What should I expect? Kansas Turkeys

SpurIA · 05-07-2007, 03:18 PM

A friend and I are headed out to Lyons Kansas (northwest of Hutchinson)next week for a late turkey hunt. Does anyone on here have any info on what the birds are doing and what if any effect the terrible storms had on the area. Thanks for your replys!

Howler · 05-07-2007, 08:07 PM

I just came back from up north of Salina, KS. yesterday. I don't know how bad the weather got down towards Hutch., but I can tell ya that the birds were still henned up in the mornings. The last eve. that we hunted, we used a pretty boy along with a hen decoy, and we had 5 jakes run into the set, and then later that eve. we had a nice tom come full strut running into the same set up, and he got lucky. We killed two nice toms the first morning by using a jake decoy, non strut, and a hen decoy and we called 6 hens to us, and they had three long beards in a tow, and only one left the set up.
If the birds you'll be hunting haven't had any hunting pressure, you'll do just fine. If they've been getting a lot of pressure, calling them will be tough.
Good luck!

Manybeards · 05-08-2007, 12:04 PM

>>>> Howlers experience sounds mighty familiar! Just got back yesterday myself. We were hunting north central Kansas(and NE as well),and the weather aside,this was one of the toughest hunts I've been on in quite awhile! I've hunted KS for several years,and it's usually cake,but seems to be these birds have evolved........ Lots of gobblin',but very few birds willing to work to the call. We had 10 tags,and got 5 birds in 6 hard days of hunting! Decoys were NOT helpful,and any gobbler decoy was certain to scare the birds based on our experience....... We had to absolutely crowd the birds,and often got busted. The weather was some of the worst I've ever hunted in. Had a deputy sheriff flag us down.... thought we were nuts! Best of luck to you..........................

triggerhappy · 05-08-2007, 04:42 PM

I am usally tagged out by May and just bagged my first bird of the year on the 5th. It has been a very frustrating and difficult year but having said that it does seem to be comming around a bit.

That Lyons area got around 10" of rain I believe so there may still be a bit of water around.

My suggestion would be not to call off the roost but matbe set a couple decoys up with hopes they fly down to them. I would not touch a call until 9:00 a.m.

Good Luck!

SpurIA · 05-09-2007, 06:55 AM

Thanks for the info guys, as far as the rain I got a call yesterday saying that the camp was flooded and that we might have to stay in a motel. I guess I really don't care just as long as there I get into thegame with some turkeys!!

triggerhappy · 05-09-2007, 11:45 AM

I would go ahead and call the hotel because there are a lot of displaced people and emergency workers etc. in the area and rooms may be tight.

Most of the creeks and rivers have crested and are on the way down but there are a lot of roads washed out and will be a lot of standing water.

Be careful.