Best Public Hunting Unit??

[slabbandit]

Going to check out a few outfitters but what, in your opinions, are some of the best units for public bowhunting and not to much hunter pressure? My son and I are hoping to get a shot at a 140 or so. From what I've heard so far, unit 11 is supposed to be one of the best units.

[Kansasoutdoorsman]

Not to be a debbie downer but KS has the smallest amount of public land of any state the US and it gets pounded. Your best bet for anything is going to be SE KS but getting a 140 off of public is going to take a LOTTTT of work. Your not going to go in on a weekend and just pick one up. Most public places are good for a doe over a weekend if you get luck but you need to be in there early in the season or hit the needle in a hay stack. As an examaple up at Jamestown a guide was charging out of state hunters $1500 a person to walk them out to his stand on public land. He had 9 stands in one tree row and was just walking guys past each other from stand to stand... With the law changes this year where you can't leave a stand out on public land he lost a lot of money.

Despite what KDWP tell you I have been hunting deer in KS for 15 years and never shot a 130+ deer, granted I spend most of my time duck hunting and crappie fishing and only rifle hunt a few days a year. Good luck to you if you come but plan on at least a week to scout and break down an area.

[Silent]

Money talks. I have a 180 walk through the yard everynight!

[DroptineJoe]

Booners Guide and Outfitting
Jon is an excellent guide that eats and sleeps deer 365 days a year! His clients shoot some absolute beasts, I have several pics on my work computer he has sent me!

Another thought is Ft Riley, I have been seeing some bruiser bucks cruising in the middle of the day while I'm at work!

Like Springhill Duckman said"Your chances of coming in and shooting a 140" class buck on public land are very slim!!" I too have hunted public for the last 25 years and I've seen some giants but I can tell you that they are few and far between! Way more hunters than deer in unit 8! Its so bad that this year I didn't even buy a deer tag, every driveway(public hunting) has a vehicle in it even during the week!!

Good luck to you!

[slabbandit]

Sounds like we need to check into some of the outfitter services in the eastern part of the state.

[huntcapn]

I am a member here of crappie .com and I have some properties available for semi-guided hunts...this yr or next....let me know if I can help

[huntcapn]

Eastern KS, that is..

[Kansasoutdoorsman]

Sadly, (and no disrespect intended to silent) but Silent is exacltly what deer hunting in KS has become. The sport of it and old friends are gone, it all about money and selling deer to the highest bidder. It's his land and he can do what he wants with it but the average Kansan is getting pushed out of the game. This is the reason that public land is so over ran with hunters, the average guy has very few places to hunt any more.

Capn, you better not be selling my seat!

[springhillwantabe]

Sadly, (and no disrespect intended to silent) but Silent is exacltly what deer hunting in KS has become. The sport of it and old friends are gone, it all about money and selling deer to the highest bidder. It's his land and he can do what he wants with it but the average Kansan is getting pushed out of the game. This is the reason that public land is so over ran with hunters, the average guy has very few places to hunt any more.

Capn, you better not be selling my seat!

lad sounds like your moving out just in time looks like your gettin an attitude like they say some of those springhill people have??

[DuckHuntingUSA]

I'd echo the Duckman's comments (cept the 130 part). At the risk of giving up someone's spot somewhere, you might consider central KS, 50 or so miles south of I-70. Buddies out chasing the ditch chickens been seeing tons of deer, and landowners asking them to come back and shoot um. As stated earlier, scouting is critical, lot of the big deers taken have been watched for a couple of years before someone catches up with um, and the locals will call each other and report where their seeing one they're watching. If you’re not in that circle, you won’t know, less you find it yourself. But if you’re looking for something like this, you either have to pay, or do the work, figure that’s about the same any state you go to. Good Luck.