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Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

Title:The Hunting Notesfile
Notice:Registry #7, For Sale #15, Success #270
Moderator:SALEM::PAPPALARDO
Created:Wed Sep 02 1987
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1561
Total number of notes:17784

464.0. "Kansas, land of ahs?" by MAIL::HENSON () Fri Sep 08 1989 13:45

    
    
    Without making this sound like an ad from the state tourism
    bureau, I would like to post a little information about the
    hunting opportunities in Kansas.  Yesterday, the Wichita
    newspaper devoted an entire 24 page section to hunting in the
    state.  I am just regurgitating some of this.  I thought that
    some of you might be interested in this info.
    
    First, let me say that I have lived here for nearly two years.
    During that time, I have hunted dove, quail, pheasant and deer.
    While I haven't exactly been extremely successful (so far I've
    only bagged dove and quail), I have missed shots at everything
    I've hunted (including a nice 6 or 8 point buck).  Also, all
    of my hunting has been on public land.  So, all in all, it
    ain't too bad.  Anyway, here's what the paper has to say.
    
    	Kansas has:
    	- Top quail harvest in nation 1988
    	- Top 3 pheasant state year after year
    	- Astounding 70 percent deer hunter success
    	- Decade's top producer of trophy bucks
    	- Highest dove numbers in nationwide census
    	- Most prairie chickens in the world
    	- Magnet for Central Flyway ducks
    	- Astounding 50 percent turkey hunter success
    
    Sounds pretty good, huh?
    
    When you start reading the articles inside, you find out that the
    claims about quail and pheasant are valid (Kansas ranks second behind
    Iowa in pheasants.  Iowa has a thirty percent higher kill but also
    has 50 percent more hunters).  The claim about doves is also sound,
    but by about the second week of season, they've all flown south.
    The main reason that Kansas is the top prairie chicken place in
    the world is because hardly no one else has 'em.  I can't really
    comment on the ducks and turkey.  As for deer, what they claim
    appears to be true.  In fact, there are some areas of the state
    where it will be possible to harvest 7 (yes, SEVEN) deer legally
    this year.  And there are an awful lot of big farm fed bucks
    taken every year.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that
    only residents are allowed to hunt deer.  Sorry.  There is also
    another article in this section which states that Kansas ranks
    last in the U.S. in the percentage of public hunting land available
    (I would have swore it had to be Texas).
    
    That's it.  If anyone wants more information, send me mail or reply
    here.  I'll do what I can.  In the meantime, I'm going dove hunting
    again this weeked (I don't expect to find very many birds) and later
    this month or early next month I'm going to try for prairie chicken.
    
    Jerry
    
    P.S.  Last year non-resident licenses were $50.  I think that they're
    the same this year.  A non-resident license lets you hunt everything
    but deer and turkey.
                                                           
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464.1you have to be kidding me!!!TWOBOS::LAFOSSEFri Sep 08 1989 14:3214
    My cousins wife was born and raised in Denver Kansas, And her family
    has had tremendous success hunting deer, close to 100% success rate
    for the family, they never fail to have a full meatpole.  One thing
    I did find interesting is that it is a shotgun only state, makes
    sense when you think about it, its entirely flat with very few trees.
    
    Didn't realize that non-residents were not allowed to hunt deer.
    This is a sin, how can Kansas (or any other state) get away with 
    this type of thing? If there any truth to this, why don't the 
    bordering states (or the other 49 for that matter) refuse to sell 
    non-resident licenses to kansas folk, till they change their ways. 
    This seems to me to be bad business any way you look at it.
    
    Fra
464.2More on non-resident non-huntingMAIL::HENSONFri Sep 08 1989 18:1721
    
    
    You have raised a good point about the non-resident business.
    For what it's worth, I've heard some mention that it might
    change, but I wouldn't hold my breath.  From a purely selfish
    point of view, I kind of like the idea.  I think that most
    residents fear that if the state was opened up to non-residents,
    hunting would suffer.  Right now, it appears that one of the
    wildlife department's main concerns is to keep populations in
    check in certain areas.
    
    There is one way for a non-resident to hunt deer here.  All you
    have to do is establish residency (90 days with a permanent
    address in Kansas) and then buy a lifetime hunting license for
    either $200 or $300.  Then if you move, you can always hunt in
    Kansas as a resident.
    
    By the way, Kansas is NOT a shotgun only state.  Not even close.
    
    Jerry
         
464.3TWOBOS::LAFOSSEFri Sep 08 1989 18:267
    re:.2
    
    i may have mistaken what they said regarding the use of shotguns,
    but i could have sworn they said shotgun only.... could this be
    by county???
    
    fra....
464.4More on Shotguns and DeerMAIL::HENSONMon Sep 11 1989 10:3022
    
    
    There are some areas which are restricted to shotgun, but I
    don't think that it is on a county basis.  For instance, last
    year I hunted at Ft. Riley, an army post in north central Kansas
    (It is the same post that General Custer left from on his last
    campaign).  There, they set their own regulations, in agreement
    with the state.  The particular area which I hunted was limited
    to shotguns with rifled slugs and muzzleloading rifles.  This
    was mainly because there was post housing in the area.  There
    are other areas on the post which allow hunting with rifles.
    There may also be other areas in the state which I am not aware 
    of which have similar restrictions.
                  
    In the FWIW category, I read this weekend that hunters from other
    states (Colorado being on of them) who have lobbied to get their
    legislature to ban sales of non-resident license to Kansans.  So
    far, nothing has happend.  Also, in case I misrepresented the
    facts, it is only deer (and maybe turkey, I don't know) that
    non-residents can't hunt.  Everything else is OK.
    
