Flint Hills and Smoky Hills Quail??
- Thread starter rsm
- Start date
Much of the Flint Hills is held under private ownership of very large ranches. Not a ton of public land in the Flint Hills region. There is a bit of walk-in but comparitively speaking it's a drop in the bucket compared to whats out there.
I think the KDWP has mentioned this area as having the best opportunity for quail. However, comparing it to the other regions of the state, which is in severe drought with some of the lowest bird numbers on record the area seems to be the glimmer of hope in the state. I wouldn't expect to go there and be swamped with quail. I would go with the idea in mind that one covey would be a good days hunt.
You can go to the KDWP website and download the walk-in hunting atlas for that region and also check the public hunting areas in that region. This would be the best scouting tool at your disposal.
I will go to the area a few times this fall. Mostly to just to run the pointer and check out the scenery. I have a 2K acre ranch in the northern Flint Hills that I may get to hunt this year. But, from what the land owner says there are very few birds.
I think the KDWP has mentioned this area as having the best opportunity for quail. However, comparing it to the other regions of the state, which is in severe drought with some of the lowest bird numbers on record the area seems to be the glimmer of hope in the state. I wouldn't expect to go there and be swamped with quail. I would go with the idea in mind that one covey would be a good days hunt.
You can go to the KDWP website and download the walk-in hunting atlas for that region and also check the public hunting areas in that region. This would be the best scouting tool at your disposal.
I will go to the area a few times this fall. Mostly to just to run the pointer and check out the scenery. I have a 2K acre ranch in the northern Flint Hills that I may get to hunt this year. But, from what the land owner says there are very few birds.
kansasbrittany
Banned
It's not looking good here. As duckn66 mentioned, there is very little public access and coveys are few and far between.
That I know of, the only grouse in the flint hills are the Prairie Chickens. Never understood why Sharptails wouldn't do good in the Hills. Of course getting the opportunity to hunt them would be the challenging part.
Apparently, the sharpies don't work there. There are a lot of common range in Nebraska. Did you know that Kansas experimented with stocking sharpies in the NW corner, on east to about Mankato. I saw them there in the 1980's, and I shot one in Harlan county, Ne. which could have dropped it Kansas! some of the brethern did too! flying. Just did'nt take off. I shot another in Harlan county 3 years ago, in an oats field.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
you guess are better off with out the sharptail grouse in MN they are starting to over-run spring prairie chicken leks & forcing them to move to another area & in our case in MN that means into another hunting unit there are many areas wear the 2 specie range overlap & also areas wear you only seen either 1 of the sub species at a time in the areas wear the shapies are taking over there is hybrids of the 2 species i would love to harvest 1 of them... my brothers 1st ever MN prairie chicken hunt he went out on opener & harvested all sharptails instead of chickens in his unit what a bumer had to draw a tag for my unit to get a chicken i few yrs later im in the process of doing the same to get a sharpie lol overall there are more sharpies we need more chicken habitat around the country sharpies will survive lol
for the most part sharpies do better in the more open prairie with hills or breaks nearby & also will hang around by & use trees & buffalo berries more then prairie chickens do... chickens like it more flat or lite rolling prairie if you have crops sunflower beans or corn thats a major plus but prairie grouse dont need crops exactly but they help lots lol sharpies can handle that desolate sand hill cattle prairie county much better & thrive there...
i have been to that country in NW KS & threw that part of NE it dose surprise me that the sharpies didnt take off there??? the way they fly thow i bet they just hooked up with some other sharpies in the better sharpie habitat to the north back in nebraska them grouse in that country can & will fly across that KS/NE border no problum i actually seen chickens & herd them damn close the border B4 & herd of the sharpies farther north so maybe them sharpies acted like homer pigeons & went back to NE??? i have herd prairie grouse biologist say they have radio followed sharpies & chickens that traveled 65+ miles to another better prairie habitat B4??? i seen how they fly & dont doubt it!!! lol
for the most part sharpies do better in the more open prairie with hills or breaks nearby & also will hang around by & use trees & buffalo berries more then prairie chickens do... chickens like it more flat or lite rolling prairie if you have crops sunflower beans or corn thats a major plus but prairie grouse dont need crops exactly but they help lots lol sharpies can handle that desolate sand hill cattle prairie county much better & thrive there...
