Little Windy on the Kansas Plains

[Bruce Day]

Cal Humberg forwarded to me a photo of a little windstorm shot last Friday by the Lacrosse KS livestock sales barn.

I'll be bicycling across Kansas again from June 7-16 and sometimes we have had to wait out one of these. I'll give a pheasant report after. Last time I pulled off the road to take a call from JD and a rooster pheasant a few yards away in the wheatfield starting cackling. The second photo is of another little windstorm starting to come down while we were biking. We pulled over for a while.....kind of hard to outrun these things at 15mph. A little jiggle on the camera there.

But for you easterners, Kansas continues to lose population, a nice house in a small town can be had for under $100,000 , some far less than that, there are almost no anti gun laws, and we have good populations of pheasant, quail, whitetail and mule deer, lots of ducks and geese ( shoot some more geese please) and lots of hunting opportunities.

[J.B. Books]

A great place to open an amusement park, Six Flags over Flat :-)

[Bruce Day]

Now Pete, we have Mt Sunflower with a whole 100 ft elevation gain and rolling hills in northern Kansas, the Flint Hills, Blue Hills, etc. We have fish---catfish, and oysters---Rocky Mountain oysters. We have it all.

[J.B. Books]

Ahh but I have lived Wichita many years ago. Along with tornados and virtually treeless flatland you have constant high winds, very cold winters, wicked ice storms, plenty of snow, dust storms and something I learned while there, Snirt storms, a combo dirt and snow storm.

Why is the population declining, is it the economy or taxes or both?

[tom tutwiler]

Turkey hunted in west of Wichita a few weeks ago. Birds didn't cooperate (well, one did), but saw more pheasants and quail then I'd ever seen in that area. Hopefully the quite mild winter and lack of serious hard rain will result in a good hatch of both species. The same thing happening in Kansas also is happening in those little towns in SW Nebraska. Young folks don't want to remain in the area and as such populations are declining. Accordingly the demographics are essentially an aging population and that doesn't bode well in the long run. I think Wichita provides most of what any person would want. Decent healthcare, good shopping/eating places, nice airport, some culture and last by not least some pretty decent hunting. I could see me living out there, but could never talk the wife into it. She likes more pavement under her feet and is deathly afraid of funnel clouds.

[Rod N. Gunn]

I'd rather be in a snirt storm than sit on a smog choked freeway with 35 million other people, few hunting opportunities and an 11-percent state income tax.

[Opening Day]

Originally Posted by Dave Fuller

I'd rather be in a snirt storm than sit on a smog choked freeway with 35 million other people, few hunting opportunities and an 11-percent state income tax.

He's got you there Pete...

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Eric Eis

He's got you there Pete...

Yup he got me alright.

All we got is lots of trees, beaches on the ocean, lots of fresh water lakes, mountains, no perceptible smog, about 1.3M people, unemployment under 5%, what we don't got is a state income tax or state sales tax. All private land is open to hunting and fishing unless posted. We does get snow and cold though, can't have everything I guess

Truth is, ain't no place in this country as good as it used to be.

[Opening Day]

I agree with you Pete you don't have it so bad but you look at other areas of the country and it is smog, overcrowding etc. Best you don't advertise all the good points of your state or you may get the overcrowding etc..

[J.B. Books]

Originally Posted by Eric Eis

I agree with you Pete you don't have it so bad but you look at other areas of the country and it is smog, overcrowding etc. Best you don't advertise all the good points of your state or you may get the overcrowding etc..

Eric in my lifetime we have experienced a huge shift in NH demographics. We used to be a bold red state. However as people got tired of high taxes and overcrowding south of here they moved in. They brought their politics and ideas with them. NH natives are now a minority in NH and in 2006 the state legislature went blue for the first time since 1912. NH's landmark old man in mountains did not fall, he committed suicide.