KANSAS Comeuppance - Oklahoma & Kansas

CoKmAeuNppSaAnSce

00 SUCCESSFUL HUNTER ? July-Aug 2011

By Lee J. Hoots

The Medicine Lodge River wells up from the sun-dried prairie in south-central Kansas. Flowing southeastwardly, three-quarters of its 100-mile length cuts Berber County in nearly equal, triangular halves (northeast/southwest) before spilling into Oklahoma's Salt Fork. Almost equidistant along its length, the storied town of Medicine Lodge sits near its bank. The river gets its name from the region's Native peoples, who often gathered along the river to "make medicine," perhaps to sooth a burning realization that the open prairies and vast herds of bison that lived there were soon to become overrun and run off by white settlers and the muscle of a pioneering government eager to expand its new nation.

Traditional bison range is now covered with big whitetail bucks.

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In February 1873, 400 acres had been selected and prepped for a town along the river's banks. Almost overnight, a hotel, office building and general store had sprung up. Medicine Lodge became a bustling township, incorporated in 1879. In 1880, more than 1,200 residents called it home. The lines that would define Barber County, nearly 1,200 square miles, in which Medicine Lodge is centrally located, were surveyed and solidified in 1873 as well.

It is interesting to consider that more than 100 years after many bloody battles between white settlers and Native Americans were won and lost, and considering the many hardships endured by early settlers and the remnants of the Native tribes, life in Barber County hasn't changed much. The total county-wide population today, approximately 4,500 people (1,800 in Medicine Lodge), remains low, and those who live outside larger towns run cattle or farm, or do both ? just as the settlers did in the late-1800s.

One thing that has changed, and quite drastically during the past 30 years, is the abundance of whitetail deer in Kansas and the quality of hunting in Barber County. We need only go back one generation to find folks in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma (most of the central states, in fact) who remember a childhood without whitetails.

"A friend of mine told me a good story about his grandmother," says Jerick Henley. "They live south of Kansas in northern Oklahoma, and his grandmother is about 95 years old, and blind. He took her out to their ranch one time and a deer ran across the road, and she said she was sad that she couldn't see it. In all the time growing up on that ranch, she never saw a deer. Whitetail deer in that country was almost nonexistent then."

That's hardly the case anymore, says state big game

This old farmhouse, nearly 100 years old, serves as a shooting bench and bunkhouse for muzzleloader hunters.

program coordinator, Lloyd Fox. Kansas alone harbors perhaps as many as 650,000 whitetails, and the population continues to grow.

"The main reason has been the farm program, and the maturing of the Kansas landscape that has occurred," the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks biologist says, giving great credit to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) as well. "The CRP program has provided millions of acres of outstanding fawn production areas, and in most years, very good escape cover."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's multiarmed and controversial "farm program" subsidizes, among other things, landowner/farmer income during times of both crop deficiency and abundance. Agricultural overproduction brings prices and income down, and some farmers are actually paid not to farm. Critics say taxpayers are giving farmers a free ride. For certain, land that is unfarmed reverts to its natural state over time, and Kansas whitetails are making full use of it as the federal deficit deepens.

"Kansas is not the same today as it was in 1840, when people were using wagons to cross it," Fox says. "Today there is much more revegetation, the land is divided up a great deal, and we have a lot more production with agricultural crops. We have a limited amount of burning as compared to historical levels, when the

While equipment used to farm in south-central Kansas has changed, Medicine Lodge residents still make a living off the land, as they have since the

city was incorporated in 1879.

land was all grassland, and there is a woody invasion taking place in pasture lands and along stream courses.

"Plus, in central Kansas, we have mile after mile of shelterbelts built in the 1930s, the dustbowl days, to control wind erosion," Fox says. "These shelterbelts are now 60 to 70 years old ? mature, linear, woody habitat which provides travel corridors for deer."

The balance of open space and overgrowth, including profitable agricultural production, is a tricky one, but the current conditions are prime for whitetails to thrive, particularly in central Kansas.