    Jerry
464.5Hunting OpportunitiesMAIL::HENSONMon Sep 11 1989 10:4433
    
    I went dove hunting this weekend and thought I would share my
    experience with others.  The hunt wasn't very successful in
    terms of what we bagged, but there were a lot of intangibles
    that made it a very successful hunt.  Mostly, though, I just
    want to show what kind of hunting opportunities there are here.
    
    I left the house at 5:15 Sunday A.M. and was in a public hunting
    area at a local lake by 6:00.  Three of us (my 14 year old son,
    Steven, a friend from work, and me) waited for the morning flight.
    Unfortunately, a severe thunderstorm hit the area two days earlier
    and most of the birds had left.  I did get to watch Steven bag his
    first dove, though.  He was very excited (me too).  That was all
    we got.
    
    During the course of the morning (we were home before noon), though,
    we saw 1 deer (a doe), 7 pheasants (4 hens, 3 roosters), doves
    (mostly out of range), ducks (I don't know what kind), geese
    (most Canadas) and some white pelicans.  We also spent about 
    30 minutes shooting clay pigeons.  In a hunt the previous week,
    we also flushed a covey of quail (bob whites).  All of this within
    45 minutes of a city of 300,000 people (Wichita).
    
    I don't want to come off sounding like the Chamber of Commerce,
    but I am impressed with the hunting opportunities that are
    available to me.  The place that I hunted Sunday is not even
    considered one of the better hunting areas.  And just 45 minutes
    east of Wichita (this place was west of Wichita), I plan to
    try my hand at prairie chickens at another public hunting area.
    
    Well, enough of that.  Have a nice day.
    
    Jerry
464.6Border warsCLUSTA::STORMTue Sep 12 1989 17:0712
    I'm really suprised the bordering states haven't no Kansas hunting
    laws.  This type of thing happened among some states in the deep
    south (Mississipp and Alabama for sure, not sure what others).  I
    think Alabama started it.  They didn't ban non-resident hunters, but
    charged 3 or 4 times what other states did for the non-resident 
    license.  All the bordering states now have "Reciprical"(sp?) pricing
    so that a non-residend Mississippi license would cost an Alabama
    hunter, the same as a non-resident Alabama license would cost a
    Mississppi hunter.  Seems fair to me.
    
    Mark,
    
464.7I'm suprised no one challenges itCSCOA3::HUFFSTETLERThu Sep 14 1989 18:3615
I'm suprised that no one has challenged these type of agreements 
legally (as being unconstitutional).  Specifically, it seems that 
charging someone one price for something and charging someone else a 
higher price for the same product just because they're from another 
state would violate the interstate commerce clauses of the Constitution.

I had the same question about tuition for out of state students at a 
university, though, and it seems that the state justified higher 
tuition costs by saying that out-of-staters hadn't put anything into 
the economy in the form of taxes, etc., so the courts said it was ok to 
treat out-of-staters differently.  Maybe that applies here, too.

Any lawyers or lawyer friends out there wanna comment?

Scott
464.8CLUSTA::STORMTue Sep 26 1989 12:237
    On the issue of reciprical non-resident licsenses, I noticed last
    night that N.H. has a similar law for non-resident trapping.
    The license is available to you as a non-resident only if your
    state of residence has trapping open to non-residents.
    
    Mark,
    
464.9Sound game management?SALEM::AYOTTEWed Sep 27 1989 09:562
    Sounds like a political statement.
    
464.10Outdoor Life snubs Kansas?MAIL::HENSONThu Oct 05 1989 13:4514
    In the October '89 issue of Outdoor Life, I noticed something
    rather peculiar.  This magazine has different editions for 
    different parts of the country.  That is, there is a Southwest
    edition, a Midwest edition, a Far West edition, etc.  The idea
    is to provide articles and information of local interest.
    
    Well, the edition I have is the Midwest edition (I live in 
    Kansas).  Guess what?  There was not a single mention of anything
    that was going on in Kansas.  It appeared that Kansas was
    intentionally slighted.  Is Outdoor Life sending a signal about
    Kansas's no non-resident deer hunting policy?  Who knows?
    I thought that some of you might find this interesting.
    
    Jerry
464.11The land of OZ!IOENG::TESTAGROSSAdtn 297-7581Thu Oct 05 1989 13:514
    Do to the fact that only residents can hunt Kansas who cares whats
    happening there beside you folks!
    
    Barry
464.12Elk in Kansas ?CSC32::WATERSThe Agony of DeleteThu Oct 05 1989 15:448
    A book that I have says that Kansas has a Elk hunting season (residents
    only by permit). Are there Elk in Kansas ?  Where ?
    
    I know Elk use to be plains animals, but that has long since changed,
    I thought.
    
    Mark
    
464.13Elk in KansasMAIL::HENSONThu Oct 05 1989 18:1919
    Yup!  Or so they say.  This year there were 2 permits allowed. 
    I'm not sure, but I suspect that your chances of drawing out
    are rather slim.  Any resident can apply, and you don't have
    to send in money in to do it.  If you draw out, it costs $75.
    
    Currently, only the very southwest corner of the state allows
    elk hunting (around the Cimmaron National Grassland).  And from
    what I have heard, getting a permit just about guarantees you
    a trophy bull.
    
    There is one other place in the state which holds a herd of elk.
    That is Ft. Riley, in north central Kansas.  The base manages its
    wildlife, with interference from the state, and wanted to allow
    4 permits this year.  But, alas, the state said no.  When I was
    deer hunting there last year, I was told by the local people that
    there was one huge bull with a 9 by 8 rack.  Wish I could have
    seen it.                                                       
    
    Jerry