Kansas deer hunting: units, walk-in land and wildlife areas
KDWP runs deer hunting in 19 deer management units (Unit 19 is an urban unit laid over parts of Units 9, 10, 11 and 14). Its 2026-27 Walk-In Hunting Access map opens 952,949 acres of private land on 3,559 tracts, and USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps count 557,359 acres of public land. The regular firearm season runs Dec. 2-13, 2026 (KDWP summary, page 30).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 summary. Harvest: KDWP's table by unit to 2021. Walk-in: KDWP, 2026-27. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 and agency area maps.
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When are Kansas's 2026 deer seasons?
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Youth (17 and younger) and disabled | Sept. 5-13, 2026 |
| Muzzleloader | Sept. 14-27, 2026 |
| Archery | Sept. 14-Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Pre-rut whitetail antlerless firearm | Oct. 10-12, 2026 |
| Extended pre-rut whitetail antlerless firearm (Unit 12 only) | Oct. 13-18, 2026 |
| Regular firearm | Dec. 2-13, 2026 |
| Extended firearm whitetail antlerless-only (Unit 3) | Jan. 1-10, 2027 |
| Extended firearm whitetail antlerless-only (Units 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 16) | Jan. 1-17, 2027 |
| Extended firearm whitetail antlerless-only (Units 10A, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19) | Jan. 1-24, 2027 |
| Extended archery whitetail antlerless-only (Unit 19 only) | Jan. 25-31, 2027 |
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 30.
When do you apply or buy?
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Resident firearm either-species/either-sex (draw) | Second Friday in June |
| All nonresident permits (draw) | Last Friday in April |
| Over-the-counter and online permits on sale | Aug. 5, 2026 |
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 30.
Residents buy whitetail and archery permits over the counter; the resident firearm either-species permit is drawn by zone (893 for 2026). Nonresidents draw whitetail permits by unit in April. Up to ten Whitetail Antlerless-only permits are possible in the eastern units (page 33).
Kansas's deer management units
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | WIHA acres, 2026-27 | Deer harvested, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 6,321 | 0.2% | 170,924 | 1,830 |
| Unit 2 | 5,619 | 0.3% | 157,235 | 1,540 |
| Unit 3 | 4,307 | 0.2% | 81,918 | 3,394 |
| Unit 4 | 2,628 | 1.1% | 29,342 | 2,752 |
| Unit 5 | 3,393 | 1.9% | 25,072 | 3,096 |
| Unit 6 | 2,639 | 0.7% | 5,644 | 2,888 |
| Unit 7 | 4,806 | 1.3% | 65,866 | 4,641 |
| Unit 8 | 4,427 | 1.3% | 46,695 | 4,585 |
| Unit 9 | 3,251 | 1.7% | 42,406 | 3,581 |
| Unit 10 | 4,367 | 2.1% | 20,500 | 6,706 |
| Unit 11 | 6,559 | 1.5% | 25,147 | 15,611 |
| Unit 12 | 2,687 | 2.1% | 17,689 | 6,449 |
| Unit 13 | 966 | 0.9% | 222 | 1,603 |
| Unit 14 | 6,816 | 1% | 45,762 | 10,232 |
| Unit 15 | 5,163 | 0.3% | 6,628 | 6,569 |
| Unit 16 | 4,740 | 0.3% | 24,639 | 3,218 |
| Unit 17 | 9,056 | 0.1% | 117,037 | 2,405 |
| Unit 18 | 4,532 | 3.8% | 56,254 | 587 |
| Unit 19 | 2,571 | 2.3% | 2,955 | 2,355 |
Harvest: KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021). Land and walk-in measured by FilledTag inside KDWP's unit lines from USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts.
How much walk-in hunting land is in Kansas?
952,949 acres on 3,559 tracts for 2026-27. The counties with the most: Cheyenne (45,054), Wallace (44,053), Rawlins (37,681), Hamilton (33,613) and Thomas (32,327). Every county's WIHA acres.
How much public land is in Kansas?
557,359 acres by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps, under the managers counted here, 1.1% of the state.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the state |
|---|---|---|
| KDWP land | 339,474 | 0.6% |
| National forest or grassland | 109,605 | 0.2% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 59,882 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuge or WPA | 46,542 | 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 16,260 | under 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 11,482 | under 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 1,850 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 6 | under 0.1% |
110 wildlife areas have a page of their own: see them all, or start with Cimarron National Grassland, Perry Wildlife Area, Milford Wildlife Area and Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area.
Questions hunters ask
When is Kansas firearm deer season in 2026?
The regular firearm season is Dec. 2-13, 2026. Archery runs Sept. 14 to Dec. 31, 2026, muzzleloader Sept. 14-27, and the youth and disabled season Sept. 5-13. Extended antlerless whitetail seasons follow in January 2027 in most eastern and central units (KDWP 2026-27 summary, page 30).
How do nonresidents get a Kansas deer permit?
Through the April draw: the deadline is the last Friday in April. KDWP authorized 21,703 nonresident whitetail either-sex permits for 2026, each valid in one unit plus one adjacent unit, and 79 Mule Deer Stamps for Units 1, 2, 17 and 18.
What is WIHA in Kansas?
Walk-In Hunting Access: private land KDWP leases so the public can walk in and hunt during each tract's lease period. KDWP's 2026-27 map has 952,949 acres on 3,559 tracts.
How much public land is in Kansas?
557,359 acres by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps, under the managers counted here, 1.1% of the state, led by KDWP land. Walk-in land covers more: 952,949 acres.
Get a Kansas hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Kansas are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Kansas included.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons, permits and rules: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary; KDWP deer quotas and draw statistics.
- Harvest: KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Walk-in land: KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts. Units: KDWP Deer Management Units.
FilledTag is not part of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. KDWP's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.