2025 Kansas Hunting Outlook (full article)
* General Information * Statewide Summary * Regional Summary (Smith County area)
FORECAST FACTORS
Two important factors impact availability of upland game during the fall hunting season: number of breeding adults in the spring and the reproductive success of the breeding population. Reproductive success consists of both the number of hatched nests and chick survival. For pheasant and quail, annual survival is relatively low; therefore, the fall population is more dependent on summer reproduction than spring adult numbers. For prairie chickens, reproductive success is still the major population regulator, but higher adult survival helps maintain hunting opportunities during poor conditions. In this forecast, breeding population and reproductive success of pheasants, quail, and prairie chickens will be discussed. Breeding population data were gathered using spring calling surveys for pheasants, quail, and prairie chickens. Data for reproductive success were collected during late-summer roadside surveys for pheasants and quail, which quantify both adults and chicks observed. Reproductive success of prairie chickens cannot be easily assessed using the same methods because they do not associate with roads like pheasants and quail.Kansas has a dramatic rainfall gradient from more than 50 inches of average annual rainfall in the far east to less than 16 inches in the far west. The amount and timing of rainfall plays a major role in reproduction for upland birds. In the west, wet years typically improve the available cover and increase insect availability for chicks. In the east, dry years are typically more optimal, as heavy rains during spring and summer can reduce survival of nesting birds and young chicks. Above average summer rainfall in 2023 across much of western Kansas greatly improved nesting cover going into spring of 2024. Adequate rainfall continued into mid-summer across much of the west providing good nesting and brooding cover. As a result, production was significantly better than we have seen in some time.
STATEWIDE SUMMARIES
PHEASANT – Pheasant densities continued to improve this year as above average rainfall maintained better habitat across much of the primary range. The central regions saw the best improvements as these regions continued to recover from drought. The High Plains region of the western 1/3 of the state maintained solid but slightly lower densities. Chick survival was likely reduced this year due to cold wet conditions during peak hatch. However, the improved habitat resulted in more broods, largely offsetting the smaller brood sizes. After 2 years of good nesting conditions, summer surveys were well above the 10-year average. Acres enrolled in CRP were released to be used for emergency forage for cattle across most of the state again this year. To this point it appears CRP has not been relied on as heavily as in the past, but this has the potential to impact hunter success where it was. Hunting will be much improved this year and harvest should increase. The best areas will be in the High Plains of northwest and southwest Kansas; however, pheasant densities were relatively similar across most of the western half of the state.
QUAIL – Statewide quail populations were significantly improved this summer after above average rainfall helped recover rangelands and other habitats through the western regions. This increase was a result of a wide swath of the central portion of the state seeing improved densities this year. While brood sizes actually declined some, likely associated with frequent heavy storms, nest success was greatly improved across much of the state resulting in many more broods this year. The highest densities tended to remain in the southern half of the state similar to last year, with the highest regional densities in the Southcentral Prairies and Southern High Plains. After a few poor years of production in the Smoky Hills in northcentral Kansas, brood surveys rebounded this year. Kansas maintains one of the strongest quail populations in the country and given our abundant access, harvest will again be among the highest in the country. The best opportunities will be across the southern half of the state extending up through northcentral Kansas, with quality hunting opportunities scattered in the remaining regions.
REGIONAL SUMMARIES
Smoky Hills (northcentral)
This region has 106,720 acres acres acres of public land and 281,436 acres acres of WIHA open to hunters this fall.
Pheasant – This region had the greatest improvement on the roadside survey, after only minimal improvements last year. Similar to NW Kansas, late spring was drier in this region then much of the state. However, good soil moisture and early summer rains appeared to largely maintain habitat and resulting in the highest regional chick and brood measurements this year. The western half of the region will have the best densities, however some eastern counties in the region have densities rivaling those further west, and much better than observed in several years. Quality hunting opportunities exist across much of the Smoky Hills with a good combination of bird densities and access.
Quail – This region saw major rebounds across most routes after several consecutive years of poor production. Production measures were greatly improved this year, nearly doubling the number of birds on the brood survey. However, after several consecutive years of poor production this improvement was not enough for this region to reclaim the highest regional density. While this region has lower fall densities than some of the other major quail regions this year, densities are still good, and the Smoky Hills is a large region with ample access providing hunting opportunity throughout. Densities within the region appear to be best in the center of the region with lower densities along the high plains and Flint Hills. Similar to pheasant, densities appear to be the best in the South and Southwestern portion of the region where some improvements were observed.