| BlindsSeveral turkey hunters offered not just for Kansas spring turkey but that for Missouri and Iowa that a ground blind of natural material made on the spot or a man made one was especially useful. The particular conditions motivating these comments was the amount of time the turkeys were in the open and working toward the setup. The turkey hunter without concealment had to be more disciplined at remaining still for a longer period of time than what many were accustomed to. For those hunters that started without a blind they all pretty much employed one by their second turkey hunting trip. This relates back to the largely open habitat common to Kansas turkey habitat compared to Missouri. BooksA few do it yourself turkey hunters stated they initially planned to hunt counties they found record statistics for. Many changed that plan the next year as they were able to find a good selection of toms just about every where they hunted having frequently opted to hunt where they planned to deer hunt that fall. AerialsAlmost all of the first year spring turkey hunting members did use aerial photographs and reported them useful for determining property lines during the hunt. None believed the aerials did much good for finding roost locations while some of the new to afternoon strutting area turkey hunters reported they gained a better understanding of strut area selection when combined with boots on the ground roost observation. Hunters with three years of Kansas spring turkey hunting were less likely to use aerial photographs. Hunter's Choice of HuntA nearly universal comment concerned the leisurely pace of our wild turkey hunting. Hunters were able to employ their turkey scouting and hunting effort without pressure real or imagined. That was an experience lacking compared to their home state. Many reported it was common practice for jakes to be shot in their home state spring season. With MAHA a jake harvest soon was no longer a consideration. Starting with their first spring trip they observed plenty enough mature toms that shooting a jake was soon removed form their mind. The more experienced turkey hunters further reported that coming back to hunt the same land lease farms allowed them to spend less time scouting and start turkey hunting earlier in their trip. The final Kansas turkey hunting preparation comment we actually looked for as confirmation we screened for the right hunters was the ones that told they had or would have had a good hunt regardless of filling a tag or not. The good turkey hunt was described as no pressure, plenty of birds and enjoying the solitude of the field.
ReturnOverall, the view point of those we spoke to was that of Kansas self guided hunts it was a good experience enough to earn a planned return the next year. Many commented the return hunt would be to a new area as the long season was a good time of the year and activity to enjoy the added adventure of new ground exploration.
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