunt takes place on the historic courthouse and is free to all children up to the 2nd grade level. The Easter Egg Hunt takes place the Satu ... more

April

6City Wide Garage Sale Ellinwood - Sponsored by the Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce. This year, instead of a fall and spring event, the City Wide Garage Sale will only take place in the s ... more

May

3 - 5 All Year Lyons High School Reuninon Lyons - A return to Yesteryear with nostalgia galore. Social events everyday, evening events, Golfing and more Fun to be had by the events of the mind (re ... more

17 - 19 St. John Jubilee St. John - St. John Jubilee is a Memorial Day weekend celebration that has been a community event for decades. At this event, the community traditionally welcome ... more

June

24 - 26 K-96 June Jaunt Ellinwood - The K-96 June Jaunt, complete with arts, antiques, crafts, cuisine, music and more! Look for city wide garage sales and sidewalk sales from Tribune to ... more

1 - 2 K-96 June Jaunt Great Bend - The K-96 June Jaunt, complete with arts, antiques, crafts, cuisine, music and more! Look for city wide garage sales and sidewalk sales from Tribune to ... more

1Annual Quivira Fishing Clinic Great Bend - Annual Quivira Fishing Clinic, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Registration from 8:30 - 9 a.m., Kids age 14 and younger go through stations on casting, fish identifi ... more

26 - 30 Barton County Fair Great Bend - Experience and enjoy the fruits of rural Kansas exhibits, demonstrations, carnival, entertainment, and concerts, ... more

July

29Christmas In July Antique, Art and Handmade Craft Lyons - Christmas In July Antique, Art and handmade craft Fair. Saturday July 9, 2016 9am to 3pm. Indoor and outdoor shopping. Rain or shine. Celebration ... more

3Fourth of July Celebration Great Bend - The show will begin as soon as it is dark enough (around 9:30 or 10 p.m.). Spectators are asked to park at the Expo Grounds to watch the display. Volu ... more

4 - 6 After Harvest Festival Ellinwood - THIRD WEEK -A 39 year tradition of Ellinwood, the After Harvest Festival is a wonderful celebration that brings visitors from near and far. The festiv ... more

5 - 6 Annual PRCA Rodeo Stafford - The Rodeo is held on the 2nd weekend in July (Friday and Saturday Nights). This event is put on by the Stafford Saddle Club. Community Garage Sales, ... more

6Tri-Annual Bushton High School Reunion Bushton - For information see the reunion website. ... more

9 - 13 Stafford County Fair Stafford - Food, fun, friendly people - come on and enjoy the fair days. Demo Derby --- Saturday night ... more

September

30 - 2 Hoisington Labor Day Weekend Hoisington - This event has a standing as a statewide event, and has an annual attendance of over 20,000 on parade day. The weekend consists of Headline Dances, De ... more

12WWII B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey Great Bend - Thursday the B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journeys will land at the Great Bend Airport at noon and will be on display until Sunday. The display ti ... more

13 - 15 Air Festival and Fly-In Great Bend - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Daily. Three days of Family Fun, Rides and Tours include: B-17, C-45, and C-47. On display will be: Phenom 100 Charter Jet; Rem ... more

14Annual Fair On The Square Lyons - FOURTH SATURDAY - The Fair on the Square is a day to enjoy arts, crafts, and food around the historic courthouse square. ... more

October

21Great Bend Renaissance Fair Great Bend - Come to the Great Bend Renaissance Faire, Where History Meets Fantasy! Four stages with 3 acts per stage repeating throughout the day, as well, as sev ... more

5Annual Rosewood Rodeo Great Bend - Rosewood's Riding Classes in a fine display of equine skill! The Magnificent Commanding General's Color Guard of Ft. Riley, KS will present a fine dis ... more

5Annual Stafford H.S. Alumni Assoc. Reception Stafford - This event is held on the weekend of Oktoberfest. First Saturday. ... more

5Stafford's Annual Oktoberfest Stafford - Always held the First Saturday in October. Parade, crafts, vendors, food, horse shoe tournament, kid's activities, inflatables, photo booth, NEW-Big ... more

26Zoo Boo Great Bend - The Great Bend Zoo & Raptor Center would like to invite the general public to attend Zoo Boo inside Brit Spaugh Park on Saturday. Fifty booths will be ... more

November

St. John's Victorian Tea St. John - Servers dressed in Victorian finery guide you to tables draped with linens and laces, set with the fine silver and china. Traditional tea foods will ... more

9Salem Methodist Church Soup Supper Bushton - Serving from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Chili, Chicken Noodle, and homemade pies. Everyone welcome. ... more

26Dominican Sisters' Annual Mission Bazaar Great Bend - The Dominican Sisters of Great Bend host their Annual Mission Bazaar on Saturday, from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. With coffee and rolls in the morning, soup ... more

2Veterans' Day Parade Lyons - The Parade is open to everyone and especially Veterans! The parade route goes around Lyons' Historic Courthouse. Closest Saturday to Veteran's Day. 10 ... more

16 - 15 Santa Visits Lyons - Santa has a house located up town and visits all children wishing to see him on Saturday and Sunday afternoons starting after Thanksgiving and running ... more