"Many of our pastures and rangeland areas have been overgrazed, and in some cases have reverted to woody invasion. A little of this is absolutely great for deer," Fox says. "If it gets extensive, say with red cedars in areas that used to be prairie, stream flow is dramatically reduced and production of forbs and woody shrubs diminishes."

Central Kansas, and specifically south-central Kansas, is in its deer habitat prime.

"We probably are in that excellent mix right now," Fox says.

When it comes to herd health, antler growth potential and hunter success, Barber County in hunt Unit 16 is a recent benefactor of that "excellent mix." Other, somewhat localized conditions also help whitetail deer thrive, and hunters succeed here.

Left, the use of core feeders is a legal means of attracting deer in Kansas, but Lee preferred to hunt over natural fields and travel corridors, which is easily accommodated. Below, Barber County in south-central Kansas features miles of grasslands, traditionally home to vast herds of bison. Whitetails thrive in this country.

Rifles used during the hunt included T/C's Omega Dream Season (top) and Encore Pro Hunter XT with Speed Breech.

"First, that's the area of the Red Hills, so you have topography that provides great escape cover for the deer," Fox says, "and there is a great deal of cedar invasion, some good and some bad. There are also some fairly productive areas soil-wise [for farming]. There's also the land ownership pattern; there are large blocks of land under a single owner, and as such, those individuals can control access and tend to be a little on the conservative side and limit the number of people they allow to hunt their land."

It appears that Kansas has always had great whitetail genetics, and large blocks of family-owned private land with limited hunting activity allow bucks to reach older age and show characteristics of maturity. Read: big antlers!

Oscar Chain, in 1893, traded $50 and a shotgun for 160 acres of ranchland in Dewey County, northern Oklahoma (nearly due south of Medicine Lodge). In time the Chain Land and Cattle Company grew to encompass 70,000 acres of prime ranch and farmland, about evenly split between northern Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. That Kansas property is located in Barber County.

"We are a working cattle ranch that manages our deer hunting for trophy-class animals," says Jerick Hen-

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oky Hill R.

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Kanopolis 27

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Liebenthal 14

CoKmeAuNppSaAnSce Utica Brownell La Crosse GOaltaistia Hoisington Holyrood Geneseo Li Greeley

from our guides to work as hard as

disappearing in the cedars. "I don't 4

possible to give hunters the oppor- 4 think you hit that buck at all," Hen-

tunity to harvest a good buck.S"cott Henley may be a little modest

ley decided. When a more thorough search of the area revealed no indi-

Ness

Tribune Leoti Scott City Dighton Ness City Rush Center Albert 96 Shallow Water Windom ley, Chain Ranch Outfitters lead

when he sa9y6s "good buck." Last au-

tumn I sat with him high up in a Wichpitoartable scissor-jack blind one eve-

cators of a wounded de9er6, it became evidenLtantehat I'd simply shot a nice, clean hole in the Kansas soil.

Great Bend Lyons M guide. "We have no pressure to sell ning, overlooking a fallow field left

"We have2a3 variety of terrain on

283

numerous hunts to pay for leases;

in native grasses as a staging buffer the three Kansas ranches," Henley

Friend Raymond we simply manage to harvest a lim- 2b5etween heavy cedar woodlands to

says, "that includes mixed prairie

Inman ited number of 2m7ature bucks."

our front and an alfalfa field behind and river bottom with hardwoods,

Rozel Larned Seward Henley's hunters take no more

us. During the final 15 minutes of with thousands of acres of agricul-

Hanston Nickerson than 20 to 25 bucks off three large

shooting light, deer poured 8fr3om the

Jetmore Garfield properties, and most years that goal Kearncyedars into the tall grass. Each buck

Fitnunerye scattered throughout. We raise Hodgeman wheat and alfalfa on the majority of

Coolidge Kalvesta Hutchinson B is met. His clients tend to be regu-

seemed to be larger than the next, 156 that ground, which provides both 156

Syracuse Lakin Holcomb Garden City Belpre Saint John Plevna Partridge lmarusAz, zrckloeanlnossaissdtRiinn. gg

annually of four hunters, eight bow

Kinsley hunters and eight rifle hunters. 50

and when a good opportunity arose for a shot at a 150-class 10-pointer, I couldn't resist (this, in spite of

summer and winter nutrition for

the deer. We also have the benefit of having really goo2d3 water on our

Haven "WHeamariletonnot about five-star lodg- Henley's cautioning me to hold off a ranches."