i have been to that country in NW KS & threw that part of NE it dose surprise me that the sharpies didnt take off there??? the way they fly thow i bet they just hooked up with some other sharpies in the better sharpie habitat to the north back in nebraska them grouse in that country can & will fly across that KS/NE border no problum i actually seen chickens & herd them damn close the border B4 & herd of the sharpies farther north so maybe them sharpies acted like homer pigeons & went back to NE??? i have herd prairie grouse biologist say they have radio followed sharpies & chickens that traveled 65+ miles to another better prairie habitat B4??? i seen how they fly & dont doubt it!!! lol
That actually was a home range for sharpies! They were well established till about the 1930's as the agriculture change the range. I have seen lots of prairie chickens across Nebraska, the sharpies tend to be more alturistic range wide, they are happy with rose hips and grasshoppers, will sometimes use harvested crops, but I think they actually are using freeze dried hoppers. I have seen them in a stark winter, with about 12" of snow on the ground, roosting in cottonwoods, crops full of rose hips and leaves. In areas with the pair, it's the chicken you find low on the slope, instead up in the wind on the ridges, all most always in denser grass. Sharpies where in the open. Roost down into burrows in the snow, both have nostril flairs that make heavy ice and snow possible, a bain of the pheasant, these guys don't ice beak over. As suggested they are regionally migratory, if the area is slammed by snow, they are capable of 60+ mile flights. Sometimes you see them flying like ducks, with obviously no theory of a local landind spot. I have seen them do that on a wild flush, going at least 3-5 miles. We don't walk them up! It's kind of amazing. On snow they play around in the swirly stuff like kids. Both are my favorite birds. Easily can be the most frustrating, bird, one day you'll shoot your limit in 5 minutes, next day you walk 10 miles to find a flock, or one that lets you get close, then it's all over in a couple of minutes. Now find the silver dot on the horizon, it's your car, about 5 miles across giant sand hills to find your way out! it's either 10 degrees, or 80 degrees. Up north sharpies us serviceberry, plum brush, sitting in the shade. Up in Nebraska, I have seen them in serviceberry, twice in 20 years, they are always on the top of ridges, on one side or another a few feet from the crest. I you are in wild rose hips, up there, you are in the right place. I do not doubt that sharpies are agressive, they certainly bully pheasants, like a pheasant does to a domestic chicken, my relatives shot pheasants to let the chickens eat with a .22 short. They let the sharpies have at it. I guess because they were rare in those days.
Very interesting read OAP. Would love to go to NE and hunt some Sharptails. Be a closer drive to get the hang of it than Montana. Although I do plan on heading up there as well next year!
So, could a guy do any good on Sharptails in NE in December or would they be flushing wild and not hold for a pointer?
So, could a guy do any good on Sharptails in NE in December or would they be flushing wild and not hold for a pointer?
most of them would hold about as well as a fart in a whirlwind....early season offers better odds.
Thats what I figured. Pretty much like our chickens here.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
chickens are chickens wear ever they live they all do the same things hold tight when early season family groups are the norm... late in year they start to group up & wear 1 finds food they all do... males always are in the general area keeping track on females & even in winter they will dance & do there spring dance on a warm day if not much snow is around... they will basicly have a watch outs sometimes even in trees & or hay bails while the group feeds & dose its thing if 1 flys they all fly & they can & do fly miles at one time... the biologists i have talked to seem to think they already have a 2nd-3rd-4th spots ETC. picked out as soon as they land at 1 area so there aimless flying long distance makes a little more sence to me know??? lol it is nuts how far they fly after you kick them up sometimes its also nuts that if your in the write spot even standing in the open they can almost land write on you its like they really want to be in a specific spot on a specific day & time ??? thats a major part in the walking hours on end till you find that write spot i guess???
