2020 Hunting Season

Story by: Jace Tener

Deer hunting season in Kansas is upon us. Some students at EHS have been waiting for this hunting season all year. The rifle season in Kansas doesn’t last very long, so getting out there early is important. This year the rifle deer season is December 2nd to December 13th. The weather for this season is predicted to be fair.

The best time of day for hunting a deer is just before daybreak and waiting until about 1 p.m. That is the primetime for deer to be active.

“I love waking up early and start to hear all the animals around me come alive,” said junior Jake Lemonds. “I am eager to get back out there after this crazy year.”

“My favorite part of deer season is the experience of cleaning and eating what you have harvested” Clayton Spring, Jr. said.

Kansas has a lot of farmland anywhere you go. Fields and treelines are a great spot to look out for deer. Spring explains, “I hunt on the land that my family owns about 1,000 feet from my house, and if I see what is on my trail cams, it’ll be a good season.”

“I have been hunting in Missouri and Kansas and I’ve already seen a 10 pointer,” Lemonds said.

Points on a deer are determined by how many tines are coming off the two main antlers. Tines are the little points that come off of the deer’s main antlers. The state record for Kansas is a 40 pointer, which is a very rare sight. Any deer that is above 10 points is still really impressive.

A very important part to rifle deer season is having a rifle to use! Some of the most popular caliber rifles are a .243 and .308. The .308 rifle is better of course because it has more power and can resist the wind a lot better than a .243, which is a major factor here in Kansas. Spring says that he uses a .243 Winchester model 742 and Lemonds uses a .243 Mossberg rifle.

According to EHS students the .243 rifle is your best deal, but you will have less fire power. The leading rifle according to https://community.legendarywhitetails.com/blog/5-best-deer-hunting-rifle-calibers-new-rifles-ammo/ is the .270 rifle and they say it’s best for whitetail deer, which is mostly what you can find here in Kansas.

Each hunter in Kansas is allowed to get one buck per permit, but a hunter can purchase a number of antlerless permits which allow them to get more deer and harvest more. Even though the rifle deer season is only 11 days, there is no better time to go out and scout new spots and put up trail cameras. You never know what kind of buck could be walking around on the land you are usually at. When next rifle season comes around you can get that big buck you’ve been tracking.

Another way to track a buck or figure out what you have in your region is to shed hunt. Shed hunting is when pieces of the buck’s antlers fall off just like any other animal sheds. Buck’s usually start to shed their antlers around late winter. If you go out on your land you may find many pieces of a bucks antler that could lead to a big score later on.

A good way to attract the deer to you is to set up a feed spot right in your line of fire. Corn is really popular to use as deer feed and tends to work the best. Deer season may be short, but it can also be the best feeling when you get that buck you’ve been tracking. Have a good deer season and stay safe Cardinals!