Kansas Upland Bird Hunting
Kansas Variety
Kansas upland bird hunting offers the most variety of upland bird hunts of our three state region in terms of habitat variety and bird species.
A plum thicket and grass draw that runs for nearly two miles of good habitat and longer with thinner stretches splitting a variety of crop fields along its way. Good, not prime, Kansas pheasant hunting especially during adverse weather conditions or cold winters.
This picture is deceptive as the draw is wider than can be covered by a shotgun, has a number of branches and to hunt its entire length would be at least two hours or more with a dog that can cast up the various length branches. Fortunately, this draw at one point is cut by a road that allows for a break or stop off at the truck.
Contrast the first picture of the brush draw pheasant habitat with this one of a Kansas quail hunting spot on a overcast day and windy day. This habitat is thinly grassed with small patches of thin brush drainage through a crop field. One of the better examples of our habitat extremes.
The third most common Kansas upland bird hunting covers a range of habitat to include the tall prairie grass. This particular field was pictured after a wet wind driven snow melted off leaving areas of depressed grass. Walking this kind of field produces the large pheasant flushes and day long action that results in the quick limit days.
Kansas upland bird hunting habitat choices continues with crop edge. In this case some very prime quail habitat with the combination of small grain crop field bordered by protective woody cover. This kind of linear bird habitat runs for miles requiring a dog capable of down wind casting and willingness to infiltrate cover. Shooting is either extremely easy for those quail flying out into the field and more often very frustrating as quail typically flush out the far side or flush right back into the cover.
Pheasant & Quail Hunts
When hunters think of Kansas upland bird hunting the pheasant comes to mind even though Kansas upland bird hunting has more than just pheasants, although there certainly are plenty of them, quail are also present.
Specific Kansas upland bird regions offer the best available quail dog work comparable to Missouri. The significant difference being the greater number of pheasants that will be found while in pursuit of the Bobwhite Quail. This creates the opportunity to enjoy watching dogs work both pheasant and quail in one day across every day of the hunt and that may be the greatest advantage of Kansas upland bird hunting.
The next Kansas upland bird hunting option that the astute hunter will recognize and many will ignore as a hen pheasant is the early to flush, fast and high flying Prairie Chicken. To see many in a season is common, to harvest even one rare.
For the hunter that has yet to harvest a Prairie Chicken be well aware they are not anywhere as good to eat as a pheasant or quail. Most local hunters will agree a good looking male Prairie Chicken is far better as a mount than on the dinner table. The first time a bird hunter skins one out he may begin to agree with this as the dark flesh with a musk that humans can readily smell will put the hunter aware.
The typical Kansas upland bird habitat cover of light woods, scrub and of course tall prairie grasses are intermixed with short grasses the Prairie Chicken prefers
In all cases of the bird of choice and habitat of choice our approach to self guided hunts means each hunter can hunt the bird and habitat that best suits his upland bird dog power and hunt style.
Variety
Kansas wild upland bird hunting also brings a greater range of pheasant and quail habitat variety of the three states the Association manages land.
Kansas habitat has covey holding soft edge habitat ringing row crop fields, tall prairie grass CRP fields and brush and scrub filled draws. All can be encountered the same day of any upland bird hunting trip. While Kansas has a wide range of bird habitat the Kansas quail hunter will find greater opportunity on the thinner tree lined creek bottoms cutting though crop fields. The challenge of course is being on the right side of the creek for the covey flush far more than for singles action.
The Kansas pheasant hunter will find the blue sky, tough to walk through and large acreage of the tall grass hunts enjoyable for the day and good for just a couple of days each hunt. Spreading the Kansas pheasant hunt over the brush and grass filled draws will ease the walking burden as well as add some quail action for the hunt.
Regardless of where hunting in Kansas the most memorable Kansas pheasant hunting is in the tall prairie grass fields where many experience flocks of pheasant on the rise with a profusion of scent that will overwhelm and confuse the novice upland bird dog. Most upland bird hunters are good for two or three days of walking such Kansas grass fields and the additional resistance of the tall grass to forward movement will make a quail hunt on cut crop fields a welcomed event. This two upland bird cover types prevents the boredom of any single bird or habitat type hunt.
Topography
Kansas watersheds make for most of the soft edge farm field quail habitat that will appear more open than Missouri.
