Re: Kansas ?
Stephen,
For a bit of history, if you can wade through it. Just my opinion.
From '65-about '95 resident permits were on a draw. Non Residents were not allowed to hunt deer. Since then every year brings more hunters R and NR. The southern hunters mostly, were quite accustom to paying to hunt and prices in KS were cheap I guess. So the freeloading residents were displaced. The NR were amazed at the 150" and larger deer. Unfortunately, too overwhelmed at times. Many shot several on each trip. Kansas has the lowest poaching fines in the United States and worst enforcement. Locals were upset due to thier free hunting being gone, so they poached, trespassed with a vengence. Most of the leased land is trespassed and poached prior to any NR arriving. The locals want to kill the deer so the NR cannot get them. The NR thinks they are killing big deer when they are 120". Everyone is trying to kill them before someone else gets them. The KDWP could care less as long as those expensive NR permits keep selling.
The local prosicutors will not prosicute wildlife violations. They will prosicute violations if a land owner is not nice to the poacher.
Headless deer litter the fields from Sept 1 to late Jan. So common that the locals do not even look twice at them. My NR friends are amazed. Anywhere else, a poached animal makes news, causes investigations. Not here.
Local small time meth cookers and dope growers poach the deer in thier spare time. Parents take thier kids out spotlighting at night, bullets fly.
Game wardens in the field are told to not even speak to a NR poacher as they are here spending money. If they do, they get a call from the head office warning them about their job security. No kidding. You can spotlight a deer, trespass, cut the head off and pay a smaller fine than the permit cost. I think if you shoot several, the fine goes down on a per deer basis. The KDWP keeps the heads you get caught with to promote NR liscense sales. Win, Win. If a landowner is rude to you, you can have them arrested. ( dont ask how I know)
The deer and the landowners have paid the price and will continue to do so.
I can document every word I have written.
Kansas is the most poacher friendly state in the union.