Walk In Hunting Access program provides hunter with the chance at his first bobwhite

George John Gumerman, introduced to me as “Wolf,” hunts around eighty days in the season. He’s lived in Arizona for over three decades and didn’t start hunting until he was an adult and accompanied his dad on a elk hunt. He’s chased Gamble’s quail, “blue quail,” and pheasants, but until 2024, however, he’d not gotten a bobwhite. After listening to the Quail Report in an episode of On the Wing, he decided to make a trip to Kansas to try and cross that goal off the list. 

Kansas is quickly cementing a reputation for being a quality destination for quail hunting, but the state is also ninety-eight percent privately owned. To address the need for more public access to hunting, Kansas started the Walk in Hunting Access Program, or WIHA for short. WIHA properties are private land, leased by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) for public access. The rules of use for these properties vary, with much of the western part of the state functioning in a simple walk in system. To deal with higher hunting pressure close to more populated areas, some of the WIHA properties have a check in system which allows a limited amount of users on the landscape. Think of it as a library card for public land. This helps to address not just the need for more public land, but also concerns around overcrowding on public areas. 

Started in 1995, WIHA has grown to providing 1.2 million acres of huntable land to the public. Funded through Pittman Roberston dollars, WIHA is not just opening lands to the public, it is improving them. In just the last six years, the program has improved over 43,000 acres of habitat. The program pays offers landowners with a variety of benefits, including covering 100% of the removal cost of eastern red cedar, salt cedar, and other plants to improve habitat. Landowners are also paid a walk-in fee. 

On his trip to Kansas, Wolf visited WIHA properties and camped on public land in Kansas. He keeps a hunting journal, where he records details of his experiences. As recorded in his journal, his first bobwhite was taken on a WIHA property. 

I had to get super close to flush it – on the side of this cut bank! I even tried to release Bella, but he wouldn’t budge. I finally got it to flush – was able to hit him – really difficult shot. Then we tracked him down – my first Bob. 

“It took us awhile to get dialed in, but I ended up bagging my first bob on a beautiful WIHA property,” Wolf said. “We ended up hunting several days on a variety of WIHA properties and we truly appreciate the farmers and ranchers who sign up for this spectacular access program. We'll be back”

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever partner with KDWP through Habitat Specialist positions, who do a significant portion of the habitat restoration and enhancement work across the WIHA properties and public lands. These positions enable KDWP to implement habitat work that they otherwise wouldn’t have the capacity to accomplish. Since the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Private Lands Habitat Specialists program was started, nearly 12,000 acres have been added to the WIHA program. 

“Every day Kansas habitat specialists complete public land and WIHA projects that protect the core, restore and enhance wildlife and upland habitat that improve our temperate grasslands,” says Kent Hensley, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Habitat Specialist Manager. “Without this great partnership, many of us would struggle to find access and opportunities to hunt, fish and recreate. Habitat Specialist staff are truly a vital component for the future of wildlife conservation in Kansas.”

Wolf plans to return to Kansas this season to chase birds and make more memories in the sunflower state. Learn more about the Walk In Hunting Access program by contacting Lucas Kramer at lucas.kramer@ks.gov and by visiting KDWP’s website.