KS Quail hunt

B

bayne

New member
I heard Bobwhites have been the best in 20yr around Hayes how is the rest of the state? How about the Blues in West KS? Any Pheseant or P.Chickens around Selina? Hopeing to get out to hunt the last week in January. Maybe do some calling also.
 
I was stationed in KS back in 90-93 and thats the best quail hunting I have ever experienced. We could shoot our limit almost every trip and did so without a dog!

Would love to go back there again.
 

I just got back from the McPherson area (central). There were TONS of quail, the most I've ever seen in 10 years of going there.

We actually took the time to go shoot some one day....
 
It's kind of hit and miss really. Kansas had some unbelievable storms this past spring with isolated heavy hail. Some crop damage, in areas, was 100%. So in these isolated areas, the birds really got hammered. I got into quite a few the second week of the season but with all the late fall rains, all the good quail habitat was underwater or so muddy you couldn't walk it. The last week in January could be real good. All those waterways and creeks that were underwater early in the season should be frozen if it stays cold. Alot of those same areas are surrounded by crops that the farmers couldn't get to because of the mud. I don't know what direction you go from Hays, but northwest of there got hammered with hail this spring. I work with a guy that went southwest of Hays and they tore up the pheasants but not alot of quail. Naturally, all the property I hunt is northwest of Hays. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Good luck, and just for the record, I think there were more birds last year.
 
Bayne ,

I would definatley Check with the Kansas wildlife and Parks Regional offices they have given me the best info so far. Pheasant wise it is supposed to be one of the best years in the past 20 years. Qauil are spotty. Where there were timley rains and normal weather no Hail and flooding and where there good habitat the quail should be good. There is a Red Hills regeion of Kansas that the wildlife and parks says is good.
 
Just got back from central, KS did good on pheasants, some fields they were pretty wild. Best pheasant hunting I can remember in the past several years. Didn't really go after quail but we got into 3 nice coveys, one with 50+ birds. We found our birds in CRP close to milo fields and standing feed/milo that is going into CRP
 
Does anyone from SW KS know how the Blue Quail # are? I am on a quest to shot one of every N. American upland game bird, and was hoping to cross one more off the list. I will be down there the last week of season.
 
Well I came, I saw, and I shot a limit. It took a box of shells but I shot a limit on the first day. Had a great time, you KS Boys don't know how good you got it to still have Bobwhites. I live in Iowa and had to go to SD to shot a limit of Phesants and KS to shoot a limit of Quail.
 
Bayne,

I've heard there in Iowa that CRP is coming out an Farmers are farming every inch they can. In the Northeast part of kansas we have lost a bunch of good cover to progressive farming and Removal of CRP Acres. As you get further west , crop ground is not as worth as much and yeilds are lower so CRP in some areas makes more sense.The payback on removing plum/thickets and prarie habitats take a longer time.

I like kansas.

Are you a member of Pheasants Forever or Qauil Forever.

Both these organizations adress the habitat lost.
 
I am a member of PF and no I did not see any Blue's. Think I need to go extreame SW KS to get into them. I talked to a lady at the Cimmeron Grasslands and she said due to the drought the blue numbers were down. I hope to get back down next fall due to my license is still good until 12/31/09 & hope the # improve. As far as IA goes they would grow corn or beans in the road ditchs if they could get the planter and combine in it. They tear out hedge rows to plant 2 more rows of corn. We ues to have really good quail hunting in southern IA but our phesants and quail have hit rock bottom. I think it has to do with soybean aphids and the insectcids that are used and Roundup.
 
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