The regular gun season in Kansas will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 11 this year. The only change in management units, Fox noted, involves a boundary change between units 10 and 19 in Leavenworth County.

Kansas has some notable changes upcoming for the 2005 firearms season, one being that bowhunters will have to wear the same orange clothing required for gun hunters.

Also new this year is the requirement that hunters who want to buy an antlerless-only permit or game tag must also hold a permit for taking an antlered deer.

Kansas issues tags and permits for antlerless white-tailed deer. Here's the difference: A permit can be used on Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks-managed public wildlife areas, Walk-In Hunting Areas, or any private property for which the hunter has obtained permission to hunt. Tags may be used only on private land with the landowner's permission, and on Walk-In Hunting Areas. They may not be used on KDWP-managed wildlife areas.

Hunters can buy up to four Whitetail Antlerless Game Tags (not permits). Up to four tags per hunter can be used in DMUs 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 19. Only one tag per hunter can be used in DMUs 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 14. Game tags are not valid in DMUs 1, 2, 17 and 18.

Also: There will be an extended season from Jan. 1-8 only in DMUs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19; only antlerless white-tailed deer can be taken then. Unfilled deer permits that are valid in units open for the extended season can be used, as well as game tags -- but only to harvest antlerless deer. Any equipment legal for use during a firearms season can be used during the extended season; note that blaze orange clothing is required.

Now, we come to Unit 19 -- a legitimate "urban" DMU that basically includes the Kansas City-to-Topeka corridor. In addition to all the regular seasons that will be open statewide, Unit 19's pre-rut firearms season will be open from Oct. 15-23. There will also be an antlerless-only archery season in this unit Jan. 9-31.

NEBRASKA
Before we get into the harvest from last season and success rates, we should mention that Nebraska offers a tag worth taking note of. "We have a statewide youth deer permit, which allows youth ages 12 to 15 to hunt statewide for any deer, anywhere," said biologist Kit Hams. "They are unlimited, and available to resident and non-resident youth."

So in a state where, on average, half of the bucks taken annually are at least 2 years old, young hunters in Nebraska are going to get a chance not only to fill their tag, but also, possibly, to do so by taking a nice buck.

Throw in the fact that there is a 100-day archery season, a month-long blackpowder season and the traditional firearms season (which this year runs Nov. 12-20), and the bottom line is that Nebraska has to be considered a very exciting destination for young hunters.

While noting that any kind of rankings list is based on a number of factors (different species, success rates, overall population in a given area, etc.), Hams offered the following roundup of the best management units in the state heading into 2005.