yes sharpies are a much tougher bird over-all they can live in many habitats & thrive there & live on crops hoppers berries rose hips leafs twigs & even aspen buds like a ruffed grouse in MN we have them from the prairies & crops to the swamps & marshes wear you find them in wet willow stands & high spots in the middle of huge marshes wear there is no crops only hay fields wear they do there spring leking & eating of hoppers when warm they then will fly into the nearby aspens late in the yr & eat the pop n buds from the aspens old school loggers used to wait till late late in the season & go & shoot them out of trees beleave it or not!!!??? there is a video on youtube of a guy & his kid doing that in CANADA walking up to a sharpie i n the tree & pop n it out of the tree after it flushes out of the snow... they say they only do it a few times cuz its so EZ??? i have seen family groups of prairie chicken land 1 by 1 in a scrub tree in the middle of cattle country & fly from the tree to cow pies & pick around the looking for bugs i guess that sharpies will do the same think as they use trees even more then chickens & im sure that the prairie grouse did the same thing back in the day when buffalo were still present on the prairies??? on the other hand the MN sharpies my brother got into on his MN prairie chicken hunt all had loads of soy beans in there crop & were shot out of the prairie next to a soy bean field in typical & supposed prairie chicken habitat... thats all he seen 45 sharpies in waves of 15-20 a after the shot all in close proximity he limited out out of 2 different groups 3 birds all sharpie out of the beans... lol
prairie chickens also thrived back when there was plenty of buffalo hoppers berries & rose hips & twigs... its funny how many times we find hoppers twigs & tree buds in the prairie chickens crops in MN when there is crops bordering the fields we were working they had beans corn & or sunflowers in close range but chose to eat twigs bugs & berries... guess they are old school...
both species of prairie grouse can & do live with each other wear there ranges overlap but the sharpie is much more versatile in there choice of habitat they can make it in many more habitats from marsh to sage wear the prairie chicken needs just that prairie even the lesser prairie chicken can & will use the sage country but also needs short grass prairie in close proximity prairie is key for chickens... crops helps loads also... SUNFLOWERS are like candy to chickens lol
in rolling prairie wear both species of prairie grouse live the sharpies will be on the tops of the hills or breaks & the chickens will be on the more flat prairie or the lower more out of the wind spots on the prairie & its funny how many times water is close by not like a stones throw or anything but you can see water many times wear we have harvested PRAIRIE CHICKENS or wear there spring leks are located???
yes sharpies are a much tougher bird over-all they can live in many habitats & thrive there & live on crops hoppers berries rose hips leafs twigs & even aspen buds like a ruffed grouse in MN we have them from the prairies & crops to the swamps & marshes wear you find them in wet willow stands & high spots in the middle of huge marshes wear there is no crops only hay fields wear they do there spring leking & eating of hoppers when warm they then will fly into the nearby aspens late in the yr & eat the pop n buds from the aspens old school loggers used to wait till late late in the season & go & shoot them out of trees beleave it or not!!!??? there is a video on youtube of a guy & his kid doing that in CANADA walking up to a sharpie i n the tree & pop n it out of the tree after it flushes out of the snow... they say they only do it a few times cuz its so EZ??? i have seen family groups of prairie chicken land 1 by 1 in a scrub tree in the middle of cattle country & fly from the tree to cow pies & pick around the looking for bugs i guess that sharpies will do the same think as they use trees even more then chickens & im sure that the prairie grouse did the same thing back in the day when buffalo were still present on the prairies??? on the other hand the MN sharpies my brother got into on his MN prairie chicken hunt all had loads of soy beans in there crop & were shot out of the prairie next to a soy bean field in typical & supposed prairie chicken habitat... thats all he seen 45 sharpies in waves of 15-20 a after the shot all in close proximity he limited out out of 2 different groups 3 birds all sharpie out of the beans... lol
prairie chickens also thrived back when there was plenty of buffalo hoppers berries & rose hips & twigs... its funny how many times we find hoppers twigs & tree buds in the prairie chickens crops in MN when there is crops bordering the fields we were working they had beans corn & or sunflowers in close range but chose to eat twigs bugs & berries... guess they are old school...
both species of prairie grouse can & do live with each other wear there ranges overlap but the sharpie is much more versatile in there choice of habitat they can make it in many more habitats from marsh to sage wear the prairie chicken needs just that prairie even the lesser prairie chicken can & will use the sage country but also needs short grass prairie in close proximity prairie is key for chickens... crops helps loads also... SUNFLOWERS are like candy to chickens lol
in rolling prairie wear both species of prairie grouse live the sharpies will be on the tops of the hills or breaks & the chickens will be on the more flat prairie or the lower more out of the wind spots on the prairie & its funny how many times water is close by not like a stones throw or anything but you can see water many times wear we have harvested PRAIRIE CHICKENS or wear there spring leks are located???
Shot quite a few chickens back in the day so I am fairly familiar with them, their habitat, and behavior. I remember back when I had duck blind on a watershed in the early 90's a few miles west of the house. Big flocks of chickens would fly over, well within gun range to feed in the milo, corn or whatever was planted to the east of the blind. Whenever I felt like a chicken dinner I would pop one. Used to go about a half hour east of the house and hunt them during the early season with my english pointer and labs. That was back when they first started the early season. Wasn't anything to kill a limit in half a morning.
