11 Aug Traveling From ArkansasHey Guys, just thought I would give you a summary of my first ten months as a MAHA member. I only made two land reservations last fall bow hunting Missouri. First trip I could not believe the deer I saw. Fifteen minutes after daylight I had eight deer under my stand. Mid morning brought a beautiful 8 point into my set-up, but just out of range. It was the biggest 8 point I've ever seen while hunting. This was the first morning to ever hunt on MAHA land.The other trip to Missouri found me hunting in [location deleted] a different location from the first trip. I didn't see as many deer, but I seen literally a ton of turkeys & was able to harvest one with my bow. It was the first gobbler I ever harvested with a bow. He weighed about 18 lbs, 7" beard, 3/4" spurs. I still can't believe I didn't make it there this spring turkey hunting.
I was lucky enough to draw an Iowa turkey tag on my first try, after some phone calls & advice from John Wenzel I made a reservation for [location deleted]. I took the bird in the picture I'm kneeling with at 8:00 AM my first morning. He weighed 22 lbs. had a 9 1/2" beard and 1" spurs. I certainly have killed bigger turkeys, but as of right now this bird is still in my deep freeze & I/m debating on having it mounted. I worked a bigger tom & two hens all that morning after fly down right in front of me just out of range. The turkey I took came literally from probably 3/4 mile away gobbling every step. When he came in he flew across a creek and landed 10 yards from me to my left. He immediately went into strut, and when I shot him he was almost on my boot laces. The other tom gobbled when I shot him, and just walked off. What a hunt! I studied MAHA for nearly two years off & on, and kept debating on whether or not to join. I kept thinking of the money and time it would take to be successful. MAHA gives you two things, opportunity and options. Important ingredients for success, wouldn't you agree. I sure wish I would have joined two years ago, and maybe I would of already taken my buck of a lifetime. I would like to say a big thanks to John Wenzel for talking me into the commitment, and just say thanks to the owner, operator and staff that helped every one of us hunters. I can't wait till fall! Jamie Thank you Jamie for your well written experiences.
9 Aug Feedback on FeedbackSafetyIt is rare to find safety topics not previously covered from other sources and we have two we have not heard until this summer. The first concerns dogs and tractors, the second camper trailers and country railroad crossings.
The dog situation was two upland bird hunters at the first stop of the day unloading their dogs while getting the last of their field gear. During this time, a farmer in tractor pulling an implement comes down the road, stops to talk to the hunters. The farmer opens the tractor cab door exchanging pleasantries with the hunters. Having done so each expressed good luck to the other and proceed on their way. The dogs were running about and as the farmer started the tractor to pull away one dog runs between the tractor and the towed implement barely clearing the now forward moving implement's wheels.
The camper trailer and county railroad crossing situation involved a traveling hunter with camper having traveled over hard surfaced roads the entire trip with improved flat surface railroad crossings turned down a dirt road to his reserved campsite. In route was a country railroad crossing that was like most others on a raised bed, elevated higher than the vehicle road. His truck crossed the railroad easily, however the camper with its set back axils did not. The camper ground all to a stop getting hung up on the raised railroad bed about midway between the truck and the camper rear axils. The hunter expressed had the road surface been wet he would not have been able to self recover. As it was, the road was dry and well packed allowing him to put the truck into 4-wheel drive and back the camper off the tracks.
ArticlesWe have had several members express they would like to contribute articles to their Association website on a variety of topics. (articles being different than hunting accounts as they include other topics such as "how to") All are welcomed to do so and it has always been our action to publish as received minus specific locations of harvests (if listed). The idea is maintain the author's original content unedited to someone else's opinion. In that regard the reader gains a better appreciation of the value the author is choosing to express. The deletion of specific harvest locations is simply due to some hunters will choose to hunt where others have and we do not want to have undue pressure on any of the leases.
While many have offered to write articles few actually do. Those that have were posted to this update page as well as to the appropriate section of the website.
CRPSeveral bird hunters anticipating another good season have been out and about on Sunday drives looking over the countryside and expressed concern over CRP burning and mowing. The concern is the habitat has been destroyed and once favored spots are now ruined.
CRP contracts require maintaining the fields in the specified planted cover and free of woody growth. This is the older CRP program and not inclusive of the riparian or buffer programs requiring bushes or trees as well.
This maintenance may be by burning the field as the prairie grass has sufficient root structure to survive a burn where most weeds and woody growth does not. The benefit to burning is that it is effective at attaining results, cheap and easy. The consequence is that it does also burns ground clutter and woody growth in drainages or other non-CRP areas.
