Marshall County- the Turkey Hunting Capital of Kansas

If you live in the East and you want to hunt for a Rio, Kansas is about as far as you need to go. Once confined to the southwest corner of the state, the Rio has migrated East. Do a Google map of Home, Kansas. My first turkey was a Rio-Eastern hybrid and was shot about two miles south of there. If you are from the West and you want to shoot an Eastern, Kansas is about as far as you need to go. The Northeast corner of the state is rich with Easterns and if you want to drive a little further, say- to Missouri, you can find even greater hunting for Easterns. For those of you wanting to travel, here is some information about Kansas turkey hunting.

Kansas Subspecies Distribution Map- This isn't completely accurate. There are Rio-Eastern hybrids as far east as Nemaha County (the third county from the East along the northern border) and Easterns as far west as Jewell County (four counties west of Nemaha). http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/hunting/hunting_image_gallery/approximate_turkey_subspecies_distribution_in_kansas

Kansas Spring Season- Archery and Youth only- 1-8 April 2008; Firearms/Archery- 9 April-31 May 2008. For a complete list of regulations, check here- http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/hunting/turkey

Kansas Hunting Atlas- If you're hunting public land, check this baby out first. You'll start to notice that more public land is available in some counties than in others. http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/kdwp_info/locations/hunting_fishing_maps_by_county/2007_spring_turkey_hunting_atlas/marshall

Here's what you need to know about turkey hunting in Kansas.

Legal firearms- 20-gauge and above, shot 2-9. I use 6 shot, but I'll get into that another time. Electronic calls are prohibited.

Kansas is divided into four management units for turkey. Unit 1 is the largest unit in terms of area, but Unit 2 is by far the richest in turkey poplation. I live in Marshall County. If you click on the map and start at the Northeastern-most county, this is Doniphan County. Moving West, you'll see Brown, Nemaha, Marshall and Washington. There are fantastic woods in Washington County, and there is a good mix of Eastern and Rio sub-species there. Nemaha County also features very rich hunting of all subspecies, as does Jackson County. Jackson is directly to the south and east of Nemaha.

If you're an out-of-stater and don't know anyone in Kansas, you'll be particularly interested in public hunting areas. Marshall County is the best in the state in terms of combined quality and quantity of hunting areas. There are 46 different walk-in hunting areas in Marshall County, with the biggest concentration in the Northwest, Northeast, and Southeast corners. Feel free to comment on this thread if you're interested in coming out to hunt Marshall County. I'd be happy to be your guide and maybe learn a thing or two.

Here's what I know about the different areas of Marshall County. The hunting in the Northwest corner is pretty tough. There are a lot of open wheat fields and finding a good spot can be troublesome. The biggest birds are in the Northeast corner, up by the Nebraska border near Summerfield. However, these birds are very tough to call in. My brother and I have seen 30-pound birds up there, but have never brought one in closer than 80 yards. They're spooky. The Southeast corner is good hunting without the monster birds that are up by the border.

Lodging- About the only motels in the county are in Marysville. There are a few motels here, but call in advance. Union Pacific Railroad uses them often and they are frequently booked up with railroaders.

Meals- Aside from the little cafes and bars, there are some fast-food joints in Marysville as well as two grocery stores.

What you'll need- First, if you don't have a four-wheel-drive, you're severely limiting where you can hunt. There are plenty of great places to go down muddy roads, but a 2-wheel drive won't get you home. You can pick up a tag in about any Wal-Mart or courthouse, or order one online at the KDWP website. Get here early on your first day. That way, you can go out scouting as many walk-in areas as possible.

What I know- Stay away from wheat fields in late spring. When the wheat gets too high, you're just wasting your time. The best places to hunt are newly planted corn and bean fields. If you must, hunt cedar pasture and the big woods, but try to stay near a corn or bean field if possible.

Last but not least- Don't get in a hurry. The toms are pretty henned up throughout the season. The later you plan to hunt, the better. If you have one tag to fill, you can fill it on Memorial Day weekend. There's no sense coming in April. Two of the three birds I've shot have been after the middle of May.

If you're interested in hunting Kansas, I'm probably interested in hunting your state. Leave me a comment and let me know when you want to visit. I might be able to help you out.