ISO Kansas Rio info will swap info for eastern and merriams

[Mkeller]

I live in the se part of the state and our turkey hunting in our zone were we hunt is only eastern and went from 2 birds to 1 for the last 2 seasons and I'm still amazed at the out of state pressure in our zone.  When I really noticed a jump in hunting pressure was when tourism dept was added to ks dept of wildlife dept.  We still harvest our birds and have a good time doing it.  I will say that the out of state hunters help the economy in the small towns just as I do when we go ice fishing in sd or nebraska.  I feel they have just as much right to come to ks as I do to go to their state and hunt or fish, it's not my place to tell people how and where they can go and spend their time and money.

[nativeks]

Now this is not a fair comparison since they shut off tags to NR hunters last year, but NR tags sold were up 347% from from the 2020 covid year to this year while residents dropped 13.8%. Again you have to take those with a grain of salt and I am trying to get the 2019 numbers for a more fair comparison.

[AndyN]

Now this is not a fair comparison since they shut off tags to NR hunters last year, but NR tags sold were up 347% from from the 2020 covid year to this year while residents dropped 13.8%. Again you have to take those with a grain of salt and I am trying to get the 2019 numbers for a more fair comparison.

NR numbers have ranged from 14k-16k over the last 10+ years. The real issue is pushing everyone into the only two units that allow two birds. Just based off tag sales and available land area, hunter pressure doubled in units 1 & 2 in 2021 from 2019 numbers. If you look at available public land I'd guess pressure has increased 4x or more. And that would match up with what I saw this spring.

[nativeks]

They do seem concerned that resident numbers continue to fall. Ill be a statistic next year. I won't be purchasing a tag. Waiting on my fishing boat to come in, should be here next month. Ill still do my part improving the habitat I have so if they ever do come back I will be ready. Ive got a loan hen that has been at the pond picking clover the last few mornings. No poults seen.

[PNWturkey]

Visited family in Kansas last week.

Drove from Kansas City to around Russell, including ample time on backroad highways, and the only turkeys I saw were on my small family farm.

Granted, most hens are probably not in open fields right now, but would have thought I'd see a few jakes/gobblers here and there...