Kansas Trip?

Tom Barb

Tom Barb

Active member
A good friend of mine moved to Kansas last year. He is more of a deer hunter and never really duck hunted. He offered an open invitation to come out and do some duck hunting. Being an east coast salt marsh hunter I have no clue about this area.

Anyone from that area have any ideas or advice? He is in the Belleville area up north along the Nebraska border.

On the map it looks like there at a few big lakes within driving distance from his house. Would this trip be worth it from a duck hunting standpoint? Worst case I get to see an old friend for a few days lol.

Thanks guys.
 
We have been deer hunting in Kansas for 10 or 11 years and always see ducks and geese. We hunt 1 1/2 hours south of Kansas City and when we are there (first or second week of December) there are more ducks and geese than we have in CT.. As for the hunting we have never hunted for ducks and geese so I couldn't tell you, but it looks to be a great place.
Pete
 
A lot depends on when you will be there. The area Pete hunts has a lot of ducks in early Dec because it rarely freezes for long but north of that you freeze and stay that way. Early season there is a large marsh system called Jamestown, you will need a marsh layout in that place. It also gets hunted very hard the first couple weeks but then eases off.

When I was younger we traveled a lot into the exact area your friend lives in. It was probably some of the best quail and pheasant hunting to be had in the Midwest.
 
When I was younger we traveled a lot into the exact area your friend lives in. It was probably some of the best quail and pheasant hunting to be had in the Midwest.
Click to expand...

Sadly the "was" is very true. I have hunted around Beloit, SW of Belleville. Last year we found pheasants but not anywhere close to the numbers in the past. Some clubs/lodges were advertising that they were supplementing with pen birds... There were a ton of snows and some ducks around, but by mid December most water was froze, and they knew exactly where the refuges were and would just trade back and forth. It was unseasonably cold though as the highest temp I saw while hunting was 2.
 
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After visiting N.J this summer be ready for some culture shock, kind of like going back in time when you get here.

Anyway I have only been here a couple of years and have not got a lot of hunting in yet, but am out side working every day. Generally we have ducks and geese here in good numbers most of the later parts of the season depending on what is going on up north. I am about a hour and a half south of where you will be and we usually do not freeze up till late late in the season then only for a few day to a week.

Yes , I think this trip would be worth it.

Craig,
 
Tom,
I was living in Manhattan the last 4 years and got in a decent amount of hunting. Like anywhere, the more effort you put in, the more rewards you tend to receive. There are a good number of ducks that move through the state

Timing the weather is a huge issue, but those hunting the shallow marshes around the impoundments/rivers want moderate temps while the big lake and river hunters want a hard freeze to push the ducks off the marshes. Last year it went from almost too warm to COLD in a week and then stayed that way. Even the big lakes were freezing up.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. He did mention Jamestown. Sounds like it could be a decent trip to make.
 
I would try to schedule to hunt when upland is in season. That is about when the first real big push arrives.
 
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