Kansas Opener Birdier

[BritChaser]

Hunted Sheridan and Graham counties opening weekend, Nov. 1 - 2. Saw lots of birds, got close to some while others flushed wild because of the warm, dry weather. Numbers were good, better than last year. Hardly any milo or corn had been cut so wheat stubble and CRP were it for huntable habitat. All the no tillers are spraying herbicide on the stubble so there are few of the traditionally weedy stubble fields that were in the past so loaded with pheasants. The wheat was marginal too, leaving scanty stubble. CRP was the deal. Some milo and corn stalks should be available next weekend although many fields still had standing water, particularly in terrace channels. A fellow at a gas station Sunday night who hunted Rush county praised the hunting there.

 

[rsm]

I am headed to those counties this weekend.

How was the hunting pressure on the walk in ground?

 

[BritChaser]

Sheridan and Graham County

I am headed to those counties this weekend.

How was the hunting pressure on the walk in ground?

Not bad. I hunted a nice spot Sunday morning that appeared to have not been hunted at all on Saturday. With so much corn and milo still in the field, CRP is where to hunt -- early and late.

 

[kansasbrittany]

WIHA pressure in Rush county

First, congrats on a decent hunt Britchaser!

I was in N Rush county first thing in the morning for the opener. I was going to a nice CRP field that I'd seen a few roosters in while driving around the weekend before. I took a couple of people who'd never been but were very excited. When we arrived at the field, there were trucks bumper to bumper for no less than half a mile. My guests didn't want to hunt near that many people and I can't blame them, though I wanted to hunt that grass badly. I comprimised and we drove down the road a ways and stopped at what looked like decent grass in the dark, but turned out to be trompled cow pasture at first light. We got back in the truck and headed to another location, feeling pressured by the rising temperature. Drove by several other WIHA spots and found lots of hunters everywhere. Ended up driving to Pawnee county to hunt some private land that wasn't grass. Lots of hunters on the S Pawnee WIHA land as well. We ended up knocking down one rooster in the stading milo, but didn't find him.

For a moment, we stopped to help my dad bring in a cow that had got out the night before. A small group of hunters came upon the scene and acted very courteously. This sort of behavior is good for our sport. I learned a few things about pheasant hunting on this opener and one of them is that most of the farmers don't like the opening day crowd, so I'll do my best to seperate myself from that crowd in the future. No more hot openers for me....just don't need the crowds.

 

[BritChaser]

Hot Opener

First, congrats on a decent hunt Britchaser!

I was in N Rush county first thing in the morning for the opener. I was going to a nice CRP field that I'd seen a few roosters in while driving around the weekend before. I took a couple of people who'd never been but were very excited. When we arrived at the field, there were trucks bumper to bumper for no less than half a mile. My guests didn't want to hunt near that many people and I can't blame them, though I wanted to hunt that grass badly. I comprimised and we drove down the road a ways and stopped at what looked like decent grass in the dark, but turned out to be trompled cow pasture at first light. We got back in the truck and headed to another location, feeling pressured by the rising temperature. Drove by several other WIHA spots and found lots of hunters everywhere. Ended up driving to Pawnee county to hunt some private land that wasn't grass. Lots of hunters on the S Pawnee WIHA land as well. We ended up knocking down one rooster in the stading milo, but didn't find him.

For a moment, we stopped to help my dad bring in a cow that had got out the night before. A small group of hunters came upon the scene and acted very courteously. This sort of behavior is good for our sport. I learned a few things about pheasant hunting on this opener and one of them is that most of the farmers don't like the opening day crowd, so I'll do my best to seperate myself from that crowd in the future. No more hot openers for me....just don't need the crowds.

Thanks. Yeah, the heat was too much last weekend. This weekend temps will be 20 degrees cooler. Partly to blame is that the opener was moved up a week. Next year, back to the second Saturday for the opener.

Too bad about the crowds you encountered in Rush Co. I don't hunt in that area so I have not seen that. We focused on walk-in in Sheridan Co. on Saturday and had no competition.

I have a good "cow story" that your thread reminded me of. I am posting it in the Main Forum under the new thread "City Slickers Get Bull Calf out of Swimming Pool." It is a 100% true tale.