Spearville Langdon ing and fancy meals," he says. "Our few more minutes).

While touring some of the prop-

Cimarron Byers Pretty Prairie focus is on amaz2i7ng hunting oppor- 25 I felt confident (perhaps too

Dodge City Preston C tunities supported by comfortable

confident) that I could make the

erty during midday chores, Henley showed me many of the hunting set-

156

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K a n s a s accommodations and a commitment 90-something-yard shot, leveled

Ensign mGryanTt /C Omega Dream Season

ups, someGsrpayecifically for rifle hunters and others for bow hunters and

Ford

61

Manter Johnson Ulysses Sublette Copeland Montezuma Ford Bucklin Greensburg CullisCoonatsPratt Cunningham Kingman Cheney 160

Stanton

Satanta Minneola Isabel Nashville Spivey 27

Richfield Moscow Plains Meade Fowler Coldwater Sun City Medicine Lodge Attica HarpeCronway SpringMs 51 Hugoton Kismet Ashland Protection Anthony Morton Elkhart Rolla Liberal Englewood Aetna Kiowa Bluff City 27

muzzleloader and broke the trigHgaeskre.ll yet others set specifically for muzWhen the smoke cleared, the buck zleloading. Most hunting is done

warm. The deer's feeding pattern

54 Pratt

was standing only slightly farthe1r44 away, confused. Reloading in the 25blind proved d1i9f0ficult and gave the buck enough time to walk off another 100 yards 5b6efore l1y9in0g down. Unsure of where the bullet hit, and even if it did hit, Henley andSeIward Stevencslimbed out of the blind and, in the remaining light, began our sneak on the bedded51deer.

When we got to within about 50 yards, the buck burst from cover, sprinting for the cedar woods. A second bullet flew harmlessly high as the buck made good its getaway, clearing a barbed-wire fence and

from ladder stands or ground blinds. Tower blinds, some2p3ortable like the scissor blind I hunted from, are used in areas where riflemen can reach out to distant deer in the more open pasture land.

"In our country, elevated blinds provide a distinct advantage. We 160 have incredible grass on our ranches, some of which can be 5 to 6 feet high, and de2e3r can disappMeaeardien that type of habitat," Henley says.

Kansas' muzzleloader season takes place in late September, when the mornings are usually cool, but midday and evening hours can be quite

will determine where hunters are

stationed each morning and eve-

As the deer remained sleepy-eyed

54

ning, a very typical situation whKitieo-wa in their red cedar beds, we spoke 42

tail hunters adapt to all over the

quietly in the blind about the cur-

country.

183

For our last afternoon hunt, we

rent state of hunting, its ever-increasing cost and about the Chain

moved the scissor-jack blind several Clark hundred yards south before climb-

Ranch Land and Cattle Company (Henley's employer for 12 years)

ing in it for our last set, the missed

and its long term gBoarablesrwith regard

shot from the evening before still

to whitetail management.

weighing heavy on my mind (prob-

"Balance is the key. We do have

ably Henley's too). Most likely I

to find the proper balance between

pulled that shot off the dee1r, buCtomanche ranching, farming and huntin2g81

I checked the rifle earlier that af-

practices," Henley says. "Our ranch

ternoon nonetheless. Shot from a

managers have really embraced the

prone position off the porch of a

hunting program, because they see

classic old farmhouse, which was

the value it brings to the entire op-

Kingman

14

sanctuary from the hunting pressure

on adjacent properties." And about quality deer manage-

ment (QDM): "We farm wheat

14

and

alfal2fa

mainly, and we use this agriculture for o1u6r0deer herd," he says. "We do

have smaller food plots that we've

planted to aHttarrapcetr and hold deer. 44 Th2ose are usually fall plots and consist of wheat, rye or winter peas. If

we do a summer plot, it would con-

sist of clover, cow peas or milo."

