I would say the bird numbers were down. I hunted some fields that were very good the last few years and had few if any birds this year. We moved a lot in a three county area in NW and when we found young birds we had very good shooting and dog work. I would say there is more quail than last year and once the milo and corn is out the hunting will improve in those immediate areas. We put in some miles with no action to too much action to reload. The ducks were down early and it's time to switch for awhile. We did not see great numbers of pheasants anywhere.
Opening weekend report
- Thread starter duckn66
- Start date
kansaslabman
Member
WOW! That’s the best report I’ve heard so far. And I assume there was no released birds? May I ask how many hunters?
No released birds. We had a group of around 15. As I said in my first post, it was much better than anticipated. The first field we walked on Saturday which was wheat stubble with a lot of weeds, took 4 passes to cover it all. We were soaked but had 14 out of that one field. When we were in em, we were in em.
BritChaser
Well-known member
Hunted in NW and saw pheasants in only one of four spots that were average to excellent last year. A new spot that has an ideal draw - loads of sunflowers, a pond, tall grass, kochia - surrounded by corn stalks had zero birds. It was in the hailed area. Hunted turkey instead.
nwkansnative
Active member
Hunted NW/NC (a county that did not get that swath of hail) and moved 10 coveys on Saturday in 240 acres which is about double what we would expect. Pheasant numbers were good. All roosters on Saturday. All hens on Sunday. Heavy mist was miserable on Saturday but sure helped the dog. 160 of the 240 is for sale.
nwkansnative
Active member
Pics Attached. Wish I would have got some action shots of the dog.
Bilbo Baggins
Active member
Hunted SWK with about 10,000 others. Very few shots heard for the opener. Birds were way down due to the Blizzard of April 29-30, 2017. Three of us bagged a few roosters Saturday and Sunday but very little action. We saw almost NO hens during the two days. Enjoyed the fresh air and each other's company. I will definitely limit my trips to Kansas this year. The highlight, my 13yo son shot his first Kansas rooster on the very first shot. Same thing happened two weeks ago in Nebraska. He is two for two now.
BritChaser
Well-known member
Nice going! <I'm so jealous>
SweetWill27
New member
My Dad. My brother , myself, brother in law and our kids are looking for some private ground to pay and hunt in western Kansas. We usually go to ND but want to try something different especially since Bird numbers there are down. We prefer unguided because we have are own dogs but we are having a hard time finding a place. I have looked on the hunting places on this web site but most are fully guided. We are looking for the dates Nov 28-Dec 2. Anyone with any ideas I would appreciate it. Good Luck to everyone. Thanks
No need to pay, get a walk-in book and have at it. A buddy and I shot 7 roosters off walk-in yesterday by 11 am, plenty of birds out there if you are willing to work for them. We don't need to start that pay stuff here in Kansas!
SweetWill27
New member
Thanks for the information KansasGsp. I will look into that. Was worried would be hard to find enough walk in areas to keep 16 of us busy. Thanks
BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
Wear lots of orange the 29th is opening day of deer season. Wait a week the end of deer season is some of the best pheasant hunting of the year.
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nwkansnative
Active member
16 is not hunting. More like herding. It's an invading army.
fsentkilr
Active member
I agree, I cant even imagine. To each their own, I know some guys like it. I hunt a lot by myself usually with no more than one other friend. My birthday weekend in January I hunt with the same 3 friends every year. I just finished harvest and am heading out Sunday to hunt until Wednesday. I will be alone with 3 dogs, unless a friend can talk his wife into letting go at the last minute. To be honest, I probably enjoy hunting alone more than anything.
SweetWill27
New member
Thanks for the advice. 7 of the 16 are kids. We have 7 dogs so being a large group does present challenges. We divide up on small areas into two or 3 groups. If we have a large area that needs blockers then we will hunt together. We are excited to see Kansas.
There is nothing wrong with having 16 people, especially when it's a bunch of family taking the kids out. I wouldn't call that an invading army, I would call it a great family experience.
westksbowhunter
Well-known member
There was a group here that had 72 hunters in it opening weekend. Totally ridiculous. They tear the hell out of our county roads. That is not hunting, and neither is a group of 16. Might as well turn out a couple of dozen leghorns. That is 15 other hunters that I have to worry about safety's being on or off and where they are pointing their barrels or if they shoot a low flying pheasant over my dog. Might be hunting to some but not to me. Take that kid out by yourself and hunt with a good dog and I guarantee that kid will appreciate hunting more.
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akp
Active member
72 in one group? Day would be half over before you even got it coordinated. I have a friend that hunts with 15-20 guys every opening weekend. Not my thing, but it’s more of a tradition for him and seeing old friends is part of it so I get it. I always prefer just me and my son and dad whenever he joins us. And the two dogs of course.