mihoag

What do you Kansas bowhunters think about the changes for the 2005 season? That is: 1) tags are no longer statewide and you have to choose two units. 2) bowhunters can now hunt during the rifle season using legal archery equipment.

I for one don't like the unit idea. I am at least glad we can choose two units since I live basically on the border of two units. I do like being able to hunt during rifle season since that gives me two more weeks.

kansaswiderack

Personally I have 3 different properties to hunt and they are in 3 different units, so one will go unhunted this year. I would also like the opprotunity to go out west sometime but can never make the plans ahead of time. I guess that won't happen this year. It is my understanding that we are to be back to the state wide permits next year. Apparently legislation was passed, but not soon enough to be incorporated in this years hunt. I hope that is right. I maybe wrong but I always thought it was legal to hunt with archery equipment during the firearms season, you just had to wear your hunter orange. The only tags that were legal at that time were the regular firearms tags and game tags. I am holding out judgement on the archery during the firearms season to see how it pans out this year. I am more than a little concerned with all the rifle hunters in the field while I am trying to get archery close. There just seems to be to many people that will go to ANY length to bag their buck-tresspasssing, long unethical shots, hunting from trucks, road hunting, etc.

shootnmiss

I also have property in three seperate units this year. I wish someone could explain to me the method behind this madness. Boy it's a small world mihoag, we own property in lacygne and wide rack i live in andover and hunt in benton as well. Do you know if Eureka and Whitewater are in the same unit this year? I'm not sure if i will hunt during rifle season with bow or not but i believed in years past you could hunt during bow season but you had to wear hunter orange, until i asked a game warden and he told me you couldn't.

sulking feline

it screws the KS residents bigtime - and I'm a non-resident

EBAY prices on KS tags have sagged to an all time low I think. Kansas is no longer "the place" to go big deer hunting thanks to KDNR idiocy

mitchmedic

The units suck. I always like the fact I could go back home and hunt with my family and old hunting buddies, and still hunt where I live now with my bow. As far as bow during rifle season, if you have the right place it could pay off in "big bucks". Having rifle pressure on the deer on other properties around you will only push them into your area. I would think the deer would remember from year to year about that one spot they dont hear all the loud noises every early December. It also has happend in past years, it seemed that rut was still going or the second rut was in effect when rifle season started.

mihoag

Here is a link to the new unit maps.
http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/hunting/hunting_regulations/deer/kansas_deer_management_unit_maps
My Kansas Wildlife & Parks magizine says that there is bill to repeal the assignment of Archery units, it passed the House but went to a comittee in the Senate. It won't be voted on until 2006. Sounds like we all like the statewide system.