Exploring Kansas’s largest tract of public land for scaled and bobwhite quail.
The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is under-appreciated by each most people and chook hunters. Nevertheless it shouldn’t be. The huge tract of public land, positioned within the southwest nook of Kansas, is characterised by rolling sage hills, intact shortgrass prairie, and a riparian river backside chock-full of cottonwoods alongside the Cimarron River. The land is house to wholesome populations of bobwhite and scaled quail, in addition to protected inhabitants of lesser prairie-chickens. The occasional pheasant might be discovered right here, too.
The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is one thing of a unicorn when lower than 1-percent of the land in Kansas is publicly owned. At 108,175 acres, it’s the most important parcel of public land within the Sunflower State. It’s additionally the one space there that’s managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Should you’re within the area, or planning a visit to Southwest Kansas, right here’s what it is advisable about searching the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland.
The Historical past Of The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland
Nationwide grasslands are much less frequent than nationwide forests, however they’re roughly the identical factor, the one distinction being the kind of habitat that predominates there. The 20 designated nationwide grasslands within the U.S. are managed as multi-use federal public lands by the U.S. Forest Service. Amongst different makes use of equivalent to grazing and climbing, searching is a main use on nationwide grasslands such because the Cimarron.
The institution of the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is an attention-grabbing piece of historical past. Based on the U.S. Forest Service, the institution of the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland originated with the drought of the Nineteen Thirties, generally often known as the “Mud Bowl period.”
Based on the Nationwide Drought Mitigation Middle, the Mud Bowl, also called “The Soiled Thirties,” was a interval characterised by horrible mud storms and brutal drought circumstances within the south-central U.S. Previous the interval, farmers put poor high quality land into manufacturing, which led to critical oil erosion that may exacerbate the troublesome environmental circumstances of the interval.
Within the aftermath of the Mud Bowl, officers took an unconventional tack to stopping related pure disasters: they began shopping for up impacted lands and restoring them with native grasses. In 1938, the feds bought the property that may, in 1960, be designated the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland. The identify was derived from the Cimarron River—and the phrase Cimarron derives from Spanish, which means “wild, untamed, unruly,” in accordance with etymonline.
One other attention-grabbing historic footnote for the grassland is that it encompasses 23 miles of the Santa Fe Historic Path—a remnant of a significant commerce and journey route between Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Climate And Ecology Of The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland
The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is positioned in Kansas’s Morton and Stevens County. The grassland is a part of the Nice Plains, however by being in southern Kansas, the local weather is milder in comparison with different components of the Nice Plains. The Cimmaron is thought for comparatively balmy winters with little or no snow, sizzling and dry summers, and funky evenings. The grassland sometimes receives lower than 16 inches of rain yearly—and a given yr’s rain complete is necessary to concentrate to as precipitation performs a giant function within the fluctuation of upland chook populations on the grassland.
The Cimmaron has a different panorama. The grassland’s elevation ranges from 3,150 to 4,540 ft above sea degree. Key options embrace rock cliffs, cottonwood groves and grassland fields. Yucca and sagebrush are scattered all through the land.
Totally different species of upland birds are discovered in numerous habitat. The open nation with shortgrass is the place you’ll discover the scaled quail. The bobwhites have a tendency to remain nearer to woody cowl. And the pheasants are principally congregate by the riparian space alongside the Cimarron River. Hunters on the grassland should observe the standard seasons and laws set ahead by the Kansas Division of Wildlife and Parks. It’s additionally necessary to know that the U.S. Forest Service prohibits capturing on or throughout roads.
Searching Bobwhite Quail And Scaled Quail In The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland
One of the vital notable traits of the Cimarron is the flexibility to focus on each bobwhite and scaled, or blue, quail in the identical place. The grassland is on the western fringe of the bobwhite quail vary and the japanese fringe of that of scaled quail, that are extra generally hunted in locations like New Mexico and Arizona.
Trying to find the species is analogous however distinct. Each species are present in coveys, although scaled quail are likely to congregate into bigger coveys, typically with 40 to 60 birds. In comparison with bobwhites, scaled quail are additionally recognized to run extra and follow open grasslands. That mentioned, it’s attainable which you can battle to inform which species of quail you flush is on the Cimarron; fortunately, the bag restrict encompasses each species.
The vastness of the world—greater than 108,000 acres of public land—could make discovering quail like trying to find a feather in a haystack. Think about searching close to construction, or quail huts which have been erected all through the grasslands for each blues and bobs. Wonderful locations to hunt embrace dilapidated homesteads or corrals which have been deserted, crumpled windmills and inventory tanks, and previous farm equipment and implements with tumbleweeds.
Guzzlers additionally abound within the prairie and are scattered to assist present water for wildlife. A guzzler is a corrugated tin roof constructed about two ft off of the bottom. They’re constructed at an angle so rain water or dew can run off right into a catch trough beneath the roof within the shade. Test for footprints in these areas. If discovered, a great technique or tactic to make use of when searching buildings is to stroll in concentric circles round them, progressively increasing the circles, thus widening the search space with every cross. Different areas chook hunters can deal with are washes and dusty areas. Search for contemporary diggings beneath timber and shrubs. Hunt these in concentric circles, too.
Lastly, don’t neglect to look at the rear-view mirror when driving the grassland. Scaled quail might be seen regularly on the edges of the roads or alongside ditches as they scurry alongside. Preserve driving as birds will scatter. Then, park a pair hundred yards away and if legally accessible, enter and make a large berth with canines again to the placement the place the scalies have been final seen. Preserve one hunter on the street, slowly strolling in the direction of the birds to look at in the event that they cross. If no birds flush upon the strategy, the hunter ought to stroll either side of the roads alongside fences as singles are prone to be utilizing them as a path.
Watch Out For Lesser Prairie-Chickens
It’s necessary to know that the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is a vital web site for lesser prairie-chicken conservation. Lesser prairie-chickens are endemic to the southern and central plains of the U.S. The species is taken into account threatened and can’t be hunted in southwest Kansas.
In truth, the Cimarron, and a close-by nationwide grassland in Colorado, the Comanche, have been a part of latest restoration efforts. Between 2016 and 2019, biologists relocated a major numbers of birds to each grasslands.
“Not solely have been the Comanche and Cimarron recognized to include quite a few historic lesser prairie-chicken leks, however the Nationwide Grasslands are additionally collectively the most important space of public lands throughout the vary,” defined Colorado Parks & Wildlife Fowl Conservation Coordinator Liza Rossi in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press launch. “Moreover, the world happens throughout two states, so it’s a nice location to associate and deal with conservation throughout the Sand Sagebrush Ecoregion.”
Should you’re planning a hunt, be sure to know find out how to determine prairie chickens within the subject.
The Last Phrase On Searching The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland
The Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is a singular place to hunt. It’s the most important plot of public land in Kansas and has vital populations of each bobwhite and scaled quail, to not point out some pheasants. Should you’re going for the unofficial Kansas grand slam, the Cimarron Nationwide Grassland is a superb place to chase quail.
Searching right here isn’t simple, however it might probably definitely be rewarding. As Chad Love, former editor of Quail Endlessly, as soon as put it, the Cimarron “is an intimidating place for a chook hunter. It may swallow you, your canines, and your spirit. But there’s a lot magnificence right here. On the southern plains in fall and winter, as the tough gentle of afternoon segues into the delicate glow of night, issues change. It’s the standard of sunshine on sage, grass and sky that eases the hardness of the land and offers it a magnificence that I’ve discovered nowhere else in a lifetime of chasing many birds throughout many various landscapes.”
