This is an important question to ask when looking for the outfitter book with. Many hunters make the mistake of booking with an outfitter solely on the price of the hunt. Did you know that the average outfitter in the Midwest is only 20% successful? With your help, we will grow our hunting in Kansas and Ohio. Both of these areas can yield excellent quality bucks. Maine results can vary from year to year based on many factors. Factors that affect our overall success include crops and harvest, weather, quality of hunters, and quantity of game. You will have a difficult time finding a fair chase outfitter that can top our results. The guides we have in Maine have been guiding bear clients for 35 years. We are by far your best option for an Indiana whitetail hunt. There are a lot of quality bucks on our Kansas and Ohio properties. 

Below are the results and data from our past three seasons of Indiana semi-guided hunts. Only one opportunity is counted per hunter even though the hunter may have had multiple opportunities. An opportunity is a clear shot at a 125" or larger buck from 30 yards or less with a bow and 150 yards or less with a gun.

 

Our whitetail hunting takes place on tightly controlled, well managed private leases in north-central and south-east Indiana, north-central Kansas, south-central Ohio, and northern Maine. We also guide hunters on public property in north-central Kansas. The terrain can vary greatly by hunting area. We hunt natural funnels on the edge of bedding and feeding areas, small woodlots, large woodlots, river bottoms, crp, fencerows, ditches and agricultural fields. Our hunts are 100% fair chase.

Non-resident licenses are available over the counter or online for Indiana, Maine, and Ohio. Kansas is a draw state. Make sure to apply for Unit 8.

 

Hunts are listed under the rates and dates page. We strive to provide opportunity and offer many different hunts ranging from 5 days to memberships. We mainly hunt whitetails during the prime time pre-rut, rut, and post/ secondary rut. Our bear hunts occur for 4 consecutive weeks during the Maine fall bear season.

We offer two different memberships in Indiana and Kansas for serious trophy hunters. Memberships are semi-guided which means they are treated as a regular hunt, only for a longer period of time. Memberships included are:

Indiana Bow Membership- October 1st- November 15th- 46 days- $2,000

Kansas Bow Memberships- September 17th - December 31st - 106 Days- $3,000

Kansas Muzzleloader  Memberships- September 17th-30th, November 28th- December 9th- 26 Days- $4,000

Kansas Rifle Memberships- November 28th- December 9th- 12 Days- $3,500

Memberships are designed to give you the highest opportunity possible to harvest the trophy of your choice. You will be assigned 1-2 guides in a large area and have the ability to hunt multiple farms during your hunt. You can hunt as many days as you wish within designated time periods. We request that you let us know upon arrival the caliber of buck you are looking for and we will work together to help you achieve your goal.

We offer a combo hunt as one of our Indiana semi-guided hunts which allows a hunter the ability to harvest a trophy buck with a bow or gun. You can still only harvest 1 buck total on this hunt, but now have the opportunity to hunt both rut archery and firearms in the same week. This is a 6 1/2 day hunt. You purchase a bow license and hunt for 4 1/2 days. If you don't harvest within that time period, you purchase another license for the opening weekend of gun. Again, this is not a combo hunt for 2 bucks, but a hunt during peak rut with up to 2 different weapons for one trophy buck. In 2011 we sold out of this hunt with 6 hunters harvesting 3 nice bucks and the other 3 hunters having an opportunity. The 2012 combo is scheduled November 12th- 18th.

We offer both semi-guided private and public ground hunts in Kansas. The private ground is 2,000+ contiguous acres. The public ground is scattered and roughly 20,000+ acres located around the Milford Lake region. Both the private and public ground are good choices for hunts. The only difference is we cannot stop a trespasser on public ground. We compensate our hunters for this by offering lower prices compared with our private ground hunts. The potential to harvest a trophy buck exists in both areas. Kansas only sells a certain number of tags for Unit 8 and our region is managed very well for trophy bucks.

