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scallop Offline OP
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I am interested in hunting Kansas Early Muzzleloader Season. Within my circle of hunting friends, I am getting mixed reviews about the early season. Some friends claim its a good hunt with a good chance to get a quality buck. Others feel the deer move very late in the day, so it's a lot of sitting around all day for 30 minutes of movement before dark. I understand that weather can be an issue with all hunts. I am looking for thoughts and/or insight from people with experience hunting the Kansas Early Muzzleloader Season.

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Well it’s often hot and rainy so the bucks are really mobile at night as you state, I tried the Sept muzzle loader season when I moved to KS 20 years ago, and didn’t do very well.

I do have some friends who have done well, one is a still hunter, and what he does is walk the fields really, really, really (really) slowly and watches for deer bedded down in fence rows between fields. He’s gotten a couple decent bucks but both were still with fuzzy antlers... Frankly I can still hunt but not for hours like he does.

The other more western KS and the whitetails are concentrated in the river bottoms there, so they have tons of stands and he usually hooks up, but his hunting is one of land owner / farmer privilege.

Hope that helps.
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I live in Ks and have only hunted the early muzzleloader season one day. Heat is ususally in the mid 90s to 100+ with high humidity here in my area. Ticks and skeeters make it harder to sit still as well. Deer movement is early and late as you mentioned. The western part of the state might be different, but I have no experience out there.

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Originally Posted by Ole_270
Heat is ususally in the mid 90s to 100+ with high humidity here in my area. Ticks and skeeters make it harder to sit still as well. Deer movement is early and late as you mentioned.


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The one advantage to the ML season is your tag is still viable during the rifle season - though using a ML is still required.


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I too did it one year and killed a really nice 8 point in full velvet. I have the opportunity but don't go during early MZL season as I prefer the rifle season cold to the heat and bugs early.

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Like others have said, it can be really hot and the mosquitoes unbearable. That being said, it is my favorite season. Scouting is key. The deer aren't moving as much, but once you locate a buck, they're much easier to pattern since they haven't seen hunting pressure yet.

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Life long Kansan and hunter, I've only hunted the early M.L. season once, about 20 years ago. The heat, bugs and humidity made it one of the least enjoyable hunting experiences of my life. That combined with dealing with the heat and getting the carcass cooled down after a kill is a ROYAL PIA. Give me December any time.


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Thanks for all the replies so far. Please keep them coming.

I became interested in the Kansas early ML seasons mainly for two reasons. First, I have other states that I hunt November, December, and January. And, second, I prefer gun hunting over archery hunting, so Kansas seems to fit an early season niche for me.

I envisioned it similar to a late season midwest type whitetail hunt. But, rather than freezing your butt off waiting for deer to come to fields the last hour of day light. You sweat your butt off waiting for deer to come to fields the last your of light.

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You most likely will not have a butt left by the time ticks and skeeters are done with ya... smile

It's really too bad that the state has the muzzleloader season at such a miserable time of year.

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I live in northcentral Kansas and hunt the early muzzleloader season every year. It has been a 30/70 split whether I take an early muzzleloader deer or one during the regular December season. I don't use trail cams so it's a good time to see what is moving about.

The heat and bugs don't overly bother me (I wear mosquito netting and long sleeve shirt), but it's always been a rush to get the venison deboned and on ice. The #1 factor in September is the amount of foliage and dense cover the deer can be in and not be seen. I hunt areas I know the deer usually funnel through, so it is pretty close shooting. Last fall was abnormal, we had crops standing throughout the hunting season which made for a lot more available cover for deer to hide in and plus a good food supply. Usually the deer will get pushed around as the beans, corn and milo get cut.

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I tried it last September and prob won’t ever try it again. Too damn hot!

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If you happen to be an allergy sufferer, the ragweed pollen can kick your arse even more than the skeeters and heat. laugh


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Originally Posted by scallop
I am interested in hunting Kansas Early Muzzleloader Season. Within my circle of hunting friends, I am getting mixed reviews about the early season. Some friends claim its a good hunt with a good chance to get a quality buck. Others feel the deer move very late in the day, so it's a lot of sitting around all day for 30 minutes of movement before dark. I understand that weather can be an issue with all hunts. I am looking for thoughts and/or insight from people with experience hunting the Kansas Early Muzzleloader Season.

Come on down. It's a great time to hunt and to score on a quality buck.

Is it hot? Sure is, often over 90 degrees. So what, the deer will still be moving.

The bucks are often still in bachelor groups, relatively simple to glass in food sources and haven't been hunted for 9 months.

Ever since I started using Sawyer Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent the ticks, chiggers and mosquitoes are a non-issue in the early season. The stuff is great.

The days are long and I generally hunt all day; over food sources in the mornings and evenings and glass and stalk during mid-day.

More often than not, I have a KS buck down by the 3rd week in September which frees me up to hunt other states, to hunt other game and get some fall fishing in.


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As others have said it can be hot, really hot. I got interested in the ML season after hunting the general rifle season and seeing decent bucks that were busted up from fighting during the rut. Those big KS bucks must really get it on! But the hunting I've done has been slow and after sweating my butt off for a solid week two years in a row and not seeing a buck I'd like to shoot, I'm not sure I'll be back.

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It’s hit in Texas during the October bow season too.

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Originally Posted by hanco
It’s hit in Texas during the October bow season too.


Per always, an intelligible contribution. smirk


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Originally Posted by scallop
Thanks for all the replies so far. Please keep them coming.

I became interested in the Kansas early ML seasons mainly for two reasons. First, I have other states that I hunt November, December, and January. And, second, I prefer gun hunting over archery hunting, so Kansas seems to fit an early season niche for me.

I envisioned it similar to a late season midwest type whitetail hunt. But, rather than freezing your butt off waiting for deer to come to fields the last hour of day light. You sweat your butt off waiting for deer to come to fields the last your of light.


Come hunt South Carolina. Heat, ticks and mosquitos? Sure, but all the replies above make it sound like KS is much worse.

Season in the low country opens August 15 if you want a velvet buck. Rut in my part of the state is going full swing for most of October. My son killed his buck (18” 8pt) scent checking does on Oct 6 last year and we wore shorts to the stand because it was 90 degrees and we got eaten alive by chiggers when we walked in the tall grass to retrieve him. I then flubbed a shot at the best buck on our property on Oct 20 (which was our first frost of the year) while he was chasing does

Of course our deer aren’t the monsters that KS has...

Last edited by ShortMagFan; 02/15/19. Reason: Added more
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Originally Posted by SKane
scallop-
If you happen to be an allergy sufferer, the ragweed pollen can kick your arse even more than the skeeters and heat. laugh


Ain’t that the truth!


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