Kirwin NWR

[Waterfowler2001]

Kirwin the self-proclaimed "goose capital of Kansas" used to be a gem. I remember as a little boy my father and I had a pit lease and would do very well with the Giant Canada geese. But over the last ten years something must've happened with the migration...all Kirwin gets now is snow geese, and the goose hunting isn't popular anymore there. There would be Pits up for lease every other year. Today, everyone comes just to deer hunt. There used to be crowds of goose hunters. Just miss the good ole days! Anyone else remember when Kirwin used to be the place to go? what happened?

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

Kirwin the self-proclaimed "goose capital of Kansas" used to be a gem. I remember as a little boy my father and I had a pit lease and would do very well with the Giant Canada geese. But over the last ten years something must've happened with the migration...all Kirwin gets now is snow geese, and the goose hunting isn't popular anymore there. There would be Pits up for lease every other year. Today, everyone comes just to deer hunt. There used to be crowds of goose hunters. Just miss the good ole days! Anyone else remember when Kirwin used to be the place to go? what happened?

I think it all shifted east. Everytime a neighborhood or retail complex goes up in town it comes with retention ponds. The geese have followed.

 

[turtle]

Kirwin was the place to go 40 years ago. 30 years ago I shot lots of geese on Glen Elder. I would be lost now as to where to hunt. I always figured Kirwin was still the place to be.

 

[duckn66]

For Canada geese it’s shifted east. The bottoms and glen elder still get a good number though. I remember when kirwin got a lot of Canada’s and that was the place to go when you wanted to hunt them. Not anymore though. I bet I kill more on my pond in my pasture running traffic than they kill at kirwin all year. Ok, maybe not that many but it’s better hunting let’s just say that.

I never hunted them out there though just due to the drive. Where did a person go to lease pits and where were they all?

 

[turtle]

For Canada geese it’s shifted east. The bottoms and glen elder still get a good number though. I remember when kirwin got a lot of Canada’s and that was the place to go when you wanted to hunt them. Not anymore though. I bet I kill more on my pond in my pasture running traffic than they kill at kirwin all year. Ok, maybe not that many but it’s better hunting let’s just say that.

I never hunted them out there though just due to the drive. Where did a person go to lease pits and where were they all?

Dad had a friend that had a pit lease by Kirwin. The pit I had at Glen Elder was in my grandmas field north of Cawker City. She leased it out to a family friend and when I went to vo tech in Beloit they dug another pit and built the blind for me and my friends at school. Lots of fun. The old guy that had the lease was an awesome guy. He gave us decoys and clothes for a couple guys that didn’t have warm clothes.