norton area - kansas opinions sought

dustin mudd

dustin mudd

Active member
hi I have an invite to hunt in the area next fall , from an acquaintance, that said it is a long drive to Norton for me from Montana.

I have heard lots of bad opinions as to the hunting - populations of pheasants. you guys who live in the area, could you give me an assessment of what you see on the ground?

I know we could have access to some private ground, but if the population is crushed might be a REALLY LONG TRIP.

thoughts? thank you,
 
I'm not from that area so I am just speaking in general.

Bird populations statewide were down this year. And down is an understatement.

Best to wait until the KDWP upland forecast comes out to make a decision. We could have another poor hatch and the bird populations could be even lower. Or, we could make a small comeback. It will likely be several years before we see any good numbers of pheasants again. And that's if we get the weather to cooperate.

It's a waiting game at this point.
 
I have hunted the area for many years. If you are going to hang with your friends and birds are a distant second, by all means go. If consistent bird contact is what your after, save your gas. Even if it is up dramatically this year it would struggle to be fair in areas.
 
kansas

hi all, thank you for your inputs.... just read the pheasant forever annual report last night, how far we have fallen! In just 5-6 years, seemingly all the glory years , are rusting in front of us all.

I quit hunting pheasants in the early 1980's in Idaho, and they are still gone there. But Montana, Dakotas were wonderful in the mid 1990s when I started back in.....

sorry to hear about North central Kansas, I really appreciate your honesty... I don't mind long driving, but don't need the practice walking and wearing out dogs, for no chance at birds...

we are finally getting a reprieve on our winter weather in the last day and a half. -30 last Thursday , will be nearly 50 tomorrow!
 
dustin mudd said:
hi all, thank you for your inputs.... just read the pheasant forever annual report last night, how far we have fallen! In just 5-6 years, seemingly all the glory years , are rusting in front of us all.

I quit hunting pheasants in the early 1980's in Idaho, and they are still gone there. But Montana, Dakotas were wonderful in the mid 1990s when I started back in.....

sorry to hear about North central Kansas, I really appreciate your honesty... I don't mind long driving, but don't need the practice walking and wearing out dogs, for no chance at birds...

we are finally getting a reprieve on our winter weather in the last day and a half. -30 last Thursday , will be nearly 50 tomorrow!
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Chinook! :cheers:
 
Friends and I had been making a trip to that area for years. Last year was the first year we skipped going there. 2 years ago was the last time I went to that area, and it was awfully depressing. We hunted a mix of private and walk-in. There wasn't much difference,,, poor to terrible cover everywhere and blowing dirt... We decided to give it several years to recover before making a return trip. We figured it would not be a one-year-fix out there.

The KDWP forecast is a good resource, but I'm sure your friend will get a much more accurate report from the landowners you plan to hunt on.
 
When I was a kid in the 70's we used to hunt in between phillipsburg and norton along old 36 highway. The pheasants and hunters where everywhere. We would always have a large group of fathers, cousins and sons that hunted together. Shot my first bird along 36 by an old one room schoolhouse. We all stayed in a big farmhouse with two or three beds per room. It was full of box elder bugs that kinda freaked me out. Got my first taste of homade liquor the farmer made in old clorox bottles. He charged us 60 or 70 bucks a head for three nights, land to hunt, and the worst greasy food his wife could make:eek:. He would guide us around and drink. We were the only group he had out. Good times. It was nothing for 15 or 16 of us to shoot 150 roosters in two and a half days of hunting. Used to sell the tailfeathers to the neighbor who was a florist and make what was a ton of money to a 15 year old kid. My sons and I went out with my uncle two years ago on the same land and saw 4 roosters all weekend. Kinda sad.
 
norton

stay home. it used to be one of my great stomping areas, there is so much land there you couldn't begin to cover it all. pretty bleak now. the area sometimes does hold chicken and a lot of quail but good luck with those too

cheers
 
Norton

I hunted up there this November. I killed a few birds but really had to work for them. I have not bird hunted Montana since 2006 but I killed a limit of birds everyday I hunted between Lewistown, and Malta. I would stay and hunt Montana more birds and less pressure.

Tom
 
jsdriggs said:
The doom and gloom stories were blanketing Iowa when I first joined this forum. Look at it now. It's getting better again, and so will Kansas. I'm a beer glass half full type of guy though, and I am not in Kansas for what that's worth.
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I do agree things will get better and I certainly don't need limits to have a good trip. My discouraging part is hunting all day and not seeing a pheasant. If my dog can put up a few hens, and the boys can get a couple of shots I am good. I don't need to kill birds to have fun, but the threat of shooting my gun has to be there.:)
 
carptom1 said:
I do agree things will get better and I certainly don't need limits to have a good trip. My discouraging part is hunting all day and not seeing a pheasant. If my dog can put up a few hens, and the boys can get a couple of shots I am good. I don't need to kill birds to have fun, but the threat of shooting my gun has to be there.:)
Click to expand...

I'm right there with you. I'm past the point in my hunting life where I half to shoot limits, but I got to be seeing birds to enjoy it. Used to hunt every weekend, the last two years not so much, but still get out quite a bit. Kansas will get better, but not sure how long it'll take and if it'll ever return to what it once was??? I've actually turned to the dark side and begun focusing more on deer and waterfowl.
 
carptom1 said:
I do agree things will get better and I certainly don't need limits to have a good trip. My discouraging part is hunting all day and not seeing a pheasant. If my dog can put up a few hens, and the boys can get a couple of shots I am good. I don't need to kill birds to have fun, but the threat of shooting my gun has to be there.:)
Click to expand...

you hit that on the head. you can't watch your dogs work if there is nothing to work or watch your kids having a great time if they ain't. gotta be something there or you'll stay home

cheers
 
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