SPORTS
University Daily Kansan, November 2,1983
Western Kansas awaits hunters' arrival
By United Press International
In less than two weeks, fields in western Kansas will turn into a shooting gallery with tens of thousands of hunters taking aim on the state's bountiful flocks of pheasant, quail and prairie chickens.
And while the Kansas Fish and Game Commission predicts hunters may bag up to 1.5 million pheasantes alone, it also suggests that hunters will be spent during the 1983 hunting season.
"We set our all-time record for Kansas for the pearasant harvest last year," the fish and game commission's Rob Manus said. "We expect the harvest might be down a little bit this year because the hard summer we had knocked them down some. But it's going to be another dynamite harvest."
Manus said 196,000 hunters flocked primarily to western Kansas for last year's pheasant season. This year's season for pheasant, quail and prairie chickens begins Nov. 12 and ends Jan. 31. Quail hunting in some sections of western Kansas, however, doesn't begin until Nov. 19.
Motel rooms in Colby, Dodge City and Hays already are spoken for and, barring some last minute cancellations, hunters without reservations had better be equipped with tents or campers.
"I couldn't find you a room in Dodge City short of putting you in my basement," said Dick Ranney, manager of the Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"Most hunters, if they haven't got a place to stay by now, aren't coming the first week," said Paul Layland, executive director of the Colby Chamber of Commerce. "You darn near have to have reservations or know somebody."
"Every hotel room in Hays is filled for that (opening) weekend," Bob Collins, manager of the Hays Chamber of Commerce, said of the city's 715 motel rooms.
According to the commission, each upland game bird hunter spends about $190 a season. Included is a $40 hunting license for non-residents ($8 for resi-
dents and expenditures for food,
lodging, gear, motor fuel and
beverages).
qual hunters last year spent $3.7 million and hunters laid out $8.7 million. Mama Sa!
"The economics have been overlooked for some time," he said.
write pheasant hunting is especially good in western Kansas, Manus said there also is prime quail and pheasant hunting in eastern sections.
"We have the largest flock of prairie chickens in the nation," he added, noting the immense expanse of range land for the birds.
Manus said Kansas' upland game bird flocks are huge because of the state's vast fields of milo, wheat and barley. These are prime sources of food and shelter.
In recent years there has been some resentment by land owners in western
Kansas against hunters from Johnson County and other sections of eastern Kansas because of the controversial severance tax on oil and natural gas production. But officials say harsh feelings have begun to subside now that the battle against the tax has been lost.
"When the thing really got heated up, there was quite a bit of animosity." Collins said of land owners in Ellis and other western counties. "They were saying if you've got plates from eastern Kansas on your car, don't stop here and hunt. I haven't heard any of that this year."
Officials said hunters from across the nation converge on Kansas for its
national park.
He estimated hunters spend an average of $100 daily.
"Dodge City's airport looks like a beehive with all sorts of planes." Ramney said, referring to the influx of out-state hunters in past years.
"The flows of money that come in are really an economic impact to the area," he said. "That money will turn over a minimum of 3.2 times up to 11."
Officials are optimistic another huge peasant harvest is in store this year.
"We look forward to another blue ribbon pheasant season," said Manus, the assistant editor of the commission's Kansas Wildlife Magazine. He also predicted hunters would be able to take their limit of quail.
said Collins: "There's no doubt in my mind there's plenty of birds. Lots of big
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