Kansas Deer Management Unit 18: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Kansas's Deer Management Unit 18 covers 4,532 square miles across Meade, Morton, Stevens and Seward counties. 3.8% of it is public land by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps, mostly national forest or grassland, and KDWP's 2026-27 WIHA map adds 56,254 acres of private walk-in land on 289 tracts. KDWP's harvest table shows 587 deer taken here in 2021: 420 white-tailed bucks, 32 antlerless whitetails, 115 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 landNational forest or grasslandState park or recreation areaOther publicWalk-in (WIHA)Unit 18Wildlife areaNeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 2,900,787 acres (4,532 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Meade, Morton, Stevens, Seward, Stanton, Grant, Haskell and Gray and 2 more |
| Public land | 3.8% (110,623 acres) |
| Walk-in land (WIHA, 2026-27) | 56,254 acres on 289 tracts (1.9% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2021 | 587 (535 bucks) |
| Nonresident whitetail permits, 2026 | 228 (decreased by 13 from 241 in 2025) |
| Wildlife areas with a page | Cimarron National Grassland, Meade State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Kepley Wildlife Area |
| Towns in it | Liberal, Johnson City, Hugoton, Elkhart, Meade and Englewood |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 18?
KDWP's table counts 587 deer in 2021, down 1% from 591 in 2017. White-tailed deer were 77% of the 2021 harvest, and nonresident hunters took 130 of the 587 deer (22.1%).
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Taken by residents | Taken by nonresidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 587 | 420 | 32 | 115 | 20 | 457 | 130 |
| 2020 | 484 | 360 | 31 | 93 | 0 | 371 | 113 |
| 2019 | 492 | 327 | 44 | 101 | 20 | 447 | 45 |
| 2018 | 653 | 497 | 69 | 87 | 0 | 505 | 148 |
| 2017 | 591 | 458 | 59 | 68 | 6 | 494 | 97 |
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 18?
3.8% of the unit is public land: 110,623 of its 2,900,787 acres, led by national forest or grassland at 109,630 acres. Wildlife areas with a page of their own: Cimarron National Grassland, Meade State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Kepley Wildlife Area.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| National forest or grassland | 109,630 | 3.8% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 2,697 | 0.1% |
| KDWP land | 993 | under 0.1% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 427 | 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 18?
KDWP's 2026-27 Walk-In Hunting Access layer maps 56,254 acres on 289 tracts inside the unit, 1.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County | 100% | 2,889 | 15 |
| Morton County | 100% | 23,761 | 116 |
| Stevens County | 100% | 5,414 | 37 |
| Seward County | 100% | 4,077 | 27 |
| Stanton County | 44.7% | 15,430 | 69 |
| Grant County | 51.8% | 7,484 | 34 |
| Haskell County | 50% | 800 | 5 |
| Gray County | 24.3% | 2,604 | 15 |
| Clark County | 18.1% | 20,090 | 24 |
| Ford County | 16% | 7,692 | 37 |
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 18 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 18 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 18 get?
KDWP authorized 228 nonresident whitetail either-sex permits for Unit 18 in 2026 (decreased by 13 from 241 in 2025). 297 hunters picked the unit as their first choice, and 144 permits went to applicants with no preference points. KDWP also issued 15 Mule Deer Stamps for the unit, from 86 first-choice applications.
| Draw | Permits | First-choice applications | Second choice | Permits to 0-point applicants | Permits to 1-point applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 228 | 297 | 277 | 144 | 74 |
| 2025 | 241 | 292 | 267 | 147 | 80 |
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 18?
KDWP's elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 1 and elk unit 3. Pronghorn units that overlap it: the archery unit and Unit 18. 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 18?
Unit 18 touches 2 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2021 harvest, for comparison:
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Kansas deer Unit 18?
110,623 acres, 3.8% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps; the largest share is national forest or grassland (109,630 acres). KDWP's walk-in program adds 56,254 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in Unit 18 in the latest year on record?
587 in 2021, KDWP's latest year by unit: 420 white-tailed bucks, 32 antlerless whitetails, 115 mule deer bucks and 20 antlerless mule deer.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Kansas Unit 18?
Yes, with a permit drawn in April. KDWP set 228 nonresident whitetail permits for Unit 18 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 18?
Meade, Morton, Stevens, Seward, Stanton, Grant, Haskell, Gray, Clark and Ford. 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.