Kansas Deer Management Unit 17: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Kansas's Deer Management Unit 17 covers 9,056 square miles across Finney, Hamilton, Kearny and Ford counties. 0.1% of it is public land by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps, mostly KDWP land, and KDWP's 2026-27 WIHA map adds 117,037 acres of private walk-in land on 454 tracts. KDWP's harvest table shows 2,405 deer taken here in 2021: 1,281 white-tailed bucks, 689 antlerless whitetails, 415 mule deer bucks and 20 antlerless mule deer.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: KDWP's table by unit, 2017 to 2021. Seasons: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 summary. Land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 and agency area maps. Walk-in: KDWP, 2026-27.
KDWP landBLMState park or recreation areaOther publicWalk-in (WIHA)Unit 17Wildlife areaNeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 5,796,129 acres (9,056 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Finney, Hamilton, Kearny, Ford, Hodgeman, Gray, Lane and Ness and 10 more |
| Public land | 0.1% (7,895 acres) |
| Walk-in land (WIHA, 2026-27) | 117,037 acres on 454 tracts (2% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2021 | 2,405 (1,696 bucks) |
| Nonresident whitetail permits, 2026 | 619 (no change from 619 in 2025) |
| Wildlife areas with a page | Finney State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Concannon State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Herron Playa Wildlife Area, Hamilton State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Hodgeman State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area |
| Towns in it | Dodge City, Garden City, Jetmore, Syracuse, Ulysses and Scott City |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 17?
KDWP's table counts 2,405 deer in 2021, down 3% from 2,491 in 2017. White-tailed deer were 81.9% of the 2021 harvest, and nonresident hunters took 659 of the 2,405 deer (27.4%).
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Taken by residents | Taken by nonresidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,405 | 1,281 | 689 | 415 | 20 | 1,746 | 659 |
| 2020 | 2,154 | 1,202 | 621 | 294 | 37 | 1,456 | 698 |
| 2019 | 2,226 | 1,047 | 783 | 360 | 36 | 1,581 | 645 |
| 2018 | 2,962 | 1,270 | 1,268 | 373 | 51 | 2,178 | 784 |
| 2017 | 2,491 | 1,417 | 689 | 370 | 15 | 1,855 | 636 |
Source: KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021). KDWP's newer harvest reports give statewide totals only, so 2021 is the latest year by unit. Antlerless means does and fawns, as KDWP's table counts them.
How much public land is in Unit 17?
0.1% of the unit is public land: 7,895 of its 5,796,129 acres, led by KDWP land at 7,887 acres. Wildlife areas with a page of their own: Finney State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Concannon State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Herron Playa Wildlife Area, Hamilton State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Hodgeman State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Garton Wildlife Area, Wild Turkey Playa Wildlife Area, Stein Playa Wildlife Area, Cottonwood Flats Wildlife Area, Hain State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Lane Wildlife Area.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| KDWP land | 7,887 | 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 150 | under 0.1% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 9 | under 0.1% |
| BLM | 8 | under 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside KDWP's unit boundary from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee and designation lands with open or restricted public access) and KDWP wildlife areas; the water of the larger reservoirs is left out.
How much walk-in hunting land is in Unit 17?
KDWP's 2026-27 Walk-In Hunting Access layer maps 117,037 acres on 454 tracts inside the unit, 2% of its ground. WIHA land is private land KDWP leases for walk-in hunting during the lease period on its sign. County totals for the counties the unit touches:
| County | Share of the county in this unit | WIHA acres in the county | WIHA tracts in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finney County | 100% | 5,362 | 23 |
| Hamilton County | 100% | 33,613 | 117 |
| Kearny County | 100% | 2,362 | 13 |
| Ford County | 76.6% | 7,692 | 37 |
| Hodgeman County | 79.8% | 26,340 | 89 |
| Gray County | 75.7% | 2,604 | 15 |
| Lane County | 81.3% | 18,462 | 80 |
| Ness County | 45.3% | 16,025 | 64 |
| Scott County | 63.5% | 2,240 | 1 |
| Stanton County | 55.3% | 15,430 | 69 |
| Greeley County | 46.2% | 16,648 | 50 |
| Wichita County | 49.7% | 2,468 | 13 |
| Haskell County | 50% | 800 | 5 |
| Grant County | 48.2% | 7,484 | 34 |
| Edwards County | 43.1% | 12,491 | 24 |
| Kiowa County | 18.2% | 4,106 | 23 |
| Pawnee County | 14.4% | 5,594 | 23 |
| Clark County | 0.4% | 20,090 | 24 |
Walk-in acres inside the unit measured by FilledTag from KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts; county acres and tract counts are KDWP's own figures for each tract.
