There are some very big changes coming in this state next year, and I will tell you about them in a moment. First, though, if you are still looking for a deer hunt here this fall, there are some leftover landowner tags available for purchase, and one of the outfitters I have listed at the end of this report may still be able to help you secure one. You may indeed want to try to get a permit as the quality of the deer hunting available in Kansas remains good to outstanding, depending on where you hunt. The best lands, by far, are those under intensive trophy management by outfitters and those owned by individuals who outfit hunts.
Though monster bucks are tough to find these days, the 2006 harvest produced an above-average number of bucks grossing more than 200 B & C points. That includes several measuring between 230 and 260 points. Most good outfitters last year produced one or more bucks that grossed over 170 inches.
As for those upcoming changes, they will take effect in 2008. That's when the state will stop issuing landowner tags altogether and go to a 100 percent draw system. Most hunters will be glad to see the landowner tag system ended. This system, you'll recall, allows any Kansas resident who owns as few as 80 acres the opportunity to draw a transferable landowner permit that can be sold either to an outfitter or to an individual hunter. The catch is the landowner does not actually have to have good deer hunting available, or any hunting at all for that matter.
Many landowners feel this system is unfair and unworkable because it results in a large portion of the available........(continued)
