The Hunt
It's more than a hunt. It is a way for turkey hunters, guides, landowners and the community to come together and preserve the hunting and conservation way of life and socialize with old and new friends. The hunt takes place over a two-day period. There is a competitive aspect in which the hunter/guide that scores the highest (weight, beard length, and spur length) wins the top gun honor. For more information, see the below sections for each role of the hunt.
Hunters
The Hunt is by invitation only. The hunters are returning hunters from previous hunts, are invited by the board of directors, or come from one of our partners. The Hunt is a friendly competition where the guide and hunter are teamed up to get the most points for the turkey. It is a "one shot hunt," so if there is more than one shot, the extra shots are deducted from the score (See Guides page). Licenses and Tags are the hunters' responsibility. There is a change to obtaining non-resident permits in 2024 by which the non-resident hunter must complete an application from January 12th to February 9th at Midnight. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will be on-site to answer any questions or provide resources for a great Kansas hunting experience.
Landowners
The Landowners are pivotal to the hunt. They provide a place to hunt as well as provide guidance to the guide of where the turkeys have been seen. The guide and the landowner are responsible to get the Landowner Permission Form and Waiver of liability completed and submitted to the board of directors. The documents are located on the guides page.
Big Tom Award Winners
The Big Tom Award is given to the hunter who has the highest score in the two day competition of the Kansas One Shot Turkey Hunt. The scores are determined by an official scorer and the NWTF scoring guide.
Congratulations to these Big Tom Award Winners.