First, our whitetail hunting areas are just as good as what most well known areas in other trophy producing states were 10-15 years ago.  We have the ability to take many more hunters but feel that quality and long term trophy potential are more important. The most pressure that our whitetail areas encounter are the last week of bow season and the first week or firearms. We may place hunters near each other at certain times to kill certain deer that we have patterned. For the most part, there is little pressure compared to other recognized trophy producing areas. It seems that a lot of big bucks in our areas are more likely to be killed by a car than by a hunter. Our trophy bear hunts are extremely remote so pressure is not really an issue at all as we hunt the vast area of 2.5 million acres in Northern Maine.

We offer a 5% discount on whitetail hunts for retired or active duty military personnel. We truly appreciate your service to our country and it would be an honor to host you as our guest this fall.

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• Hunt Item Checklist: 
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• Sleeping bag 
• Towel and washcloth
• Personal items
• Rain gear 
• Weather Appropriate Clothing
• Rubber Boots- Mandatory
• Weapon and ammunition 
• Binoculars/ range finder- archers 
• Camera 
• Orange Vest and Hat - Gun seasons only
• Day Pack 
• Flashlight/ flashlight with red lens for walking to or from the stand.  
• GPS for your vehicle- Garmin, Tom Tom- Mandatory  for Indiana and Kansas semi-guided
• Cooler
• Comfortable seat cushion for elevated stands, portable chair for ground blinds 
• Stand- Ohio, Indiana self-guided

A hunt is not considered booked until we have received a sufficient deposit at our main office- 1870 N. 375 E. Monticello, In 47960. Our deposit requirements are as follows: Hunters booking more than one year in advance are required to pay an initial deposit of $250 and an additional anount totaling 50% by January 1, of the year in which the hunt takes place and 50% 60 days prior to your arrival date. Hunters booking for the present year are required to pay a minimum deposit of $250 to confirm the hunt. All final payments are due 60 days prior to your hunt date unless other arrangements are made. Book your hunt early to secure the time that fits your needs and schedule.

It is our desire to fill all openings "spots" on each hunt. Once you book a hunt and send a deposit, you are then 100% liable for the entire cost of the hunt. If you need to cancel a hunt, you must let us know as soon as possible. If cancelled, your 2012 deposit money will be used as a deposit only for a 2013 Camp Kay Outfitters hunt at thesame location. You will be responsible for the difference in hunt costs if this occurs.

We offer free range fair chase hunting. You are paying us for the opportunity to hunt for trophy bucks and bears in our areas at different times throughout the season. Though your odds of killing a trophy buck or bear with us are very good compared with our competitors in other known trophy producing areas, we cannot guarantee you a buck or bear or even an opportunity. Hunting is unique because it is unlike any other known commodity. Killing, on the other hand is a known commodity. If you want a quality hunting experience then come hunt with us.

It has been our experience that mechanical broadheads do not have the penetration especially on poor shot placement. We have seen many wounds occur with mechanicals the last few years and found many mechanicals and blades in deer in past seasons. We have no doubts that in a perfect hunting scenario mechanicals may work perfectly fine. We place a lot of effort into patterning good bucks and feel that fixed broadheads are more effective. Many other outfitters and states also prohibit the use of mechanicals as well. In 2011, every buck shot with a fixed broadhead in Indiana was recovered.

Our stands are either stick/portables, ladder, or box/ground blinds. The amount of stands and when we use particular types of stands vaies by location and time of the year. We understand that you may be used to a certain style or brand of stand but ask that you use our stands because they have already been set and the less disruption the better your odds are of harvesting a trophy. Please bring your favorite seat cushion with you for your comfort and convenience. You may bring your own stand on our Ohio and Indiana self-guided hunts.

Our success at Camp Kay Outfitters is rooted from a specific program that consistently generates results. Stands are positioned early in the year near known travel routes. We stay out of these areas as much as possible in order to maximize our success. It is in our best interest to place you in the best stands available during various times of the year. We will have extra stands available and slight adjustments can be made by the guides only.

