Green Kansas

[Bruce Day]

Two years of hard drought, two years of high heat and little rainfall. Cattle herds sold off because couldn't afford to feed them, crops withered in the fields, low yields, poor pheasant hatches. Now rain, blessed rain, and August green fields. Irrigated corn at 6-7 ft tall, even non irrigated corn is 5 ft in SW Kansas.

Pheasants have raised two broods this year. It will be a multi year return, but maybe things are looking up.

So here are some photos. First is some broken country by a cornfield, good pheasant habitat. The Comanches used to pass by this way. There was a Kiowa village a few miles south where there was permanent water before Colorado farmers dammed the river and took it all. The Kiowas lived there into the 1880's before they were forcibly moved to reservations.

Then by the tracks. This was by the northern, or summer home of the Pawnee, in Pawnee County, not far from Pawnee Rock. They summered here then traveled south into Texas for the winter.

These southern plains were once covered by buffalo as far as a person could see. Buffalo, elk, plains wolves and even the giant plains grizzly bear, big enough to take down a buffalo. Wild horses. There were few trees, there are more now than there ever were.

So, for the pheasant hunter, we have habitat, food, water, a good hatch, we just need to hunt sparingly and take care of these wild birds, pheasant , quail and prairie chickens for the treasures that they are.

[Paul P.]

Thanks Bruce. Someday I hope to hunt up there. I have only been on farm raised pheasant hunts. I am really looking forward to a wild bird hunt soon.

[SXS OHIO]

Thanks for the report. We hunt Hill City area...north west Kansas. Above interstate 70 Did that part of the state get rain? We have been on the fence about going this year. Last year was poor! We did see birds but could not get close to them.....little cover for them to hide in.

[Bruce Day]

It will be tough finding birds again this year but I expect improvement. I hunted NW Kansas from St Francis to Marysville. Found birds but not many. NW KS always gets more rain than SW and should be better.

Dec 2012:

[Richard Flanders]

Bruce: I bet that honey hole where we got the birds above will be full of birds again this year. I know there was one that got away and hopefully he's been busy this summer. I think we should definitely find out in December.

[Jeff Christie]

Bruce-

Thanks for the pictues. I have a warm spot for Kansas havine been born there. I want to get back to hunt the family farm my great grand mother holmesteaded (by herself) in the late 1880's. Been way too long. Farm is still ours.

Iowa won't be good this year- but it will be marginally better than last year where we live.

More by PM

Jeff