Along these fields the same type of educated quail behavior of flushing to the opposite side of the cedar or fence row will allow for plenty of time to watch coveys and singles fly back to ground within sight allowing for a second or more opportunities for additional bird dog work. Overall, just as in Missouri and Iowa, Kansas' quail will give the hunter the chance to hunt a different field every time stepping from the truck of every day of every trip and more as the hunter will not be mixing his dogs with other hunters.
Kansas bird hunts includes the brushy draw (watersheds) far more frequently than that of the other two states and it will give the hunter another opportunity to change tactics for both pheasant and quail. Draws are nothing more than drains within a watershed and have a mixture of plumb thickets, tall and short grass. As these draws snake through the contours of the earth the upland bird cover habitat follows.
Each draw has a head or point and a mouth or lower elevation. The hunter that hunts from the thinnest to the thickest part of the draw in terms of width and cover will find the feathered game most likely to flush or run down the length making for repeat point and flush on the same covey or pheasant group. Those that hunt opposite will have plenty of observation of them flushing out of the thinning cover to fly across the ridge to the next draw that will invariable be too far and across property lines to hunt.
2010 Kansas Upland Bird Hunting Land
Kansas upland birds are pheasant, quail and Prairie Chicken. While Kansas has all three of these birds none of these upland birds exist equally in all regions of the state.
Association Hunter Feedback
Bob, a 25 year member was kind enough to send a photo of a late season pheasant hunt with his partner Dan.
Typical of when you least expect anything to happen, it happens. At a moments notice calling in a reservation, they decided to take a drive to scout for waterfowl and walk a couple of fields with their dogs in hopes for a pheasant and maybe a quail or two. Unexpectedly, in 20 minutes one field produced 6 roosters, which made for an eventful ride home and one of those to be long remembered pheasant hunting stories. Good job!
MAHA Pheasant & Quail Hunts
The challenge for the do it yourself bird hunter is that between Kansas, Iowa and Missouri he has a range of choices covering seasons, habitat and varying game densities. Our Kansas upland bird option is a good start and the beginning of another problem, that is, too much land available to hunt.
The hunter's challenge is no longer finding a single place to upland bird hunt, the challenge is that he has too many options and must decide where and when not to hunt. To that end the last consideration is the winter weather.
Within Kansas, our southern most region means less cold, in south central part of Kansas gives one more option for warmer later season bird hunts, compared to Iowa. Between these two well known upland bird hunting states the earlier Iowa upland season with an earlier cold winter is an advantage for the first part of the season. After that, Kansas is a more attractive bird hunting option during the last half of the winter season with its warmer temperatures.
Successful applicants are rarely disappointed with our self guided hunts. Those few that have been over the years probably should have remained with a guide service. The distinction is between those bird hunters that find enjoyment in the hunt of wild birds with all the known possible failures and successes rather than a must have bird in the bag hunt.
Comments from Jason, a long time, multiple state bird hunter about one of his early season Kansas bird hunts.
"While I may spend the whole day outdoors rarely are they full hunting days. All the more so during the first part of the season. Being down to one dog further limits bird finds and that is fine with me as he is a very pleasant dog to hunt. Hardly give any commands, hunts for me and he is steady....
Haven't had the chance to hunt milo stubble in a long time and was quickly reminded of its value. Should have hunted more of it earlier. My dog certainly liked the pond we came across. Water was limited and because of the heat I doubled the amount of water I normally carry and he took it all down. This pond picture was one of those dead calm, increasingly warmer days...
The birds came in one's, two's and three's per field. It was warm so I dressed them out after each field. I normally would not have sent in so many bird/dog pictures, however I know you appreciate them and others have told how they like the update page. When it turns cold I'll save up the day's bag for the limit pictures most folks like to see...
I'll offer the hunt in Jewel was disappointing. I was attracted to the idea of hunting new ground as I have been over just about every farm MAHA has. I would not send a new member or a first time Kansas hunter there. It worked for me as my little dog works slow and short. A long running dog would blow through the spotty cover and most likely push birds...
Over the years I have noticed how the grass in north Kansas is more variable than the more uniform cover in south Kansas. Each of these birds we worked for and on this northern Kansas tall grass hunt the birds either held in the better cover or ran in the thin grass. More than 2/3'ds of the birds we seen were run/wild flush birds...
The advantage we like in north Kansas is the chance to get out of the grass and hunt some edge, stubble and draws getting into quail...
The quail seem to be evolving into better survival strategies. The coveys like the plumb thickets. Some too thick to shoot when walking, crawling into flush. We went three and more points in a row sometimes without a shot...
From late morning through the PM my dog hunted shade as much as birds. Thanks for all, JS."