Kansas Anybody?

Who all is going to Kansas this year?
I always try to get up there the second weekend of Nov and hunt that whole week.
This year, I'm changing tactics. Going the week of Thanksgiving. Seems like the last 3 or 4 years, I get caught in the "lock down" phase. Hoping to see more bucks this time with them cruising looking for those last few does.
Plus, my guy said the biggest buck was killed last year the Monday before Thanksgiving.

I will be up there off and on, as time allows, from next week through the weekend before Thanksgiving. I actually like early November and have had some luck in the past.

Good luck

I was going to say TREX, but see he answered already, he goes up there to sleep, which is hard for some of us to understand

No sleep for the weary!!! Your just mad that you didn't get your updates

OK, you're just playing semantics....If I could remember if it was a "live" thread, I'd have a comeback If it was "live", that would have been "false advertising" STX and I wasted 50# of popcorn on that deal....

Over the years, you should both know by know that popcorn is wasted on me....I either don't shoot or I shoot on the first hunt

Well, this time was "difernt", you sounded serious this time. We got up extra early (heck STX even put on a old HS cheerleaders outfit I heard), so we could cheer you on and you slept in...... SMDH

Good thing we can count on your dad, but kinda blows the "falling far from the tree" thing out of the water

Ramsey got it done too iirc???

I have never slept-in in Kansas. My alarm clock was my updating tool and it didn't have the battery life to make it to the stand with me



He did!!! Was by himself and sent the absolutely worst pictures you have ever seen. I sat by my phone waiting on updates and pictures. When I got the pictures, it was all blur and grass with some kind of body in the middle of it. Couldn't even make out the antlers

He is up there right now

Who's photo did he post? Must have taken better ones for the forum, nice buck iirc. Hell, I could be getting confused with the buck your dad took sucks getting old and tired

He finally was able to get a clear one. Was a nice buck too.

I went for 8 days in late Sept this year. Harvest on dryland corn for silage and low moisture corn was being cut already. I will try to go back in rifle season again this year.

Probably won't get much time to do Kansas this year. I got 15 days home from the Stan in late November and my 10 year old girl is dying to shoot her first deer so we'll be at our panhandle place.

Im headed up next Wed for 12 days.

I might get to go for part of rifle season if my schedules align. Right now I think I've got about a 50% chance.

You just bow hunt it, or the full monty? Just curious how the tag deal works

I have a couple friend =s that have a lease upo there now, but they started off hunting rifle on public land. After seeing most bucks with broke off antler, they started strickly bow hunting. The lease they are on now, I believe they do both, but not 100% sure, I do know they rifle hunt it though.

I apply for the Muzzleloader 14 day season the last part of Sept. If I am unsuccessful I can then go back for the rifle season but have to use the ML. I (or I think)can hunt with a bow or crossbow during the ML season also, just have to read the regs to verify it. I see a few bucks with broken antlers in Sept when I hunt each year.

Hmm, that would seem to make applying for a ML tag senseless if you can use one during rifle anyway, unless I misunderstand what you meant. I do recall the bow season being very generous.

Stupid me had a chance one time to hunt a guys family land and never pursued it much, I was worried about "strings" attached since they where a working relationship with me, fact they still owe me money from 8 years ago, so I probably did the right thing LOL, still, they had 2 farms ranches with over 8k acres

Didn't know you could archery hunt with a ML tag but never looked to see if that is true.

Western, in Kansas, as an out of stater, you have to pick your weapon when getting a permit. ML is allowed in early ML season and December rifle season. Archery season is very long and the only weapon allowed during rut.

As a non-res you have to apply for a permit for the weapon and season you want to hunt. You could use one in rifle season but you have to apply for and draw a permit for the rifle season. Apply for a ML permit only is for Sept or if you are unsuccessful then you can use it later on again in rifle season. Rifle season permit is rifle season time period only, no other season. You specify the weapon when you apply for the permit.

Thanks TREX, that sounds familiar. is/are LO tags also available? or is it still the same rules?

From what I read when I was looking into it, draw was a PITA as usual, but a LO could get them easier, may have been outfitters I was reading though, been a while. Would be neat to hunt there a few times, my buddy did it fairly cheap for a few years (public land) but said there was a lot of poaching in the area he started.

I am not aware of LO tags, but again, never looked into them. The draw isn't terribly difficult, you just need to know what area you will be hunting in April so you can list the Unit on your tag.

Poaching is an issue in many parts of the state. The laws are relatively relaxed and trespassing (LO rights) aren't as stringent as they are in Texas. Also, locals could give two bits for the deer. They just assume you kill them all.

Kansas did away with LO tags years ago, thus making drawing a tag easier for NR's. And yes, NR has to apply for the weapon of choice for that season. So, if you apply for archery season, you can only use a bow or crossbow. You can bow hunt during rifle season but must wear orange during that time. Also, when applying, you must list the 2 units you want to hunt and those units must adjoin each other.