Processing of your buck or bear is included in the price of your hunt for Indiana semi-guided, Kansas, and Maine hunts. You are responsible for processing with our self-guided hunts and processing is available but not included in our Ohio hunts. If you take your meat with you, you will need to bring coolers to do so. We will skin, quarter, process, and bag your deer or bear according to your specifications. 

As with any successful outfitter, the principles of success are, first, the country he is fortunate enough to hunt, and secondly, the quality and knowledge of the guides he has representing his organization. We don't mean to brag but we have the staff and leases that deserve to be bragged about. The leased farms for Indiana semi-guided are scattered throughout 3 counties. This is advantageous for many reasons, but primarily not having all the ground in one piece ensures trophy whitetail hunting for years to come. The Indiana self-guided property is completely different in landscape from our semi-guided hunts. Both our Indiana self-guided and Ohio hunts offer huge tracts of hardwoods where great bucks exist but are less visible and therefore potentially more difficult to hunt. We hunt both private and public land in Kansas and the landscape is a rolling mix of terrain containing primarily agriculture, grasslands, and creek and river bottoms. Maine is a vast wilderness of softwood forest.

The quality of our guides is second to none, not only as guides, but as people. They work hard every minute of every day and with great enthusiasm. When you arrive, guide(s) will be assigned to you. (semi-guided hunts) Listen to them and know that they have your best interest at heart. They are the best hunters in our areas and know what it takes to be successful on our hunts. Visit our staff page for pictures.

Please look at the rates and dates page for hunt pricing. You are paying for the opportunity to hunt trophy whitetails and black bears. A lot of outfitters can provide you with a lower price hunt. We have found though that quality has no substitute and you get what you pay for in most cases. We have made our hunts affordable, yet highly successful through the generosity and support of others. A large portion of your money is used to buy supplies to continually improve the hunting.

Generally our average buck weighs around 175-220 lbs. dressed. We have harvested deer well over the 200lb mark though. Bears generally average around 200 lbs., and we have harvested a few over 600lbs.

If you are not looking for a trophy whitetail or black bear hunt then please hunt with another outfitter. We do have true trophies to hunt but not everyone is going to be successful. This is hunting not killing. We have no trophy fees for shooting a monster buck or bear.

You may use a bow, crossbow, muzzleloader, shot gun with slugs, pistol, or rifles that shoot pistol rounds between .357 and .500 caliber with a casing length of no more than 1.8". Standard center-fire rifle cartridges like 30.06 are not allowed.

Temperatures fluctuate dramatically during our deer hunting season. Generally in October and November the temperature can range from 30-70 degrees. December weather can be mild or cold. Maine can either be very cool and damp or very warm. Check the weekly forecast before your hunt so you pack clothing for the week that is appropriate.

Indiana-You can either fly into Indianapolis International, Ft. Wayne International, or Chicago Midway for our Indiana semi-guided hunts. They are all 2 hours away.

Kansas- Topeka or Wichita are the closest airport for our Kansas hunts. They are 2 hours away.

Maine- Presque Isle or Bangor Maine are the closest airports for our Maine bear hunts. They are 2-4 hours away.

Ohio- Cincinnati or Columbus are the closest airports for the Ohio hunts. They are each about 2 hours away.

We put a lot of time and effort into our stand and blind sites, and hunt different set-ups at different times of the season. Some work better during the pre-rut, some during the rut, and others during the post-rut. By doing this, we have great success throughout the season. Therefore, the best hunt is the one that you prefer and which suits your schedule and budget. Most of our deer however are harvested in November.

All four of the bear hunts can be productive. Most of the time the first two weeks are the most productive. Some years an abundance of food occurs in the forest so the later hunts are good.

We do use bait in Kansas, Maine, and Ohio. It is illegal to hunt over bait in Indiana. We have heavy agriculture though in our areas, and a few food plots.