Early reports from firearms deer season mixed

Reports are mixed on the ongoing firearms deer season that runs through next Sunday.

▪ “This is the slowest deer season I’ve seen in 10 years,” said Hal Kaina, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism game warden for McPherson and Rice counties, of the season that opened on Wednesday. “Normally I get six to eight (complaints) a day. This year they’ve been way down.”

Kaina said the public areas he’s checked have been crowded, though hunters have been hard to find on private lands.

“When you do find somebody, they’re usually with Texas tags or some other non-resident,” he said. “I’m thinking a lot of rifle hunters bought crossbows and tagged out hunting the (archery season.) It’s been strange.”

Kaina also said sloppy roads are probably keeping many hunters away from their traditional hunting spots.

Mark Tittle, Mark’s Meats, in Halstead, said the closure of two wild game processors in the past two years is probably one reason his business has been especially.

“It’s been heavy, heavy heavy,” said Tittle. “A lot of the guys coming in are bringing in multiple deer so they must be seeing quite a few does.”

Tittle said most bucks come with their antlers removed, but noted they’ve had a lot of big bodied deer in this year.

▪ Vince Stroot, Stroot’s Locker, in Goddard, said business has been brisk.

“The hunters are doing pretty good,” he said. “I’m thinking we’re getting in a few more than last year. Guys say they’re seeing a lot of does.”

Taxidermist Kendall Shaw, of McPherson, said his business has been down all fall, beginning with archery season.

“The weather isn’t helping,” he said late Saturday morning. “It’s turning off warm and today it’s getting windy. We’ll see, things are just getting started.”

Shaw said he sees successful hunters becoming increasingly frugal.

“A lot of guys are calling to get the price of a mount, then decide to just go with a European mount,” he said, of the display that has just the bleached skull and antlers, at about one-third the price of a traditional shoulder mount. “They’re trying to save money.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 2:24 PM with the headline "Early reports from firearms deer season mixed."