KSQ2
PMA Member
My brother-in-law headed out the Protection, KS (near Ashland, SW Kansas) this past weekend for a wedding. While he was there he had, in his words, one of the best outdoor experiences of his life (he even said it rivaled hunting). A friend of his took him up in his paraplane. Mike is becoming quite a photographer and he got some pictures that will truly take your breath away. The only troubling thing about the experience for him was the lack of big bucks (I mean really big -- 160" or better) they saw. They flew over 20 square miles and Mike's buddy knows all the land like the back of his hand. There aren't very many trees out that way and from Mikes pictures it's obvious the deer couldn't hide from them. They saw two bucks total that would top 150" (they saw over 300 deer that morning). In the glory days of this area, up to about 6 years ago, when a total of less than 20 locals hunted this regularly you couldn't take a drive in the evening without seeing a booner, it was enough to make even Kaare take notice I believe. One outfitter alone, of many, last year serviced 48 hunters on this land. (Kansas has changed their transferrable tag laws this year to cut down a little bit, but most outfitters found loopholes.) Mike said there were feeders and corn piles all over the place... I really feel for the local guys who've literally been forced out of EVERY hunting place in the county. Even if they could hunt, the bucks just aren't there like they used to be. As a person who had the privilege to hunt there several years back, during the glory years (I could never afford it now...), it's kind of tough to take. I just hope the outfitter affect doesn't come home to SE Kansas...
