Help with a Kansas Muley Hunt
Kansas
Folks I would like to try my hand at chasing a Kansas Muley buck. I'm really just getting started on where and how to put this hunt together so I'm reaching out to see if anyone has any pointers. Is there a particular area I should focus on? Can I make this happen on public ground or in a WIHA? Anyone have contacts that might let a guy hunt for a few days on their farm? I'll take any and all help I can get.
Thanks Colin
Head NW and hunt public and ask everyone you can to hunt private. I have talked to folks who would let me hunt mule deer on their land but I have never drawn a tag. The odds for me to ever draw a tag are very low. If you are new to Kansas but a resident I would think you could do well hunting public, just may take a few years to figure out some properties. Shawn
I doubt you'll get any private access asking here.
I would however suggest scouring the WIHA maps to find some areas to check out in NW Kansas. I have access to a pretty good amount of private but honestly find a decent amount of muleys on WIHA ground. Find some WIHA ground that has muleys and then ask the adjacent landowners for permission if the muleys are using their ground. It can't hurt to ask and the worst they can say is no. Make sure you have the county plat map and know where the landowners land is so when you can ask you can ask to hunt a certain section or sections. Landowners tend to be more receptive if it appears you already know what ground they own. If they say no thank them for their time and then ask if they know any landowners that may let you hunt. Once you get one property ask the surrounding landowners.
Start by finding a high spot overlooking WIHA and glass at daybreak to find where the deer are. This time of year they will only be on their feet a short time before bedding. Find some deer and spend the rest of the day knocking on doors. Don't get discouraged with a few no's, just keep going.
Good luck.
I'd suggest doing this in August before the season starts not during the season as most people ask in camo during the season.
I have shot all my mule deer in northwest Kansas on wiha I would spend more time glassing and looking for water holes on wiha then knocking on doors. While you may find some landowners that will let you hunt they are few and far between. I would just spend more time scouting. Look for food water and canyons and then it will just take time being there. Start at Norton and work your way west.
I would listen to Matt. Concentrate on getting to know properties, especially near food sources and/or water. A buddy bow-killed a 32” mule deer on WIHA during firearms season. Timing of the trip can make a big difference, too.
Look at the wiha maps and over lay that with google maps. Depending on when you are going look for water. My son drew a tag last year for youth season and we spent one morning driving around wiha and found some deer. Set up that afternoon and he was able to connect on a buck. Its not easy by any stretch of the imagination open and rough country.
Find deer, wether it be little bucks or does with fawns. And then just keep looking with the binos. There will be a decent buck within a reasonable distance. That's what has worked for us anyway. Its downright amazing how hard it can be to spot a muledeer if he is laying up next to big yucas in the shade. We usually go the first part of Nov.
Scouted the morning. Killed one in the afternoon. “Not easy ...” Man, I’d like to see what you do consider easy. :-) Glad you got your son in on a nice mile deer.
Scouted the morning. Killed one in the afternoon. “Not easy ...” Man, I’d like to see what you do consider easy. :-) Glad you got your son in on a nice mile deer.
Writer, we got lucky on that one. I spent a lot of time looking at google maps. Once we got out there we spent a couple of days looking at everything. We did walk a lot the previous two days. Just happened that we saw a bachelor group of bucks walk into some standing corn. Came back out that afternoon and got lucky. The country out there is a lot rougher than I ever thought. I've pheasant hunted around Norton and the country is nothing like that further west.
Thanks for all the information. I actually got pulled over in Seneca a couple of weeks ago for the lights not working on my travel trailer. The offer and I got to talking hunting muleys and he recommended hunting right up against the Nebraska border. He also recommended getting a tag for Nebraska and work both sides of the state line. I wish I could remember the town he mentioned. I know that we said we had looked a camping at the Prairie Dog State Park and he said go further N.W. and look for WIHA's.
Thoughts?
Well I would be very careful on doing that as poaching seems to be rampant along the border and Nebraska begins their rifle deer season in the first part of November. There use to be alot of ground in the NW corner along the border however it has all been leased up by an outfitter
