Kansas opening day for birds lackluster

Hunters were mostly disappointed with opening day of the season for upland game birds in central Kansas.

The Salina Journal reports farmers, landowners and experts with the state Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism were all predicting a bleak opener Saturday largely because of drought. Greg Salisbury, a game warden from Bennington, also says what few birds are out there have a lot of cover thanks to the late summer rains.

While the predictions largely were accurate, there were a few lucky hunters.

Professional hunting guide Jim Gourley, of Lincoln, said there were nine rooster pheasants bagged by a group of seven hunters. He says that wasn’t great, but it was better than reports suggested.

Information from: The Salina (Kan.) Journal