The pervasive presence of humans and their livestock within the prairie ecosystem in Kansas provides unfair advantages to some species, creating imbalances that are best managed by harvest through hunting. While other, more aggressive, methods have been employed in the past, hunting is actually a more humane method and provides more accurate game management data for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT).
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1. Prairie Dogs
These rodents live in communal groups and build extensive tunnel systems. Their diet overlaps with that of livestock upon which the agriculture industry depends. In addition, their "towns" are widely believed to contribute to soil erosion and pose a threat to livestock and machinery. They can also convey plague to humans via fleas if in proximity to residential areas. Their population in Kansas is largely concentrated in the western and northwestern regions of the state, and mostly on private lands. Pinpointing the presence of prairie dog towns is best done via satellite imagery. Hunters are required to obtain permission from landowners.
2. European Starlings and English Sparrows
These pervasive songbirds are highly invasive species whose presence throughout North America is the fault of European colonization. English sparrows were introduced into Brooklyn, New York, back in 1851. Within 50 years of their appearance, they'd spread as far as the Rocky Mountains. The presence of European starlings dates back to the 1900s.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a group of Shakespeare enthusiasts were to blame. There exist no bag limits or any other restrictions.
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3. Coyotes
Although managed and monitored as furbearers, the KDWPT considers these predators nongame. Kansas maintains statewide season with no bag or possession limits. Although they're native species to North America, their resilience and adaptive nature gives them a substantive advantage over other predator species, such as foxes, that don't respond as well to habitat encroachment. When aggressive methods of population control and attempted eradication through poisoned carcass baiting and cyanide guns were employed, such management methods only succeeded in pushing the population further east. Coyotes have taken quite well to urban habitats.
Because of this, the KDWPT employs unlimited population control through harvesting. Additionally, there is no "dawn to dusk" restriction on their hunting.
This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.
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