Looking for Turkey Hunting spots in Kansas

[outfishedagain]

My buddies and I are planning a trip to Kansas this year and we were looking for a little help finding some place to check out. I haven’t seen the 07” public land book yet, so I was wondering if anyone knows someone or has a good area. The bad thing is that we are kind of on a budget. But any help is good help. Thanks!

Good luck in the woods this spring.

[brittman]

I went to KS in 2003. The two of us shot 3 birds in 1.5 days of hunting. All three on public land. I do not believe it is fair to pin point location, but I will give you a few tips.

Pick a county with some WPAs and GMAs. Much of KS looks like western MN or the Dakotas, whole lot of ag land but with much more small wood lots and creeks, but no sloughs. Turkeys are hang'n out in these woods.

Leave very early morning and you should get to KS in the afternoon. Buy license before or as you enter the state. License is good the next day. Warning - not much open on Sundays except WalMart.

Scout the WPAs and private land. You can always ask for permission. We were lucky we did not have too.

You can hunt all day. We did better after 11AM. Some birds stay in a very localized area, but others are very nomadic. I suspect some Toms move mile(s) each day.

I believe these Toms are "moving" in search of hens. We set up on one creek and called. Saw or heard nothing. We gave up after 30 minutes (easy to do). As we were getting back to the truck we watched two big Toms come across the field and enter "our" woodlot. We tried to scramble back - but we blew it! They were moving in too FAST.

You will see turkeys (strutting Toms) through much of IA, MO, and KS as you travel along interstates and highways. Fun to see....

[FarByondDrivn]

OutFishedAgain,

You just need a really good caller like that Gunderson kid from Granite Falls! It takes one to call one! JRB

[outfishedagain]

thanks for the tips, we'll have a better idea of where to start looking.

[Hotspotter]

Britt:

Great post....esp. about driving past all those toms on the way out to KS. Do it at night if you want to keep your blood pressure in check

The part of KS I've hunted sounds very similar to where Brittman has hunted, except there was little in the way of public land to hunt in south Central KS. Knocking on doors takes valuable hunting time away, but we had an 'in' through a buddy of mine on some 600 acres of a private lease. The birds were skittish at best, and downright fearful of everything at worst. I took a tom just before leaving to make it 3 birds for 4 guys, 3 days. We hunted hard, and these rios were masters of deceit!

Our birds were keying in on wheat/millet fields during the day where they fed in the wide, wide open, and your best chance was to steer them towards you on their way out-to, or back out of the fields. Hunting more during the heart of the breeding season, would help, as we were later.

Britt is right on with the way these things move. When they get it in their pea-sized brain to move towards or away from you, it can happen in a hurry. Sneaks and end-arounds in the wide-open are much more difficult.

Wind can be a factor, so make sure you have a raspy multiple reeded mouth call, or preferably a sharp box call to reach out there.

My best advice for scouting/finding-land is to find a major river system with woodlots along it, and work up and down the river. You might have to go a few miles, but usually you'll strike birds within the first mile or so. At least in the area we were, the birds are where the water is.

Joel

[outfishedagain]

The "07" public land book isn't quite updated yet, but we used the "06" book and with the use of Terra Server we picked out some great looking spots to start. Thanks for the tips.

It should be different from the South dakota hunt we've done for the past few years. From Merriams to Rios.

Good luck in the woods this spring!

[setterguy]

Does Kansas have walk in areas? I bird hunted there a few years ago and thought they did. Maybe it doesn't apply for big game???

[outfishedagain]

Kansas has a walk-in program similar to the one in South Dakota. If that helps any?

Good luck in the woods this spring.