I'm just beginning to research a Whitetail hunt in Kansas for 2014. I'm not trying to find anyone's favorite spot. Just looking for some general info. I have read everything on the Kansas State F&G Dept. site. Anyone care to share their experiences and knowledge of the state ?
Kansas DIY Public Land or Lease Private Land
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upper deck
Member
Bow or rifle? Bow season is going to run during the magical weeks of Nov. Vs rifle in Dec. I've had good luck of asking land owners (if you can't make it out ahead of season to shake hands I would focus on the public/ walk-in)and hunting walk in hunting areas. During rifle these public areas get fairly busy in my experience. You can have good luck if you put your time in and look for the stuff that is overlooked by most.
I don't have any experience on leased land so can't respond to that part.
The east side of the state is your more tradition whitetail habitat but you also find a high % of the population.
I don't have any experience on leased land so can't respond to that part.
The east side of the state is your more tradition whitetail habitat but you also find a high % of the population.
dihardhunter
Active member
Don't overlook the early muzzleloader season in mid-September. ZERO pressure. If you can find a good bachelor group they are extremely patternable. Just be ready for warm temperatures, ticks, and mosquitos. Great opportunity to shoot a really good buck though. Oh, did I mention ZERO pressure. Personal observations made in the SE corner of the state.
Southwind
New member
If I were coming here from out of state I would go west. The state has been stricken with drought but we got some reprieve this year. SW has been hit the hardest but even with the bad drought conditions I have seen some really nice deer taken from public ground/ WIHA (walk in hunting).
The SE part of the state has fewer public lands and more competition and has been hit hard over the past decade and the herd quality has suffered.
The western part of the state has seen it's whitetail population grow and thrive and in my opinion the quality and opportunities are much better there. Find the creek bottoms even if they are dry and a mix of crp/pasture cover combined with cultivated crop land. Any water is a bonus but I have been amazed at the small amount they seem to be able to survive on out there. Also, land owners are much more unlikely to turn you away and the outfitters don't have everything wrapped up out there either. (yet) Actually there is a very good contingency of farmers/ranchers that refuse to go down the outfitter path unlike the eastern part of the state that is over run.
The SE part of the state has fewer public lands and more competition and has been hit hard over the past decade and the herd quality has suffered.
The western part of the state has seen it's whitetail population grow and thrive and in my opinion the quality and opportunities are much better there. Find the creek bottoms even if they are dry and a mix of crp/pasture cover combined with cultivated crop land. Any water is a bonus but I have been amazed at the small amount they seem to be able to survive on out there. Also, land owners are much more unlikely to turn you away and the outfitters don't have everything wrapped up out there either. (yet) Actually there is a very good contingency of farmers/ranchers that refuse to go down the outfitter path unlike the eastern part of the state that is over run.
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FreezerHunter
Active member
I live in Central Kansas and have hunted public land in a couple different parts of the state and found success. I only have time to hunt maybe 10 times a year, and I like to eat deer, so my focus has never been on killing a monster deer. I have only hunted in the easter half of the state (white-tail) and have no experience with Mule deer in Kansas. Mule deer are on my list, but I don't know if I will ever have the time to travel out to the western 1/3 of the state to give it a shot.
My uncle came down from MI and was able to connect on a deer on public land (north central Kansas), but it wasn't one of the "monsters" you see on TV. Those deer are there, but the public land tracks in Kansas are "small" compared to the western states. If you don't find Mr. Big, he may be nearby but on the wrong side of the fence. My uncle was restricted to certain units. North central Kansas is covered up in deer, so there are quite a few tags (better draw chances) for those units (I think).
When I hunt public land, it is usually around reservoirs. Some of the land is state owned (or at least maintained/managed) and some of it falls under the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers for flood control. My experience is that the state land is used more because it is designed to be (roads, parking, etc. to encourage hunting). Much of the Corps land is less accessible, and therefore "less" pressured. Like everywhere, the farther from the road, the less it is hunted. Some of it can only be accessed from the water without first crossing private land. The difficulty is it may only be a few acres here and there, but if you find the "right" few acres it can really be nice. The state parks near the reservoirs allow for camping (RV Hookups), showers, etc., and some even have cabins.
My experience with "Walk-in Hunting Areas" (private lands "leased" by the state for hunting) is limited to bird hunting only. The atlas for these areas can be downloaded, and google-earth can give you some good satellite images of the various spots. I've not deer hunted on these lands, but I imagine the right spot could be excellent. I just don't usually have the time to travel and scout out these spots like I would need to be successful.
I would echo the benefit of the early muzzleloader season. Fewer hunters means less pressure, but it can be hot (90 degrees+) and the ticks, chiggers and poison ivy can be vicious. However, if you aren't successful in September, you can hunt again (with a muzzleloader) during rifle season in December.
I prefer bow hunting. The season is long, and covers the rut. Halloween to Thanksgiving, centered around about Nov. 7-10 or so, is prime time. Crossbows are now allowed during archery season.
My only problem hunting public land (besides being crowded during rifle season) was the theft of a tree stand. It was there all of archery season, and then was stolen during rifle season. I should have known better I guess, but it was still a pretty low-down thing for someone to do.
Tree-stands must have your name on them on public land, and can be hunted by anyone if you aren't using it. Depending on what part of the state you are looking at, a nice tall, straight tree may be difficult to find! Ground blinds (tent type) cannot be left up overnight, but you can make a blind out of brush, etc. and leave it there, but again, it can be used by anyone.
I have had a few encounters still-hunting, and I've taken deer with the muzzleloader and rifle this way, but I've not been able to connect with the bow. I've had opportunities, but I'm not good enough I guess. My dad grew up in MI and his complaint is about how thick the cover is in Kansas. He says you can't just walk through the woods like in MI. I don't know about MI, but I would agree it is difficult to "sneak" through cover in Kansas because it is often incredibly overgrown. I have much better luck setting up a good ambush.
Best of Luck!
My uncle came down from MI and was able to connect on a deer on public land (north central Kansas), but it wasn't one of the "monsters" you see on TV. Those deer are there, but the public land tracks in Kansas are "small" compared to the western states. If you don't find Mr. Big, he may be nearby but on the wrong side of the fence. My uncle was restricted to certain units. North central Kansas is covered up in deer, so there are quite a few tags (better draw chances) for those units (I think).
When I hunt public land, it is usually around reservoirs. Some of the land is state owned (or at least maintained/managed) and some of it falls under the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers for flood control. My experience is that the state land is used more because it is designed to be (roads, parking, etc. to encourage hunting). Much of the Corps land is less accessible, and therefore "less" pressured. Like everywhere, the farther from the road, the less it is hunted. Some of it can only be accessed from the water without first crossing private land. The difficulty is it may only be a few acres here and there, but if you find the "right" few acres it can really be nice. The state parks near the reservoirs allow for camping (RV Hookups), showers, etc., and some even have cabins.
My experience with "Walk-in Hunting Areas" (private lands "leased" by the state for hunting) is limited to bird hunting only. The atlas for these areas can be downloaded, and google-earth can give you some good satellite images of the various spots. I've not deer hunted on these lands, but I imagine the right spot could be excellent. I just don't usually have the time to travel and scout out these spots like I would need to be successful.
I would echo the benefit of the early muzzleloader season. Fewer hunters means less pressure, but it can be hot (90 degrees+) and the ticks, chiggers and poison ivy can be vicious. However, if you aren't successful in September, you can hunt again (with a muzzleloader) during rifle season in December.
I prefer bow hunting. The season is long, and covers the rut. Halloween to Thanksgiving, centered around about Nov. 7-10 or so, is prime time. Crossbows are now allowed during archery season.
My only problem hunting public land (besides being crowded during rifle season) was the theft of a tree stand. It was there all of archery season, and then was stolen during rifle season. I should have known better I guess, but it was still a pretty low-down thing for someone to do.
Tree-stands must have your name on them on public land, and can be hunted by anyone if you aren't using it. Depending on what part of the state you are looking at, a nice tall, straight tree may be difficult to find! Ground blinds (tent type) cannot be left up overnight, but you can make a blind out of brush, etc. and leave it there, but again, it can be used by anyone.
I have had a few encounters still-hunting, and I've taken deer with the muzzleloader and rifle this way, but I've not been able to connect with the bow. I've had opportunities, but I'm not good enough I guess. My dad grew up in MI and his complaint is about how thick the cover is in Kansas. He says you can't just walk through the woods like in MI. I don't know about MI, but I would agree it is difficult to "sneak" through cover in Kansas because it is often incredibly overgrown. I have much better luck setting up a good ambush.
Best of Luck!
Thank you for the responses. The early muzzleloader season sounds like fun, but I have purchased a bull elk tag for my wife in Utah. We are not bow hunters. We actually prefer to hunt the colder weather anyway (hate snakes !!).
Regarding seeking permission to hunt from landowners. When I hunt waterfowl in Saskatchewan and contact a landowner, generally a polite request, a handshake, and a brief introduction will result in a positive outcome. Are the farmers in Kansas open to such contacts ? Here in the east, more and more farmers are looking to charge hunters for land access. Please note I intend no disrespect for the farmers. I grew up on a dairy farm, and understand the sometimes difficult annual budgets they contend with. However, among the farmers here in the east, leasing land to hunters is becoming an important second income.
Regarding seeking permission to hunt from landowners. When I hunt waterfowl in Saskatchewan and contact a landowner, generally a polite request, a handshake, and a brief introduction will result in a positive outcome. Are the farmers in Kansas open to such contacts ? Here in the east, more and more farmers are looking to charge hunters for land access. Please note I intend no disrespect for the farmers. I grew up on a dairy farm, and understand the sometimes difficult annual budgets they contend with. However, among the farmers here in the east, leasing land to hunters is becoming an important second income.
Southwind
New member
Like I said earlier I believe your best bet and results would be the western half of the state. You can get mixed results on landowner permission but by far have a better chance than the eastern half. With the large amount of Walk in hunting you don't even really need private permission to be able to get a quality hunt.
I will disagree that most of the Walk in is geared towards bird hunting there are thousands of acres of very good deer hunting properties out there. A large percentage of locals hunt from trucks out west so finding tracks you can get off the road can yield very good results.
You have to take a "western hunting" mentality and methodology when hunting Walk in in western Kansas and you will be find a lot of opportunities.
I will disagree that most of the Walk in is geared towards bird hunting there are thousands of acres of very good deer hunting properties out there. A large percentage of locals hunt from trucks out west so finding tracks you can get off the road can yield very good results.
You have to take a "western hunting" mentality and methodology when hunting Walk in in western Kansas and you will be find a lot of opportunities.
dihardhunter
Active member
The problem with most of those websites is that you are paying the absolute premium for a hunting lease. Whatever the farmer is charging PLUS whatever additional cut the leasing broker wants for himself. If leasing is a route you want to explore, it's best to cut out the middle man but you still need to protect yourself with proper documents/insurance, etc. Slightly more inconvenient, but it will save you large $$$ in the end though. Not saying don't go that route, but if money is tight - you get squeezed hard.
