Kansas

Of all Kansas outdoor recreation opportunities, crappie fishing is one of the most popular. These tasty fish bite year-round, but spring brings them close to shore, where they spawn in shallow water. This makes great fishing for anyone with a hook and line.

Kansas outdoorsmen and women are seeing more deer fawns lately, and there's good reason: May and June are the primary deer fawning months in the Sunflower State.

The majority of fawns are born in late May and early June, following a gestation period of about 200 days. This indicates that the most does are bred from mid- to late November. However, some whitetail does younger than one year may breed for the first time in late winter, so many newborn fawns may be seen as late as July or even August. Whitetail does that breed before they are one year old usually give birth to a single fawn. After that, twins are the norm, and triplets are not uncommon.

It's May, and many outdoorsmen and women have turned from hunting turkeys to pursuit of spawning crappie or other popular sportfish. However, the avid hunter knows that there's still time to bag a big gobbler, and late in the season may be one of the best times. By May, most hens have been bred and are on the nest. This leaves lonely gobblers with fewer hens to mate, making toms as vulnerable to a well-placed hen decoy and call as he might have been when the breeding season began.

The 12th Annual Governor’s Golf and Fishing Classic will be held June 13-14 at Rolling Meadows Golf Course and Milford Reservoir, near Junction City. Participants may enjoy a round of golf at Rolling Meadows Golf Course on Friday, June 13. On Saturday morning, anglers will compete for the Governor’s Cup, which will be presented at lunch following the event. Fishing Classic participants must attend a brief meeting at 5:30 Friday evening to pair guides and contestants. A barbecue dinner and auction will follow the meeting.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After nearly four months of extensions, House and Senate Farm Bill conferees have reached an agreement on the main elements of the 2008 Farm Bill. If passed, the bill would provide an additional $4 billion in new funding for conservation programs.

WICHITA -- Ever been face to face with a 25-pound channel catfish?

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks invites Wichita Riverfest visitors to take a closeup look at an impressive assortment of Kansas fish. The fish will be on display in the department’s 3,200-gallon mobile aquarium May 15 – 17. Situated near the intersection of First and Waco during the final three days of Riverfest, the 40-foot-long mobile aquarium will be filled with a variety of fish collected from lakes around the region.

Posted: 30 Apr 2008 02:45 PM CDT

Many parks combine OK Kids and Free Park Entrance days first weekend in
May

April showers have brought May flowers to Kansas state parks, and with flowers come warm weather and more outdoor events. Many of the highlights of state park events are OK Kids Days. This May, several state parks will conduct events specifically for youth. These events provide opportunities for kids across Kansas to experience various outdoor activities, from birdwatching to fishing clinics. For many, this is an introduction to the outdoors. For others, it is a rekindling of outdoor interests.

On June 1, staff of various agencies at Lovewell Reservoir will celebrate the lake's 50th birthday at the Community Arts Center, 421 Main in Courtland. The Kansas Bostwick Irrigation District, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), and communities surrounding the reservoir will host presentations, tours, a re-dedication ceremony, and barbecue. Events will begin at 1 p.m.

The Stranger Creek Limb Hanger’s Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) will be planting 200 trees at Wyandotte County Lake on May 3, with the help of the Boy Scouts of America and Wyandotte County 4-H.

The Kansas Trapshooters Association (KTA) will host a special trap shooting event for youth at this year's state trap shooting championships -- 3432 East 117th St. North, in Sedgwick -- on June 7. The event is sponsored by the Amateur Trapshooting Hall of Fame and the Scholastic Clay Trap Program (SCTP), designed to encourage youngsters to get involved in the shooting sports.