When is deer season in Unit 17 in 2026?
The statewide seasons apply here, with no extended January firearm season in this unit. Whitetail Antlerless-only permits are not valid in this unit. Unit 17 is one of the four units where a nonresident drawn for archery or muzzleloader can apply for a Mule Deer Stamp.
| Season, 2026-27 | 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 |
| Regular firearm | Dec. 2-13, 2026 |
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 30; Whitetail Antlerless-only permits, page 33.
How many nonresident deer permits does Unit 17 get?
KDWP authorized 619 nonresident whitetail either-sex permits for Unit 17 in 2026 (no change from 619 in 2025). 812 hunters picked the unit as their first choice, and 398 permits went to applicants with no preference points. KDWP also issued 30 Mule Deer Stamps for the unit, from 201 first-choice applications.
| Draw | Permits | First-choice applications | Second choice | Permits to 0-point applicants | Permits to 1-point applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 619 | 812 | 751 | 398 | 194 |
| 2025 | 619 | 785 | 694 | 425 | 172 |
Source: KDWP deer quotas and draw statistics. Nonresident permits are drawn for one unit plus one adjacent unit (KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 32). Residents buy whitetail permits over the counter; resident either-species firearm permits are drawn by zone.
Is there elk or pronghorn hunting in Unit 17?
KDWP's elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 3. Pronghorn units that overlap it: the archery unit and Unit 17. Elk and pronghorn permits are for residents, except pronghorn archery permits, which nonresidents can buy too.
Units: KDWP elk units; KDWP pronghorn firearm units. Rules: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 36 to 38.
Which deer units border Unit 17?
Unit 17 touches 4 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2021 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | WIHA acres | Deer harvested, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 2 | 0.3% | 157,235 | 1,540 |
| Unit 5 | 1.9% | 25,072 | 3,096 |
| Unit 16 | 0.3% | 24,639 | 3,218 |
| Unit 18 | 3.8% | 56,254 | 587 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Kansas deer Unit 17?
7,895 acres, 0.1% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps; the largest share is KDWP land (7,887 acres). KDWP's walk-in program adds 117,037 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in Unit 17 in the latest year on record?
2,405 in 2021, KDWP's latest year by unit: 1,281 white-tailed bucks, 689 antlerless whitetails, 415 mule deer bucks and 20 antlerless mule deer.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Kansas Unit 17?
Yes, with a permit drawn in April. KDWP set 619 nonresident whitetail permits for Unit 17 in 2026; each is valid in the unit drawn and one adjacent unit. The application deadline is the last Friday in April.
Which counties are in Unit 17?
Finney, Hamilton, Kearny, Ford, Hodgeman, Gray, Lane, Ness, Scott, Stanton, Greeley, Wichita, Haskell, Grant, Edwards, Kiowa, Pawnee and Clark. Walk-in land by county is on each county's WIHA page where one exists.
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest: KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021).
- Seasons, permits and rules: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary; KDWP deer quotas and draw statistics.
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Walk-in land: KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts. Unit boundary: KDWP Deer Management Units.
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Numbers are copied from KDWP, the USGS and the Census Bureau, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Kansas hunting Walk-in hunting by county Unit 2 Unit 5 Unit 16 Unit 18