Years ago the LO could get tags/permits then assign/sell one to you. Now you have to apply for a permit by the weapon and season you want. Some areas/units have lots of permits and others not so many. Non-resident Mule Deer permits are few and far between. IIRC the two units I apply for have 80 or less for non-res for all weapons/seasons combined.

Just got the email today that tag prices are going up as of 1 Jan 16. Looks like the NR tag (one any sex and one antlerless) will be $415. The NR license has gone up as well.

I talked to a local Pheasant Forever long time member up there this fall in western Kansas. He told me the state and Pheasants Forever are trying to work out some sort of landowner permit again. They are trying to work it out so LO/farmer will leave some standing crops and be given permit(s) to sell to offset the loss of income. He said it is in the working stages right now and still trying to work out a good program to help build the habitat and numbers of all wildlife back up again.

Well, that should tell you fellas how long it has been since I looked into it.. Doesn't sound to bad the way y'all describe it, pretty much like many other states.

From what I heard, if the LO has enough acreage he can still get tags issued to him that may be dispersed as he wishes. This is coming from a friend who's uncles farm 20,000 plus acres around Ness city in western central KS.

I'm going to Manhattan KS the second week of November to film for a couple buddy's that are trying there luck on the public land in that area

May be a silly question but what if you don't have a place to hunt in the unit adjoining the one you are going to hunt? I am wanting to go to Kansas and hunt and these are all things that I need to know.

I was there for muzzleloader season, didn't get my Kansas big boy, a buddy did, so I'm going back in December during rifle season with my muzzleloader....

I would still put in for the adjoining unit. The nice lady, and I am being sincere, at KPWD told me that if I was worried about getting drawn in my unit, pick the adjoining unit that historically has the most left over permits and it will increase your chance of getting drawn. As long as you are drawn for one, you can hunt the second.

Had a buddy that didn't put in the draw and missed the deadline. Unit was sold out when they went over the counter, so he bought one from adjoining unit and listed his original as secondary. Worked out just fine.

Smart way to play it David, makes sense and it's legal

You'd think they would just do a statewide tag and avoid all the shinnagan ways of doing it, you still have to have land to hunt so......

If you have a place to hunt in one unit, there are several things you can do.
One, look at the adjoining units and the amount of permits available. Pick out the unit with the most. When you apply, they give you 4 choices. For example, for me, I need unit 15, so when I apply, I'll pick 15 & 16. Then, my second choice will be 16 & 15. My third choice will be like 5 & 15 and 4th, 6 & 15. That way, I'm assured to get 15 no matter what. One year I missed the draw. Had to wait for left over tags to go on sale. The day they went on sale, I was at work and call Pratt office at every break. Never could get thru. Time I got home at 4 and got on line, 15 and 16 were completely sold out. So I called again, got thru, and told the lady I need unit 15. They still had tags in 6 and 14. She said I could buy either one and then list my second choice unit for 15, so, I still got in.
Second thing you can do, is look at the public hunting in the adjacent units and pick the one with the most opportunities. That way, you still have other options as into having places to hunt.
But if you know for a fact you won't hunt but that one unit, then it really doesn't matter which unit you list for your second choice as long it adjoins the unit you want.

Okay, got it. Even if you get drawn for the adjacent unit you can still hunt yours on that tag, check.

Yes, as long it is the unit you listed on your application. When you get your tag, the units you can hunt will be printed on the tag.

Kansas has a lot of public land to hunt. Walk In Hunting Areas(WIHA's) and state lands that are available to hunt on. Just have to research and get a map of them since they might have different restrictions as to when you can start to hunt them or what weapon you can use. I saw a really good WT that was a 5x5 with 2 kickers this year on a WIHA.

First time I hunted Kansas was public land in the SW western part of the state. Perfect spot and stalk country. Saw good numbers of deer everyday and a couple bruisers. Of course getting closer then 200yds in wide open spaces is the fun part.

Anybody up there this week?
Got another guy from another forum going this Thursday for a week with the guy I hunt with. He's gonna keep me updated on what's going on up there.
I'm just 20 days away.

We will be in Kansas first week of rifle season.
We hunt Hodgeman county.
Good luck to everyone.

Ramsey, thewrap and my dad were up there this weekend. Still a little slow and rut didn't seem to have kicked off yet. Should be in the pre-rut phase any day now. I will be leaving out at the end of this week, Ramsey is heading back up mid-week and pops will go out probably Thursday.

Good luck to you!!! The anticipation is half the fun

I am heading out this Thursday night. Was there about 10 days ago and very little activity. We are hunting north of ft. Scott around La Cygne.

Im headed north tomorrow morning. Should be in the stand Thursday morning.