Kansas Turkey Hunting

We keep our hunting organization simple and for one annual cost each deer hunter may hunt all lease land, in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa for all deer, turkey, upland and waterfowl hunting. We will track each applicant at membership application based on his primary and secondary hunting interest and that profile compared to our current membership profile determines membership availability by the month basis. In the case of deer hunters they are usually turkey hunters as well and it is typical that deer hunters will return each spring turkey season for a combination turkey hunt and deer scouting trip.

The more experienced deer hunters will choose to turkey hunt within the region where they have or plan to deer hunt to more thoroughly learn deer movement patterns. In this regard that although Kansas allows two over the counter turkey tags each spring most traveling deer hunters typically tag one tom and then spend the rest of the trip deer scouting.

Kansas spring turkey season offers the deer hunter a great amount of flexibility in that the season is 6 weeks strong with an additional 10+/- day archery only turkey hunting season. Kansas spring season usually starts on the first of April for archery only and the second Wednesday for the gun season that runs to the end of May. This is a good period to scout as the green is down, it is cool and not cold and there are few if any bugs.

Kansas spring turkey is also all day long hunting allowing for a combination truly scout and hunt as a first trip in addition to deer scouting. That scouting requirement characterizes our organization far more a do it yourself hunter system than all else. Even with our recommendations where to deer or turkey scout and hunt, those recommendations are always a historical perspective and never a guarantee.

Kansas Eastern and Rio Grande Turkey distribution is roughly along these lines.

Those that do deer scout during spring turkey season will find that a GPS as well as a digital camera useful as we have had stories of hunters that could not find in the fall those trees prepared in the spring. A water bottle to carry is often a good idea as our springs have been warm in the past to cause for a good sweat while walking. Snakes are not a concern and while we do have rattle snakes any person will be a long time in coming before actually seeing one.

Not all leases will be available to deer scout during spring turkey as the prime turkey hunting leases will be for turkey hunting only during the spring season. During this period all deer scouting will be to individually numbered properties and require the same telephone reservation requirements as for deer hunting.

In any regard the self guided Kansas deer hunter is encouraged to deer scout either before the deer season or just prior to deer hunting.

We've had feedback over the years from out of state hunters who scout before fall harvest. When they return to hunt and the soybeans are harvested they panic thinking the food source is gone since the bean stubble is flush to the ground. This and many other photos we have taken during the fall and winter months show beans are a primary food source for all types of game during and after the main seasons.

A February bachelor flock. By March the flocks mix and mid March is the common starting point of the gobbling portion of the breeding season.

Turkey Hunter/Member Feedback

Went into [location deleted] Wednesday night after work and getting there late just set at field edge and watched for birds going to the roost. Saw several good toms and couldn't wait to go back on a full day hunt. With all the rough weather today I decided that I'd probably be lucky to get in several hours before being stormed out so I took the shotgun. With thunder, lighting, rain and bad weather threatening, the birds came off the roost well after light. With a few fly down calls I had 4 longbeards coming right into the decoys. First time to hunt this property and again was very impressed with the quality of habitat. One day of scouting is well worth the time. Only ended up raining less then 1/2". Thanks again for such a great Assc.

Thanks Steve for the good lesson about getting out there and how skill and luck can come together.

Kansas Mule Deer Hunting