Extend Kansas Season to end of Feb.

K

KU Pheasant Hunter

New member
How about we extend the season to the end of Feb.

1. Weather is better than in Nov.
2. Not many hunters
3. Good for local business
4. Little to no impact on bird numbers
5. One less month to wait for walleye fishing

What am I missing here?
 
KU Pheasant Hunter said:
How about we extend the season to the end of Feb.

1. Weather is better than in Nov.
2. Not many hunters
3. Good for local business
4. Little to no impact on bird numbers
5. One less month to wait for walleye fishing

What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

#4 is the one that concerns me since there probably haven't been many real world data to back it. I don't think that killing roosters for another month would be a big problem, but how many hens are struggling to survive a harsh February as it is? Especially if December and January just happen to be like they were 20-30 years ago (or so I'm told).

I'd sure like to hunt them another month, I just wouldn't want to do it if it were going to adversely affect the hen population just before nesting season. I like it if it is sustainable is what I'm saying.
 
Can't imagine there would be a great deal of hunters and the ave highs & lows and precip are actually better in Feb than Dec.


Russell Weather

US Geography / US Weather / Kansas Weather / Russell
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. High 38° 44° 54° 66° 75° 86° 92° 88° 80° 68° 54° 41°
Avg. Low 16° 20° 28° 41° 51° 61° 67° 65° 56° 44° 30° 18°
Mean 28° 34° 42° 54° 64° 74° 80° 78° 68° 57° 42° 31°
Avg. Precip.0.6 in 0.7 in 2.1 in 2.7 in 3.5 in 3.4 in 3.4 in 3.7 in 2.9 in 1.7 in 1.1 in 0.8 in
 
Extended season

Strong negative response from Kansas landowners, is the number 1 with a bullet answer. This has been suggested before, many times. Kansas Farm Bureau goes balistic. Also, I might add, until recently, it was believed that late season hunting had no impact, but, a new study I saw on the Mo. Conservation site claims that late season harvest of quail, at least, has a direct impact on the nesting population. somehow, fall harvest is less a factor, must have to do with bird loss to other causes, and the fact that Feb. is the highest stress month for all wildlife, due to dwindling food supply and the cumulative effect of a long winter season, even though the temperatures are moderating. To anticipate your next idea, why not open earlier, like Mo. and Nebraska? See Kansas Farm Bureau above, not ever going to happen again, in Kansas.
 
KU Pheasant Hunter said:
How about we extend the season to the end of Feb.

1. Weather is better than in Nov.
2. Not many hunters
3. Good for local business
4. Little to no impact on bird numbers
5. One less month to wait for walleye fishing

What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

The concept of "Fair Chase" is at the heart of hunting ethics. My father, an old time hunter from the 40's once said to me concerning quail hunting "its okay if you miss, that's seed for next years crop".
The big problem with Feb. hunting is that both people and air/ground predators are also chasing rooster pheasants at their weakest most stressful part of the year. In addition, with Feb. hunting both rooster and hen pheasant (the seeds for this spring hatch) should be resting undisturbed gaining strength and getting to know each other.

I love to pheasant hunt but a four month chase sound a bite brutal. The truly wild reproducing pheasant is a treasure and the bird deserves some degree of respect and rest from the chase.

Truly wild pheasants with 100 generations of wild genes should be carefully managed. We still need wild roosters rested and healthy in early March to mate with the pretty hen pheasants, and pass on that wild, alert and wary gene to the next generation.

On the other hand, on a shooting preserve if a person wants to shoot the tame fat slow flying pen-raised pheasants for nine months that a different story.
 
KU Pheasant Hunter said:
Can't imagine there would be a great deal of hunters and the ave highs & lows and precip are actually better in Feb than Dec.


Russell Weather

US Geography / US Weather / Kansas Weather / Russell
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg. High 38° 44° 54° 66° 75° 86° 92° 88° 80° 68° 54° 41°
Avg. Low 16° 20° 28° 41° 51° 61° 67° 65° 56° 44° 30° 18°
Mean 28° 34° 42° 54° 64° 74° 80° 78° 68° 57° 42° 31°
Avg. Precip.0.6 in 0.7 in 2.1 in 2.7 in 3.5 in 3.4 in 3.4 in 3.7 in 2.9 in 1.7 in 1.1 in 0.8 in
Click to expand...

