Kansas producing big deer

State's low hunting pressure leads to large trophy bucks

KANSAS CITY, MO. -- In Keith Manca's eyes, Kansas is one big tourist attraction.

The Sunflower State's biggest draw? Huge white-tailed deer -- the type that hunters such as Manca see in their dreams each fall.

"There aren't many places in the country that have the bucks that Kansas does," said Manca, who lives in Danbury, Conn. "We have deer in Connecticut, but they don't survive long enough to grow big racks. The hunting pressure is unbelievable.

"It's different in Kansas. That's why we make the long drive out here every fall.

"This is our dream vacation."

Manca certainly isn't alone in his opinions. In the world of deer hunting, Kansas has become known as "the Land of Giants." Once a secret, the Sunflower State now is nationally known for its trophy bucks.

Manca added to that legend last year. On his annual bow-hunting trip to Harper County in south-central Kansas, he shot a 14-point buck with a rack that scored 193 2/8 -- the biggest typical taken in the nation in 2007.

Today, it ranks as the second biggest all-time taken in Kansas, and it serves as further proof that the Sunflower State is indeed a national destination when it comes to deer hunting.

Take a look:

* Kansas has produced four of the top 50 in the Boone and Crocket North American record books for all-time non-typical bucks and three of the top 50 in the typical rankings.

* Last year, Kansas produced the two biggest typical bucks shot in North America and the third biggest non-typical.

* So far this year, four deer have been taken that should rank in the state's top 20 all-time archery lists, according to The Wichita Eagle.

For some residents, such developments are hard to believe. As recently as 40 years ago, there weren't many deer in Kansas. In fact, the first modern deer season wasn't held until 1965.

But eventually, deer pioneered into new areas. And it didn't take them long to adapt to settings where experts once believed they would never survive.

Wide-open farm country broken only by wood lots and strips of timber along waterways once wasn't considered prime deer habitat. But it is now.

Access to a steady supply of food in the form of crops, good genetics and limited hunting pressure now permit the bucks to grow big and healthy.

Oh, Kansas will never have the size of deer herd that neighbors such as Missouri have. But whitetail numbers have still grown to the point where rifle and archery hunters combine to take almost 90,000 deer a year. And among that kill every year are a few bucks that command national attention.

Jamie Farr of Junction City, Kan., took one of those bucks on Oct. 22 when he was bow hunting in Geary County. Hunting from a tree stand, he shot a 13-point buck with a rack that had a gross score of 208. The rack won't be officially scored until the mandatory 60-day drying period is over, but Boone and Crockett scorers say it could rank in the state's all-time top 10 for typical bucks shot during the archery season.

"I have trail cameras out and I do a lot of scouting, but I had never seen this buck before," Farr said. "It was probably one of those bucks that is nocturnal and just made one mistake."

Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira also shot a dream buck this fall.

Chapman, one of the top pro fishermen on the Bassmaster circuit, was hunting in the snow on a recent weekend on land in eastern Kansas he bought last year specifically to turn into a deer-hunting paradise.

That investment paid off when he watched a huge 10-point buck walk under his stand. He fired an arrow and was confident he had found his mark, even though the deer ran off.

When he got down, though, he wasn't so sure.

"I found the arrow and I didn't see any blood, so I thought I had missed," he said.

The following morning, he returned to the scene and found the deer lying dead 75 yards from where he had shot it. That buck had a huge rack that green-scored 183.

"I love bass fishing, but bow hunting for deer is my passion," Chapman said. "After a busy season on the tournament circuit, it's just great to get out in the woods and hunt deer.

"I've shot some big bucks before, but this is the biggest. In Kansas, you know something like this is always possible, though.

"This state has some huge bucks."