The term "quality deer manage-

ment" has been kicked around ex-

4

Jerick Henley started hunting deer at a young

likely built in the 1920s or '30s and eration. Just a few short years ago,

tensively during the past 20 years,

age and has been operating hunts for Chain

served as our bunkhouse for four

they didn't concern themselves with and its proponents have, in some

Ranch Outfitters for 12 years.

days, two T/C 200-grain Shock

grazing rotations that helped the fall cases, led property owners to believe

Wave bullets with Speed Sabots

deer hunting. Today, we may ro-

that one food plot on four acres

landed neatly 2 inches above point tate grazing in a particular pasture

will improve hunting on that land.

of aim at 100 yards. The powder

so that during hunting season all the Backyard food plots can now be

charge consisted of two 100-grain

cattle are removed from the area.

found throughout the country as a

Hodgdon Triple 7 pellets and Win- The deer have a tendency to con-

result. There is no doubt that situ-

chester W209 muzzleloading prim- gregate in these low-impact areas,

ations exist in which a man can im-

ers. The rifle was a newer .50-caliber which not only allows us to hunt

prove deer habitat on his land, but

Omega topped off with a Burris

them there, but also creates some

at what scale?

scope.

"Quality deer management

00 SUCCESSFUL HUNTER ? July-Aug 2011





July-Aug 2011 ? SUCCESSFUL HUNTER 00

CoKmeAuNppSaAnSce

means so many different things to so many different people," says Kansas wildlife manager Lloyd Fox. "Artificially concentrating deer has serious repercussions. We have people that do a good job of land management, but it has to be done with a big, broad paintbrush. And you'd go a long way in Kansas before you could beat a regular, old alfalfa field."

Such is the case with the hunting program run by Chain Ranch Outfitters. Behind our blind on the final afternoon was an alfalfa field, the same one that was attracting the deer the prior evening.

"There's some does coming out on the alfalfa down there to the right," Henley whispered. "But those are Oklahoma deer."

"Oklahoma deer?" I asked. "Yes, that fence is essentially on the state line," he said. I was shocked, not having realized just how "south-central" in Kansas we were. Four whitetail bucks stood in the short grass out in front of the blind minutes later. The sun was sinking quickly, and a decision was made to shoot the largest of the four, which stood at a laser-ranged 204 yards. In the fading light, the first T/C bullet took the buck squarely behind the shoulder, after which the buck stumbled and fell into a shallow swale and out of sight. As I reloaded, the second largest buck in the group began to push around the mortally hit buck, which then stood to its feet about the time I primed the Omega. A second shot hit home again, and the deer fell back into the swale. Almost immediately the smaller buck again commenced its attack, this time getting the big buck to its feet and chasing it across the open field, over a

barbed-white fence to the north and into grass more than 5 feet tall.

Henley and I were speechless. Hit solidly twice, there was no way the larger buck could survive for long, but adrenalin instills great strength and endurance in otherwise dead deer. We sat, amazed, in the darkness for a few minutes.

We quickly found where the deer had jumped the fence, and further into the grass was more sign. Blood was sprayed everywhere, headhigh grass was flattened in great circles perhaps 15 feet across, and the damp earth was torn up by the hooves of big deer. It was an impressive sight.

"Hey, Lee, look at this," Henley said calmly as he shined his light toward me. Just beyond his feet was the blood soaked buck, with antlers much larger and heavier than either of us realized ? a sure sign that Kansas is in that "perfect mix."

Outfitter Contact: Chain Ranch Outfitters, 4500 Canaan Creek Road, Edmond, OK 73034; (405) 820-4056; jerick@; .

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