First time pheasant hunting in Kansas

West from Douglas Co.

For a serious response, I don't have one. The bird population over most of the last 15 or so years has been diminished due to droughts, weather events, and farming practices. Populations are spotty. If you are new to Kansas hunting, a starting point for picking a county is the 2017 walk-in hunting atlas published by the KDWPT. Counties vary in the extreme as to how many acres of walk-in and other places are open to public hunting. Generally speaking, the western half of the state is where you want to look for your county. Considering how far you are going to travel, why not shell out some money and go to the Dakotas (pay to hunt is the rule) where the pheasant hunting is usually excellent. Good luck.
 
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Britchaser has a good point, as far as you have to travel, unless you have other business in kansas, head to the dakotas. Hell, I live in kansas, have a family farm in central kansas and I'm planning a trip to SD in nov. If you do come, a good rule of thumb is dont think about hunting anything east of Salina. Eastern half of the state is pretty thin for roosters. Driving a couple extra hours west will be well worth the gas. Good luck
 
the dakota's have been racked with drought and major hail events this summer..........i would not bother going this year, biggest problem is emergency haying of CRP......at least 50% of it will be gone and most of the leftovers will be on private land...........ditches will be mowed and baled as well, not sure there will be enough ground to hunt and enough birds TO hunt.....i imagine pay to hunt ops will charge a bundle this year to compensate......at least in Kansas you will see quail just about everywhere you go........they will give you something to hunt and work for your dogs.....
 
Dakotas will still have more birds than Kansas. Hail did a number on a lot of counties I'm sure. Go to one of the Dakotas. Also read online that Nebraska is really looking good this year.
 
Dakotas definitely better for pheasant. The chance at a few quail keeps KS exciting for me. Two totally different terrains to hunt. Id pick Dakotas though.
 
Not going to be many pheasants this year. Drove around Ness county for 90 minutes Friday and saw nothing. Then for several hours on Saturday with no birds sighted at all in Ness and Rush counties.
 
Unless Kansas is down by a catastrophic amount, it will likely be pretty comparable harvest-wise to North Dakota this year.
 
I can't argue that. Ks will see more hunters for sure. I have hunted both for a decade and the numbers have declined steadily. Most of the decline is habitat loss in both. I feel like the huntable habitat in ND is better on public land. Not complaining about KS , I love it there. It just seems like in ND when you find a spot on the public land map and drive to it , its not all cut wheat stubble like in Ks sometimes. Had one of the best years in that decade of hunting in both last year odly enough.Not trying to start a KS vs ND argument here , I've just had better success there.
 
As mentioned by many, I'd recommend going to SD if coming all the way from MA. I have a 4-5 hour drive to where I hunt in KS, and 8-10 to where I hunt in SD. I hunt KS often because of the shorter drive, but, there's no question where I'd be going if they were anywhere near the same.
 
Here's a little tidbit I found interesting.
When I was vacationing up in Custer, SD and visiting Mt. Rushmore (really cool, check it out if you get the chance) I happened to be talking to a local from mid-SD. He said the numbers are down significantly from last year.
 
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