Easterns in Kansas?

[jbennett]

I was thinking of trying to hunt Kansas public land this year and was wondering if any of you know whether it is likely that I will find Eastern Turks across the MO/KS line (extreme East KS). I have never even been to Kansas so have no clue where I will be hunting but hopefully can find some public land and give it a shot. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Josh

[mgm1955]

Live in MO and hunt SE KS each year. If you're hunting eastern KS you'll be hunting easterns. KS fish and game has an atlas of public lands. Check their website.

[870-Wingmaster]

we killed some rio / easter hybrids and full blood easterns in NE Kansas

[Gooserbat]

Yes you can find Easterns in eastern KS. 

[jbennett]

Thanks guys! I was looking on the Atlas (which is great by the way!) and don't see much public access along the MO/KS border. Am I looking at this correctly?

[bghunter777]

I hunt Kansas every year eastern Kansas will be all easterns in kansas find trees and you will find turkeys just pick a good looking walk in hunting area get there before daylight and you will hear gobbling.

[neal]

There's more public/walk in stuff there than meets the eye. I would go to the KS fish and game page and check. I've hunted with an outfitter several times in Eastern KS and he's shown me a lot of land thats private but open to public, and some awesome ground too! And you'll find mostly easterns there, they've taken over.

Good luck


Neal

[Hooksfan]

You are about 10 years too late to the party.  The secret on Kansas has gotten out.  There are still birds, but the pressure has increased to the point that the public ground gets hammered about as much as public anywhere else in the country.  It is getting harder to get on private ground than it used to be as more and more landowners are leasing their land--which I don't blame them one bit. 
I still have two places left that I can still hunt on that should be good to tag out, but it isn't like it was.  Lots of Missouri folks, Arkansas folks, Louisiana folks to be found in Eastern Kansas come turkey season.
All day hunting in Kansas and a two bird anytime season limit has taken a good bit of pressure off of Missouri as more folks go to Kansas now.
Not trying to discourage and certainly not anti-nonresidents since I am one of those Missouri/Louisiana hunters that go to Kansas.  Just trying to paint an accurate picture of what you will be getting into.
And yes, you will find Easterns in extreme Eastern Kansas, but you don't have to go very far at all to get into pockets of hybrids.  I have killed several hybrids as close as 30 miles from the Missouri border.

[cutt down]

This^^^^^^ Hooksfan nailed it. When I started turkey hunting out there 9 yrs ago with a friend of mine that lives in Kansas we saw no one. Now, they are constantly running folks off their land that don't have permission & don't bother to ask. And they have a lot of land!

[Dr Juice]

According to the NWTF mappng of the subspecies, you should be good to go.

[Gamblinman]

As Neal said there are some tracts of land that are private, but can be hunted, if you have written permission. In past years, we handled everything by mail. Last year, I had to go a day early and personally get the necessary documents.

Kansas is definitely changing, but the hunting is still excellent.

Gman