Ground clutter is valued due the "old field" effect for brood cover for ground nesting/brooding birds as ground litter increases insect counts. The ground litter is also valued as winter roost areas due to increased thermal protection. Burning of the woody cover benefit and consequence is regionally specific. Burning of low level brush or woody cover degrades the quail headquarters' effect and enhances pheasant cover.
Mowing CRP is considered a second choice by landowners because of increased cost. It is a choice made more by weather and ability to find skilled burning crews capable of executing a field burn contained to that field rather than an unrestrained range fire. The weather requirement is greater than 50% humidity and winds under 10 MPH the morning of the burn. And, have the burn crew available that specific morning.
Attempting a burn with less than 50% humidity and greater than 10 MPH winds may easily result in an unrestrained range fire. Those that went the early part of the 2006 Kansas spring turkey season in the north central part of Kansas traveling along highway 70 had the opportunity to see the effects of an unrestrained range fire.
Mowing CRP enhances the "old field" effect, retains woody growth to interior field drainages and makes walking more difficult on the brush stubble left behind. A significant advantage to upland bird hunters of mowing over that of burning is that burning typically occurs in April and destroys the nesting habitat for that breeding season. Mowing on the other hand as a second choice is executed after burning attempts have failed and as it requires farm equipment in farm country that equipment is typically only available for mowing after spring planting. This is well after the bulk of the spring brood period. Mowing also allows for quicker re-growth of the cover as the above the ground portion of the root crown to first leaf is intact.
The last value that CRP field maintenance effort brings the hunter is that CRP contract when maintain will be run to term allowing for more wildlife cover for a longer period of time. Should a landowner choose not to maintain his CRP according to the contract he will be dis-enrolled and that land typical reverts to farming. As CRP is on erosion prone land (a requirement for set aside) that land would typically go to cattle pasture.
Kansas Landowner TagsSeveral members that chose not to participate in the MAHA Kansas Landowner tag program have expressed regret and offered that MAHA should secure extra tags. We will elect not to do so and ask all to remember we are an efficient organization as we are small on staff. Having chosen to maximize money for land rather than employee wages we cannot not be all things to all members and most would agree with that. We stick to our core purpose and that is private land hunting access. Anything above that is a bonus.
For those in search of Kansas landowner tags we offer that Ebay continues to be the best source.
ScoutingA member offers he looks at his calendar for free weekends, surfs for airline tickets discounted a week before his free weekend and has found round trip tickets for $198 and some one way tickets for $79. For that cost he buys the ticket, gets a rental car and scouts.
7 Aug Food PlotFor those interested in deer patterns off season these pictures show deer near and eating the millet planted on a now drained duck wetlands. These pictures were taken last week while out coordinating dirt work on some levees.
The inset (above) shows this to be a fawn with spots remaining.
4 Aug Jon & Shaun, Sending in pictures of my [location deleted] turkey hunt. This was my first year hunting turkeys, Mo turkeys on Mid-Am. land. Have had many great hunts in KS. I drove down to [location deleted] on April 23 - met farmer - weather was threatening - he said I could use his barn to set up tent in, which I did - it was great. The storms hit during the night, but I was safe and dry. Had seen turkeys fly up in a fence row from my barn camp the night before. This place doesn't have much cover (fence rows) - next morning set up as close as possible - they flew down (9 hens, 2 toms) and went their way with not a shot. Next day same thing - no gobbling - toms following hens and because of such little cover it's hard to move on them.
Later in the morning was moving to a different location spotted tom w/3 hens in a cornfield - he was strutting really good. Decided there was no need to try to call - I devised a plan - used one fence row to get to a corner of the field (about 200 yards) - left everything but gun - stalked another 300 yds down another fence row to get closer - belly crawled 40 yds - peaked head up & 2 hens were looking in toward me (thank goodness wind was blowing about 40 MPH). They finally relaxed and started feeding again - I crawled another 10 yards to a log - put gun on log & as he strutted toward the hens I ended the hunt - 20 lbs, 8 1/2" beard.
Great hunt! Thanks for everything, Roger
Thank you Rodger for a hunting account much different than we read elsewhere or see in a video.
|
The picture of the turkey on my tailgate is the bird I took opening day of the Kansas season. At daylight I heard probably more turkeys than I've ever heard hunting anywhere else. It took a while but I finally called this gobbler into gun range at 2:00 PM. I worked this bird for over two hours. He weighed 25 lbs. had a 10" beard and sported 1" spurs. He is one of the heaviest birds I've ever took. What makes this nice is taht this property in [location deleted] is only 3 1/2 hours drive from my home in Arkansas. The rest of my time in Kansas actually found me deer scouting. I'm hoping to draw an archery tag for this fall.