16Annual Lighted Christmas Parade, Bazaar & Chili Feed Lyons - The Christmas Bazaar & Parade are held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Bazaar is held out at the Rice County Community Building from 9am to 2p ... more

23 - 30 Holiday Trail of Lights Great Bend - Every year visitors from all over the Midwest hit the trail to Great Bend. Our holiday light displays are among the best in the nation. In fact, the t ... more

December

Christmas Magic Around The Square St. John - Crafts, carriage rides, live nativity, luminaries, soup supper, Santa, prizes, and games. 4-8pm. ... more

9Santa's Bazaar and Craft Show Bushton - Craft & Bake Sale, Soup Lunch, Santa visit, Entertainment. Best Soup in Bushton Contest. 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. ... more

24Ellinwood Annual Christkindlmarket Ellinwood - Ellinwood will transform into an authentic German holiday village brimming with traditional Christmas activities at the Annual Christkindlmarket. The ... more

1 - 31 Holiday Trail of Lights Great Bend - Every year visitors from all over the Midwest hit the trail to Great Bend. Our holiday light displays are among the best in the nation. In fact, the t ... more

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Hunting

Cheyenne Bottoms Hunting
Cheyenne Bottoms HuntingHunting pressure on the Bottoms can be heavy during water-fowl season, particularly on weekends. Hunters planning trips to the Bottoms should consider weekday hunts. Hunting is NOT ALLOWED in the refuge areas.

FREE PERMITS REQUIRED - When the check station is in operation, hunters must obtain a permit to use one of the 167 concrete duck blinds or the goose hunting zones. Permits are obtained at the area office check station free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. When a blind or zone is assigned, hunters are required to leave their hunting license at the check station. Hunters must return to the check station within one hour after the end of their hunt or within one hour after sunset, whichever occurs first. At this time, any game bagged is inspected and the hunter's licenses are returned. All hunters must obtain a hunting survey permit at any of the wildlife area parking lots or one of the four main entrances. Permit dispenser and deposit boxes are at these locations Hunters need only follow instructions provided.

Pools 1, 5, and a portion of Pool 2 are refuge areas and closed to all activities. Exceptions to this occur for some special hunts. Check with wildlife area personnel for more information.

OTHER GAME - In addition to waterfowl, other game may be legally taken at Cheyenne Bottoms. Pheasant hunting is usually good. Snipe and rail hunting is good along the shallow marsh margins. Quail and deer are also present in fair numbers.

A handicapped accessible hunting/photo blind is available by reservation. Call the office for additional information and reservations.

In the event of whooping crane activity, the pool the birds are in is closed to all hunting and the goose hunting zones are closed to crane and light goose hunting.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Birdwatching

Cheyenne Bottoms Birdwatching
Cheyenne Bottoms BirdwatchingBecause Cheyenne Bottoms is such a diverse, large and unique marsh, birdwatching is one of the more popular activities on the area. Waterfowl can be seen throughout the year. During migration, numbers can climb to 250,000 ducks and geese. The SPRING and FALL migration periods offer the best opportunity to view large numbers of different species in this one location.

In spring, waterfowl and sandhill cranes an begin arriving as early as February. Wading birds, such as herons an egrets, begin arriving in March and April. Most shorebirds arrive in late April and early May. By late May, the birds that are still present on the area will tend to remain and nest.

The southward migration in fall can be a rewarding and challenging time for the birdwatcher. Most of the birds moving through the area during this time of year have replaced their breeding plumage with a set of feathers that lack much of the color they had just a few months earlier. This can make identification difficult, especially when looking at shorebirds.

LASR - Green Heron - Great Bend, KansasThe fall shorebird migration can begin as early as July and extend will into September and October. Because of this, the bird numbers are not as impressive as the spring movement since the birds do not achieve as great a number at any one time. The peak period for duck viewing in the fall occurs early to mid-October. Most wading birds remain on the area until the marsh freezes. This is especially true for the great blue heron. Whooping cranes, which migrate from Texas to Northern Canada and back, are most apt to stop at Cheyenne Bottoms in late October into early November. Bald eagles winter on the area and are present from as early as November to as late as March. A checklist of birds found on the area and the seasons they are present is available at the area office and the information signs at the main entrances.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Fishing

Cheyenne Bottoms Fishing
Fishing at Cheyenne Bottoms is limited, for the most part, to carp and bullheads. Occasional catches of channel cat, crappie and bass are made after several continuous years of having water on the area.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Trapping

Cheyenne Bottoms Trapping
Trapping is permitted on the wildlife area. A special permit is required. It is available at the area office free of charge. However, trapping is not permitted at any time in the refuge area nor during the waterfowl season.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area Camping

Cheyenne Bottoms Camping
Camping is permitted only in the primitive campground located 1 mile west of the area office.

Park Area Attractions

Great Bend 18

Hoisington 1

Stafford 7

Ellinwood 11

Lyons 8

St. John 6

Bushton 2

Park Area Events

Great Bend 2

Ellinwood 1

Park Area Businesses

Great Bend 39

Stafford 19

Ellinwood 2

Lyons 14

St. John 12

Bushton 5