PRATT, Kan. -(Ammoland.com)- Deer hunters have been anxiously awaiting the Kansas firearm deer season, Nov. 29-Dec. 10, 2017, making travel plans, organizing gear, scouting hunting areas and sighting in their rifles.
While success is never guaranteed, you should also make plans for field care of your deer to ensure you and your family enjoy healthy and delicious venison long after the hunt.
Field dressing your deer as soon as possible is the first and most important step to cooling the meat. Next, date and sign the carcass tag that came with your permit and attach it to the hock of the rear leg. If you printed your permit and carcass tag from a desktop computer, you’ll want to enclose the tag in a sealable plastic bag to protect it and use a zip-tie to affix it to the leg.
Regulation requires validating and attaching your carcass tag before moving the deer from the kill site, and deer taken with an antlerless-only permit must be transported with the head attached to the carcass to verify antlerless status.
However, when temperatures are warm or if you will be transporting your deer a considerable distance, you may opt to bone the meat out in the field and transport it on ice in coolers. To do this with a deer taken with an antlerless-only permit, you will need to register the deer electronically.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s (KDWPT) electronic registration process is voluntary and only necessary to bone out an antlerless deer. Hunters can use their smartphones to access the electronic deer check-in system at www.ksoutdoors.com and click “Deer Check-in.”
The electronic registration process requires hunters to email two photographs — one close-up clearly showing the completed tag attached to the deer and a second showing the entire body of the deer with the head still attached.
The process also requires the hunter’s KDWPT permit number, time and date of kill, and county where the deer was taken. Once registration is complete, a confirmation number will be issued by email. This confirmation number must be retained while transporting the meat.
If Internet access is unavailable at the kill site, hunters can retain the photographs while in transit and a registration number can be obtained later.
This system can be especially convenient for nonresident hunters who will take deer meat across state lines. Because chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in Kansas deer, some states may have special regulations limiting the parts of the deer that may be brought in. Boning a deer out in the field is the best way to prevent spreading diseases such as CWD.
For more information on Kansas’ big game regulations, consult the 2017 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, or visit their website and click “Hunting,” then “Hunting Regulations.”
About KDWPT:
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism is a cabinet-level agency with a Secretary appointed by the Governor. A seven-member, bipartisan commission, also appointed by the Governor, advises the Secretary and approves regulations governing outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife resources in Kansas. The commission conducts business during regular public sessions.
KDWPT employs approximately 460 full-time employees in five divisions: Executive Services , Administrative Services , Fisheries and Wildlife , Law Enforcement , Parks and Tourism.
Department History:
- 1905 – Fish and game laws were organized under the Kansas Fish and Game Department and implementation of a state law requiring a license to hunt.
- 1911 – The State Fish and Game Department was placed under the supervision of the University of Kansas Board of Regents
- 1925 – The Fish and Game Department was reorganized as the Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission with three board members appointed by the Governor.
- 1927 – Commission was reorganized and was given approval to organize a warden service. Fishing licenses required of men 18-70.
- 1939 – Commission’s three-member board was abolished by the legislature and replaced by a six-member bipartisan commission appointed by the Governor
- 1943 – Legislature gives the commission full authority to set seasons and dates
- 1955 – The legislature and Gov. Fred Hall create the State Park and Resources Authority.
- 1960 – First Kansas boating laws enacted
- 1987 – Gov. Mike Hayden signs executive order merging the State Park and Resources Authority and Fish and Game Commission to create the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
- 2011 – Gov. Sam Brownback signs executive order moving the Division of Tourism from the Department of Commerce to the newly renamed Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism