Photo Gallery: BOOKENDS - A KANSAS QUADFECTA

From doves and prairie chickens to pheasants and bobwhites, the Sunflower State delivers at both ends of a long upland season.

Pictures and words by Tom Carpenter

 

Waves of prairie grass: Kansas in September.

 

For dove hunting, mud is beautiful.

 

An evening’s take. Note – it took more than that box!

 

LJ (left). Leo (right).

 

Lark inspects the sleeping arrangements.

 

Chicken season begins.

 

Watering up.

 

Prairie chicken, blazing star and dog.

 

Cooling off.

 

Post rock, shotgun, pair of chickens.

 

Big country: January in far western Kansas.

 

On the Kansas Veterans’ Memorial Wildlife Area.

 

Rooster on post rock.

 

On a mild winter morning near the Colorado border.

 

Jim Millensifer, Jazz, Rae and rooster.

 

On point in the dried sunflowers.

 

Coralberry.

 

Thicket bird.

 

Bobwhite zone: Prairie creekbottom.

 

Pair of bobs.

 

Sunset on a season.

Tom Carpenter is editor at Pheasants Forever.