My point is that this could possibly be the 4th month of harsh weather and hunting pressure. I don't think anyone on this site would oppose an extra month of hunting season if the experts thought it was sustainable.
 
how about a compromise 2 weeks in october throught 2 weeks into february we may actually help them out by forcing them to nest a little later in the year hence waiting until all the spring rain and haill is over
 
oldandnew said:
Strong negative response from Kansas landowners, is the number 1 with a bullet answer. This has been suggested before, many times. Kansas Farm Bureau goes balistic. Also, I might add, until recently, it was believed that late season hunting had no impact, but, a new study I saw on the Mo. Conservation site claims that late season harvest of quail, at least, has a direct impact on the nesting population. somehow, fall harvest is less a factor, must have to do with bird loss to other causes, and the fact that Feb. is the highest stress month for all wildlife, due to dwindling food supply and the cumulative effect of a long winter season, even though the temperatures are moderating. To anticipate your next idea, why not open earlier, like Mo. and Nebraska? See Kansas Farm Bureau above, not ever going to happen again, in Kansas.
Click to expand...

Your post sounds logical to me.
 
Rather than an extra month, I'd like to see the start of the season delayed until December and have the season run through February. It's too warm in November and late February normally has some VERY nice temps for hunting.

Or, perhaps there could be an early season and a late season (much like prairie chickens), where we give the birds some time "off". Say, November 10 to December 31 and February 1 to February 28.

Personally, I don't like the idea of a four month season, my belief (not founded in science), is that it would hurt the population.

Point!
 
oldandnew said:
Strong negative response from Kansas landowners, is the number 1 with a bullet answer. This has been suggested before, many times. Kansas Farm Bureau goes balistic.
Click to expand...

Same thing happen in SD when they tried to increase the bird limit or extend the season.
 
Thanks for all the responses! I like the idea of delaying the season a couple weeks. I didn't realize that many farmers were being approached about hunting that late in the season. I see few hunters through most of Jan except maybe on the last weekend of the season. I hunt only the walk-in so can't really speak for approached farmers. Not into the tame bird thing.

Again thanks for the responses.
 
A delayed season doesn't sound so bad. It is warm every November these days. I hate getting a sunburn when I'm hunting pheasants. Hunting in anything over 50 isn't desirable IMO and there have been a lot of 70+degree days in the past few Novembers.
 
Frankly, just being able to hunt them for the month of Jan seems like a blessing. I think it is a good draw for the state. For those willing to brave the weather (driving through a storm worries me the most), a Jan hunt is a big apeal for hunters who live in states that have no hunting in Jan.

The opportunity to get the dog on wild birds well into the winter is awesome and ultimately, it is what will bring my MI $'s to your fair state in Jan '11.
 
being in pretty good pheasant country and seeing hunters/shooters from all over come and pound the country 5-7 days a week I wouldn't want the season extended another month- think the farmers arround here are thinking seriously of denying hunters in January- I know of one farmer/landowner who has had it with allowing permission and their freinds bringing more and hunting hard in January- and it's a rather large landowner

talk is- too much shooting and pressure and the limited quail coveys are being killed- second weekend the covey arround here was gone- and many like a covey arround

maybe we should be happy as it is
 
once again, i agree. in fact i always load up with #5's for pheasants and i never shoot the covey break for 2 reasons, 1) 5's are way too heavy for quail (if i decide to hunt them, i switch to 7 1/2's) and 2) i want to see how many birds are in the covey before i start shooting......if there is 8 or less, i let them go, otherwise there will likely be no covey next season. it is just common sense....for most people.
 
Controlled Shooting Areas

If you own/lease more than 160 continuous acres in KS you can get a Controlled Shooting Area license from the State. They do require you to release birds but for $200/yr it extends your upland hunting season from Sept 1st - March 31st.

Most outfitters do this but we have private land that we own and lease that we enroll in the program just to have that extended season in the later months.

Check out the program if you're interested or PM me and I can get you more info.

Good Luck!
 
I hunted an area like that down near Satana...the guy that I got permission from said that the DOW told him, if it fly's it dies....wasn't sure about that so we stuck to our limit.
 
retrvrman

That is true. Personally, we still don't shoot hens on our properties (just doesn't seem right as a traditionalist) but there aren't any bag limits.

There is a form that you need when transporting the birds to say they were taken on a Controlled Shooting Area though. And, you can't harvest more birds than what you put on the property.
 
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