Kansas is situated in the midwestern United States, with Topeka as its capital and Wichita as the largest city. The Midway State is popular among bird hunters for the sheer abundance of deer, turkey, and waterfowl.
Travelers from all around the world come to Kansas to hunt. It has a wide variety of animals, diverse landscapes, and varying climates, making it ideal for hunters.
The hunting season depends on the animal and the hunting artillery used. In Kansas, deer hunting, hunters enjoy one of the highest success rates.
Why is Upland Bird Hunting Popular in Kansas?
The hunting season for most birds ranges from October to January. Birds like doves, turkey, snipe, pheasants, standard hill crane, Rock pigeons are the most common birds being hunted today. This is known as Upland Bird Hunting.
Waterfowl Hunting includes:
- the hunting of ducks,
- Canadian geese,
- snow geese.
This season ranges from autumn to early spring.
The Big Game Hunting season starts from October to the end of December. This includes hunting big animals like white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope.
While the white-tailed deer can be found throughout the state, the mule deer usually stays to the state’s far western boundaries. Pronghorn antelopes are found in the far western states of Kansas.
Know About Kansas Deer Hunting
1. Hunter Requirements
During the deer hunting, all the deer hunters and the people assisting the deer hunters during the firearm or muzzleloader deer season have to wear an orange hat and at least 200 square inches of orange clothing on the upper half of the body, out of which 100 square inches must be visible from the front.
Hundred square inches must be visible from the back. The camouflage hunter orange outfit that provides 100 square inches of orange is also legal for deer hunting in Kansas.
Longbows, compound bows, recurve bows that are hand-drawn and have no mechanical device to lock the bow and are designed to shoot only one arrow at a time are allowed during archery hunts.
People with disabilities are allowed to use a drawer-lock device attached to their bows. Equipment capable of dispensing chemicals to take the big game animals is not allowed during deer hunting.
2. Annual Hunting Licence
Unless exempted by Kansas law, all resident hunters should be aged 16 to 74 and have a resident hunting license.
The non-resident hunters should have a non-resident hunting license regardless of their age. The annual hunting licenses can be purchased online or by all licensed agents for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism Offices for deer hunting.
No hunter is allowed to purchase more than 1 permit that allows the harvest of an antlered deer. Hunter orange clothing is required.
3. Cost of a Hunting License in Kansas
• $2750 residents (365 days from purchase)
• $42.50 resident youth multi-year (16-20, expires at 21)
• $47.50 resident hunt/fish combo
• $102.50 resident five-year (1,825 days from purchase)
• $15 resident senior (16-74)
• $97.50 for non-residents (365 days from purchase)
• $137.50 nonresident hunt fish combo.
• $42.50 non-resident youth, 15 and younger (365 days from purchase)
4. Hunter Education
To engage in deer hunting, one needs to have a proper license. To purchase a hunting license in Kansas, Kansas law requires that the hunter be born on or after July 1, 1957, and complete a certified Hunting Education course.
Hunter Education is a must for all hunters. This license applies to both resident and non-resident hunters. Kansas does honor certificates of completion from other state-approved courses, Canadian provinces, and some foreign countries.
If a person has done the course from any other state, they must contact that state’s Hunter Education office.
5. Kansas Archery Hunts
Many hunters prefer the long archery season that encompasses the track and allows crossbows. Deer hunting with archery is usually expected to be a long waiting time spent in the woods as you can’t kill a deer sitting in the lodge.
Kansas usually stays at the top of people’s list of favorite whitetail States. The Kansas archery deer season usually opens up by October 1st and runs through December 31st.
It has a dependable population of outsized years that seemingly responds more consistently to calling techniques. It has huge stretches of an isolated and rural landscape with good crop fields with less hunting pressure.
One needs to set up scrape lines, pinch points, and feeders for hunting. At certain times, decoys work well. One must know the scent control and working of the wood to hunt.
It would be best if you had treestands and ground blind set up to hide. You might also need a hang-on stand in a partially different location.
6. Kansas Rifle Hunts
Deer hunting with a rifle is the toughest time in Kansas to hunt. One needs the patience to spend a lot of time in the deep woods, hoping for the deer’s activity.
You should be prepared for a hard hunt staying out while you have a great chance of filling your tag. The Kansas firearm deer season runs in December for the residents and in April for the non-residents.
7. Species Available
The hunting experience in Kansas is full of diversity. Two deer species thrive and Kansas: the white-tailed deer and the mule deer. The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) are the two common sympatric deer species in the Great.
Plains and the western United States have been exhibiting divergent population trends terrestrially and geographically. The mule deer populations are decreasing and shrinking to the west, while populations of white-tailed deer are increasing and growing.
In the past 20 years, the number of white-tailed deer has increased radically. They can be easily found virtually statewide wherever they can find a suitable habitat.
They have well adapted themselves to Kansas’ modern landscape finding shelter in the natural woodlands, old homesteads, shelterbelts, and grasslands. Due to abundant food in the crop fields, they have survived well.
There has been minimal research conducted in Kansas to understand why two similar species exhibit vastly different population trends. Densities of white-tailed deer are highest in the eastern one-third of the state.
The mule deer are less abundant as you travel west to east. They are restricted to the Western one-third of the state. They are primarily in the High Plains, Red Hills, and Smoky Hills regions. Moving from west to east, whitetail numbers increase.
8. Kansas Muzzleloader Hunts
Early September is one of the earliest times when you can catch hold of the Kansas white-tailed deer. The muzzleloader hunts are as difficult as archery hunts giving access to hunting in areas that others have not disturbed.
This forms a great opportunity for hunting the trophy buck with a muzzleloader in Kansas. During this time, the weather tends to be warmer and more manageable than the other seasons of rifle and crossbow.
The deer usually travels in routine patterns making the success rates even higher. Deer hunting with a muzzleloader is a tough task and is not meant for the weak. The hot weather during the time makes the deer lay down and stay cool.
Early morning or late evening is the best time for hunting during this season. The cheapest location for muscle loader hunting is near waterholes, feed fields, and travel routes.
9. What is Chronic Wasting Disease?
The first case of chronic wasting disease was found in a captive bull elk in the Harper country in 2001. After the surveillance efforts that began in 1996, 27 863 cervids happened sampled and tested for chronic wasting disease to date.
Currently, there is no known treatment or eradication method for this chronic wasting disease. Prevention is the way to safeguard the health of local deer herds.
Hunters and other wildlife lovers are advised to avoid the human-assisted spread of this disease during deer hunting by not transporting alive or dead deer or elk from the area where it is more prominent.
The hunters are encouraged to use electronic deer check-in or leave evidence of sex attached to the carcass. Another major concern is the spread of the disease from captive cervid farms to animals’ wild populations.
Once the disease gets into the wild-served population while deer hunting, it is virtually impossible to eradicate it.
The sooner chronic wasting disease is detected, the sooner it can be controlled, and the disease can be prevented from spreading.
Conclusion:
One can find an abundance of hunting options in Kansas from September through May and some seasonal hunting periods throughout the other months.
Kansas has about 300,000 acres of public land and more than 1 million acres of private land seasonally open for hunters worldwide.
Kansas also has approximately one-half million acres of Professionally Managed Hunting Facilities that provide private fee-to-hunt access.
There are numerous outfitters, reserves, and preserves. Kansas is recognized as the Top 3 States for Pheasant & Quail. It is a great place to hunt and a travel hunter destination hosting hunters from around the world.
If you are interested in adventure and hunting, this can be a great place for you.
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani
