Me and some buddies are wanting to go to Kansas for my birthday for the early turkey bowhunting season. We are all in college so we are trying to do it as cheap as we can. I know some of you guys went last season. What are some good public land spots to look into? We've got 3 ground blinds and all the gear, just need some pointers. Any info would be great! Thanks. Matt
Best advice I can give you is .............if you wanna have the best chance at being successful, BAIT!.....lol Perfectly legal, there.
I'll ask around to some of my buddies who got out there and see what I come up with. Most of em hunt private land though so I'm not sure if they know too much.
Lol... Thanks Jeff. I'm not much of a baiter tho. Thanks I appreciate it. I'm pretty sure Meanv went last year, but I don't know if he hunted public or private.
MO.....I've never known anyone (personally) who took a trip (turkey hunting) to KS that didn't score. Gotta be a correlation!
Lol.. I hope you're right Jeff, but I'm from one of the best turkey hunting states in the nation and i haven't taken one in 3 years...lol
I hunted KS Turkey Last year. I've also hunted Turkeys in MO., IL. & NE. All successful hunts. I rarely get skunked, and I don't proclaim to be a Turkey hunter. The Turkey population IMHO is much denser in KS. than any where I have hunted. Also the Gobblers seem to be much more aggressive responding to calls and Decoys. I would not see the need to bait. I actually think it would be a waste of time. As far as public areas to hunt I am not sure of the name of that particular area. I also acquired permission to hunt some private ground adjoining. I went onto KS website and did a little research and went from there. Not sure if I will go back this Spring or not. Last year during early Archery season weather was brutal but still birds were very responsive, nothing like birds here in IL. I hunted along the edge of a picked corn field where they were roosting and then flying down and feeding all over the field, strutting, etc., etc. I doubt feed would have affected them if I had tried to bait. Waste of time IMO. It always amazes me how someone that has never hunted an area but yet are such experts on it. Go! You'll have a blast! Dan
Tresspass fees I paid on a spot bordering public ground last year were small, and well worth it. :-) Dan
Check out Miami county Kansas. Look up Hillsdale lake. It's surrounded by public land with a good chance at bagging a Tom. There is a archery only week just before shot gun season opens. You will have plenty of land all to yourself. It could be 60 or it could be 10 degrees, either way the Toms will be aggressive.
Good Advice! I agree! That's when I went and it was a blast! Those Toms sure are Agressive in KS. :-) Dan
Could you guys show me where all these aggressive Kansas toms are. I couldn't call in a long beard to save my life and I hunt private as well as public lands. I've tried every call and decoy imaginable. I might try scenting down this year. Council Grove has some good public turkey hunting around the lake.
I mostly hunt private land here in KS, but there is plenty of public hunting. Check out the KDWP website and see about getting a Walk In Hunting Access (WIHA) atlas. If you have any trouble finding or getting one, PM me and I can send you one. I'm in South Central KS (Wichita) and there are some good areas for sure. Cheney Lake is good as is Byron Walker preserve. The atlas is pretty helpful overall.
