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KBA Magazine Article

Just picked up the mail after being gone on an extended trip and got the latest KBA Magazine. Great job on the mule deer study article. It was nice to see the effort put out to help the muleys. Great pictures really captured the event. Thanks for the write up. Would love to help on the next round up if needed.

They really need to do away with or significantly reduce the rifle muley tags like they used to. The muleys are really taking a pounding which I believe is a legitimate reason for their decline.

“...like they used to...” Not sure what you’re saying with that.

They need to reduce all tags. I've heard guys trying long shots just to get an arrow in one and then finish it off with a "stalk" when it bedded a mile away. Other stories included the same thing with the archer shooting out of the back of a truck

Here is my take. There have always been tags available. Now there is just more people hunting Western Kansas for deer as there has been and will continue to be a mass migration of hunters to the Western Corridor of Kansas. As access to land has dried up in the east hunters have migrated west. I remember a trip in 1994 and everybody in town came to see a Mule Deer killed with a bow. Most couldn't hardly believe it was shot with a bow in such open country. Now the hotels seem to be filled with archers starting the last of October through mid December with hunters chasing the Mule Deer. We no see outfits charging just as much to hunt a Mule Deer here as you would see in the very best parts of Colorado and Arizona. With that happening it brings the states Mule Deer herd more noteriety. I cherish all the ones my kids I have shot over the years. It is sad to hunt an area just ten short years ago you could see 100-150 Mule deer in a 70 square miles area. Now we are lucky to see any and non of the family who still farms the area sees them during harvest. With Cwd I doubt we will ever see any get transplanted from some of the areas that still hold large numbers.

I'm guessing Quinn will refrain from taking his son rifle hunting mulies to aid in the restoration efforts.

Kansas alloted 33,885 resident deer permits in 1985 for rifle season. 26,865 were either whitetail or mule deer. 55% of the harvest that year was estimated to be antlerless. Archers were estimated to harvest 4200 deer that year. The success rate of gun hunters was the highest in western Kansas at nearly 80% and the highest percentage of hunters came from Butler county. 204,511 permits were sold in the 2015-2016 season and 120,000 plus hunters chasing deer. 25,000 deer were killed by bowhunters, 6500 by crossbows, and 58,000 by gun hunters. Crossbow hunters alone took more deer in 2015 2016 than archers took in 1985. Maybe we have a management problem.

that is impressive that the deer herd grew enough to see tag numbers increase from 33k tags to 200k tags in a little over 30 years!! Management must not be completely off base.

That said, one issue I see with management is that the state is too slow to change if we see a decrease in population, especially mule deer.

Jason did a great job writing the article and providing facts from the study along with his personal experience. I appreciate his efforts putting something together for the magazine!

Matt

Thornton,

You’re an #%^*+!? as well as an idiot! You should know non residents can’t hunt mule deer with a rifle. Man you are dumb.

That is not totally correct. They can on own land of theirs and or relation. They can also get a tag if they were once a resident, have a lifetime hunting permit that allows them to apply as a resident even though the reside in another state. I wish we could all bury the hatchet and "try" to be respectful of others.

The herd did not grow. The amount of tags did not increase until 1995 and it wasn't due to increase in deer numbers.

Matt you’re correct but not the case in what Thornton’s BS response is insinuating. Thornton the rifle hunter has an issue with a 13 year old rifle hunting on the 2 days he gets to hunt in Kansas per year.

I was riding the school bus with my bow to a friend's ranch to hunt after school on Wednesdays when I was 14.My parents would pick me up at church around 730 and take me home afterwards. I could care less if he rifle hunts. I was just taking a jab at your previous hypocrisy. You gave absolutely no positive input to bowsite for the last year and now suddenly you are. It's just funny to me

So instead of being an adult, you chose to take some sort of backhanded dig at him? That's funny to me.

I take it you have only been on this site a short time? If you had read the stuff that used to spew out of his mouth, you might understand.

I think we are all guilty of spewing now and then i used to think clip was crazy but any more hes one of my favorite post to read and he knows his stuff

Here is the deal, take all the jabs you want. However if you want the majority of Bowsite to take you serious come to the conversation with positive thoughts. Guys we have been beating the dead horses long enough. From baiting to non residents tags it is what it is and until someone does something illegal we are all in the same boat. I personally want to see everyone be successful here. I have a friends from California to Georgia that I invite hunting and the good thing about that is they trade out deep sea fishing to Elk hunting. We all want the same thing a great outdoors experience. No amount of tags, deer,elk, fish or friends will change your experience unless your ready to be happy about the world we live in. Today is here yesterday is gone and we all need to look forward to a great tomorrow.

amen

Can't we all just get along? Well, okay... guess not. Carry on...

Nice Matte well said

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