Public River Hunting in Kansas?
12-16-2013, 12:46 PM
#11
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Dodge City
Posts: 37
Well...I used my better judgment and didn't go down the river guys. Even though it would have been AWESOME deer hunting ( BIG outdoor channel names hunt/lease there) It was just simply not worth all the ruckus that would be caused by it.
I did get an invite to hunt a two mile long dry creek bed on the last day of season with another guy. He has been taking kids hunting all season and this was the first time he was going to shoot himself. I really wanted him to get a big one. He deserves it.
I stalked the creek and watched many deer and passed on many quality bucks( I had already filled doe tag) looking for the giant. I probably saw 30 deer total, 8-9 being bucks. Towards the end of the morning I came around a bend where deer tend to bed down. I saw my buddy and the BIGGEST DEER I HAVE EVER SEEN at the same time. He was wider than ears by about 5 inches each side, and my buddy aside his tines were so long the almost touched in the middle. He was a VERY mature at least 12 point. This deer would surely score in the low 190s. I know you may think I am crazy, but he was just as big as if not bigger than most of the Cabela's store bucks!
I was 100 yds from my buddy and the deer was between us. The deer was staring right at him and hadn't seen me. I watched the stare down for 30 seconds before a doe scurried out and took the giant with her. They went around the bend out of sight and I saw my buddy finally shoot. I jogged over with excitement to congratulate him as I saw a buck laying on the ground. He said "Dude why didn't you shoot that MONSTER!? He was so wide and tall! Gosh dang man what happened?" I said "I wanted you to get him! I saw you draw and shoot!"
He had already shot the buck laying on the ground earlier in the morning. He only shot the doe that was with the giant.
So for trying to be a nice guy I am left eating a tag sandwich and only a memory of what could have been!
I did get an invite to hunt a two mile long dry creek bed on the last day of season with another guy. He has been taking kids hunting all season and this was the first time he was going to shoot himself. I really wanted him to get a big one. He deserves it.
I stalked the creek and watched many deer and passed on many quality bucks( I had already filled doe tag) looking for the giant. I probably saw 30 deer total, 8-9 being bucks. Towards the end of the morning I came around a bend where deer tend to bed down. I saw my buddy and the BIGGEST DEER I HAVE EVER SEEN at the same time. He was wider than ears by about 5 inches each side, and my buddy aside his tines were so long the almost touched in the middle. He was a VERY mature at least 12 point. This deer would surely score in the low 190s. I know you may think I am crazy, but he was just as big as if not bigger than most of the Cabela's store bucks!
I was 100 yds from my buddy and the deer was between us. The deer was staring right at him and hadn't seen me. I watched the stare down for 30 seconds before a doe scurried out and took the giant with her. They went around the bend out of sight and I saw my buddy finally shoot. I jogged over with excitement to congratulate him as I saw a buck laying on the ground. He said "Dude why didn't you shoot that MONSTER!? He was so wide and tall! Gosh dang man what happened?" I said "I wanted you to get him! I saw you draw and shoot!"
He had already shot the buck laying on the ground earlier in the morning. He only shot the doe that was with the giant.
So for trying to be a nice guy I am left eating a tag sandwich and only a memory of what could have been!
12-16-2013, 04:32 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,359
That depends on the lease. Here in MN if you are leasing County, or state land not only can you not post it, you can't stop anyone else from accessing the property either.
Another type of lease we have is leasing Potlatch corp. land. Not only can you post them, but Potlatch provides the signs for you. The public has no right to access those leases.
Another type of lease we have is leasing Potlatch corp. land. Not only can you post them, but Potlatch provides the signs for you. The public has no right to access those leases.
In other words anybody can hunt there but some people pay money?
12-17-2013, 03:21 AM
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 9,230
12-17-2013, 07:15 AM
#16
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
12-17-2013, 07:18 AM
#17
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Allegan, MI
Posts: 8,019
***He wasn't shut out of hunting on public land! The land along the river he was talking about is all private property that he has no business on and if he did that hunt the only thing he could shoot would have to be in and die within the high water marks of said river.
12-18-2013, 10:09 AM
#18
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Dodge City
Posts: 37
***He wasn't shut out of hunting on public land! The land along the river he was talking about is all private property that he has no business on and if he did that hunt the only thing he could shoot would have to be in and die within the high water marks of said river.
12-18-2013, 10:56 AM
#19
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 616
The river bed is not advertised as public hunting land, but by definition it is because the Arkansas River is a public river, whether it is flowing or dry (which is the case in my area). Hunting is permissible in it as per the state website. Yes, it would step on some toes. But, for you to say that it was private land that was in question is a false statement. The land owners only own up to the high bank, the rest is public domain. The problem is that the area is highly sought after for deer leases, and the court cases the landowners/lease owners have filed have scared everybody away from trying to hunt on it for fear of the hassle of going to court and spending money fighting it.
Call me crazy but do you really want someone to do the same to you??? Oh these are highly sought after deer leases so you are going to row( or walk in your case since it's a dry bed) your way on to the back of these leases and try to underhandedly take deer between the high water marks. Nice! What kind of hunter are you????? I think you have said enough for me to figure that out! Sounds like YOUR the reason land needs to be posted. Try another state Kansas doesn't need your kind here.
Last edited by kswild; 12-18-2013 at 11:00 AM.
12-18-2013, 12:47 PM
#20
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Dodge City
Posts: 37
Wow! I don't think I deserved a tongue lashing. You must not have read that I DID NOT do what was aformentioned. I was just posing the question to people to see if in fact anybody else had done it. Yes, I will admit, the thought crossed my mind, as it would any young hunter who has no permission on any land remotely close to home, but gets the occasional offer to go hunting with friends on land of thiers. But, that does not deem me an unneighborly hunter, or worse a trespasser. I am a man of morals and after the deer craze left me and my better judgment filtered in, I reasoned NOT to pursue the endevour.
That is not the kind of hunter that I am or was raised to be. I was just simply posing a question on a public forum to see what others thought. Forgive me of my stupidity for gathering others opinions.
That is not the kind of hunter that I am or was raised to be. I was just simply posing a question on a public forum to see what others thought. Forgive me of my stupidity for gathering others opinions.