Residents press commission over proposed walk‑in hunting near Oak Grove Cemetery

Samuel Tran, chair of the Bourbon County Commission, invited landowners and a Kansas parks representative to discuss a proposal to allow walk‑in hunting on county property adjacent to Oak Grove Cemetery.

A pair of neighbors read a detailed letter asking the commission not to approve hunting on the county parcel. The letter said hunters have previously trespassed onto private property, left spent shells and set deer stands in timber that backs up to private yards, and asked whether a previous county no‑hunting policy had changed. “We have found game cameras, deer stands built on our trees, shells, casings spent, and razor‑tip arrows on our land,” the homeowners wrote and asked the commission to deny hunting on the parcel.

Justin Herbert, a parks official who addressed the commission, described how the walk‑in hunting program would be managed, said he had walked the property’s boundary and proposed boundary posting and GPS mapping so users know where county land begins. “I walked the entire boundary... I posted it via ArcGIS ownership layers,” he told the commission, and promised the department would work with landowners to carve out sensitive areas and post clear signs.

Herbert and commissioners discussed likely hunter activity and parking. Herbert said he expected mostly archery hunters and “no more than a couple guys” at a time and said properly posted boundaries and lawful participants often help reduce illegal activity. Landowners remained concerned about access points that would attract parking near cemetery grounds and urged stronger protections.

The exchange did not change a formal vote at the meeting, but commissioners asked staff to continue outreach and consider mitigation measures including boundary posting, designated parking areas off the cemetery approach, and coordination with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks on enforcement and outreach.

The discussion is expected to continue at a follow‑up meeting when staff present maps, signage plans and proposed parking solutions.