When I was a kid my dad and I and some of his friends would go to Cassoday, KS opening day of the chicken season, have breakfast in a small cafe in town and head out to the feed fields. It was a ritual among hunters and I got in on the very end of it. Don't know if it still goes on or not but I doubt it. Cassoday, KS was the self proclaimed prairie chicken capital of the world back then.
Now I won't even shoot at one. They have all but disappeared from my parts. I see them occasionally but not nearly enough to justify killing one around my parts. I'm on the very eastern edge of their habitat here in KS. When I first moved to where I am now there used to be a lek in the very back part of my pasture on top of the hill where 4 fences meet and there is bare ground from the cattle gathering. They used to do their spring rituals up there. Used to watch them with my binoculars. Haven't seen one there for many many years now.
When I was a kid my dad and I and some of his friends would go to Cassoday, KS opening day of the chicken season, have breakfast in a small cafe in town and head out to the feed fields. It was a ritual among hunters and I got in on the very end of it. Don't know if it still goes on or not but I doubt it. Cassoday, KS was the self proclaimed prairie chicken capital of the world back then.
Now I won't even shoot at one. They have all but disappeared from my parts. I see them occasionally but not nearly enough to justify killing one around my parts. I'm on the very eastern edge of their habitat here in KS. When I first moved to where I am now there used to be a lek in the very back part of my pasture on top of the hill where 4 fences meet and there is bare ground from the cattle gathering. They used to do their spring rituals up there. Used to watch them with my binoculars. Haven't seen one there for many many years now.
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carptom1
Well-known member
No not many chickens around cassoday kansas anymore. When I was a youngster my dad, uncle and I would go down and shoot those buggers in the morning and fish in the afternoon. It was a ritual in that area. Many hunters pass shooting the fields in those days. Brings back some good memories.
small munsterlander owner
Banned
yeah in some parts of KS there is a major decline in both lesser & greater prairie chickens & that sucks!!!
we have a very limited season here in MN only 186 guys get drawn every season & the season is only 5 days long... but there is lots of birds if your in the write area... if you know wear to go you can get into chickens here in MN in sharptail habitat for a early season sept hunt wear they hold well 4 the dogs but other then that if you dont know wear to go u have to wait till oct.20 to start ur 5 day season...
i have seen on many turkey hunts in KS good numbers of chickens still in KS & i hear them everyday booming on there leks in good chicken habitat there will be a lek every mile or so i hear them in every direction so i must be in a good area?
im thinking of heading to KS next season for a early season hunt to try & get my lesser prairie chicken out of the way??? herd them in OK last season turkey hunting they are great also...
im much more of a prairie grouse hunter then pheasant hunter man the walking for prairie grouse is so much more EZ on u & they dont run run run they hold hold hold untill late season...
they have had a major increase in that pert of NE KS & MO the last yr or so
thinking of turkey hunting around pawnee city see any turkeys around there this season???
do you know if you still need a special permit to hunt north east NE i seen plenty of game up that way this spring bob white witch were supposedly all dead prairie chickens & sharptails just not 1 pheasant herd or seen ??? we were damn near on the SD border near the MO river supposedly good pheasant country??? or was at 1 time???
we have a very limited season here in MN only 186 guys get drawn every season & the season is only 5 days long... but there is lots of birds if your in the write area... if you know wear to go you can get into chickens here in MN in sharptail habitat for a early season sept hunt wear they hold well 4 the dogs but other then that if you dont know wear to go u have to wait till oct.20 to start ur 5 day season...
i have seen on many turkey hunts in KS good numbers of chickens still in KS & i hear them everyday booming on there leks in good chicken habitat there will be a lek every mile or so i hear them in every direction so i must be in a good area?
im thinking of heading to KS next season for a early season hunt to try & get my lesser prairie chicken out of the way??? herd them in OK last season turkey hunting they are great also...
im much more of a prairie grouse hunter then pheasant hunter man the walking for prairie grouse is so much more EZ on u & they dont run run run they hold hold hold untill late season...
they have had a major increase in that pert of NE KS & MO the last yr or so
thinking of turkey hunting around pawnee city see any turkeys around there this season???
do you know if you still need a special permit to hunt north east NE i seen plenty of game up that way this spring bob white witch were supposedly all dead prairie chickens & sharptails just not 1 pheasant herd or seen ??? we were damn near on the SD border near the MO river supposedly good pheasant country??? or was at 1 time???