Public Land Kansas Turkey Hunting

[DKI]

A friend and I are considering making a trip to Kansas this spring (first out of state turkey hunt). If we go it will be on public land. For those that have been down this road before, is it possible to have an enjoyable experience on public ground or will it be overrun with hunters? Don't have to shoot a bird to have a successful trip but I don't want to get shot!

Thanks for any advice!

[BILL LEU]

The first weekend is the youth hunt and the first week is archery only, its usually a good time and you don't see very many people any where. Don't know your schedule but KS has a very long season- two solid months.

[BILL LEU]

DKI- just FYI, I lived in KS for ten years if you want a couple of areas PM me.

[Shadowhnter]

Its all going to depend on what PG you go on. Some grounds see tons of hunting pressure. Others barely any. Its all on where you go. For you, the farther you get away from Eastern Kansas,  the better off you are, especially if you were thinking anywhere under an hour drive from KC.

[DKI]

Thank you all for the assistance!

[Ethan Grotheer]

I'm looking at a few areas as well so I'm interested to see what kind of response you get.

[BRONZ]

I would also recommend the archery-only  season.  Safer and no boom sticks scaring birds. I know a public areas that holds some birds. Feel free to pm

[Michael Arnette]

Hunting in Kansas for turkeys is great, keep in mind that the birds are a lot quieter on the ground than they are in Missouri. They pretty much don't gobble once they're off the roost.

[Shadowhnter]

Michael I hate to go against your thoughts, but ive been hunting turkey here since the very first season opened in Kansas, and have never missed a season since....I cannot begin to describe all the gobbling I get on the ground every year. Unlike Missouri, we can hunt all day. Good ground gobbling happens several times throughout the day. At morning roost, again between 10-noon a.m., again from 3-5 p.m., and yet again 30 minutes to an hour before fly up. Listen, I hear them gobble on the ground, pretty much off and on year round, let alone in Spring!

[Steve O]

I disagree strongly too. I gave up trying to call gobblers in Kansas. They nor the flocks of hens EVER shut up. I went to travel corridor ambushes.  From the first gobble WAY before sunrise until they left the field of Soddom and Gohmorra I would watch all morning, it was constant noise!

Maybe it depends on the area one hunts in Kansas...

[ksbowman]

In my part of Kansas they gobble early on the roost and a lot of times they get lock jaw till around 10 or 11, then talk again for a couple hours then shut up. Then late afternoon they look for love once again.

[ChuckC]

What kind of turkeys inhabit Kansas ? Not Eastern's I presume ?

[Steve O]

Eastern, Rio, and the hybrid of the two. My experience is pure Rio.

[Michael Arnette]

Hhm well I'd take the other more veteran hunters word for it! I have only hunted Kansas turkeys one year but Oklahoma for many years. In Oklahoma it can be pretty quiet during the day too
It could also be that I wasn't hunting private land...maybe they are quieter on public land?

[Michael Arnette]

...just for informations sake I was hunting far SE Kansas for eastern birds.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

If your taken one hunt or a few hunts for an example I'd say that's much to go on. Like others from KS and others that have hunted here for years have said turkeys here do not shut up all day here in KS, that's a crazy statement in my opinion.

If your birds are like that for some crazy reason your hunting one highly pressured area or your setup were the birds are flying down and going away from you heading strait to hens and out of your sound range quickly. Some do stop gobbling at fly down and until they get to the hens are quiet but once they get there everything changes.

Ben already said it and is right, late mornings are great for those pressured quiet birds, after all the hunters have gave up and said turkeys aren't gobbling    :D   they get re-fired up and will gobble at even the worst callers.

High pressured birds are birds you don't just come in from out of state throw up a few good decoys and exspect them to come running in gobbling there heads off even if your the best caller around. Scouting and patterning and putting in your time is how you hunt them, Jakes that's a different story.

Tracy