Kansas Deer Management Unit 19: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Kansas's Deer Management Unit 19 covers 2,571 square miles across Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Shawnee, Osage, Jefferson and 1 more county. 2.3% 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 2,955 acres of private walk-in land on 22 tracts. KDWP's harvest table shows 2,355 deer taken here in 2021: 75 white-tailed bucks, 2,280 antlerless whitetails.
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 landArmy Corps of EngineersState park or recreation areaOther publicWalk-in (WIHA)Unit 19Wildlife areaNeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 1,645,161 acres (2,571 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Shawnee, Osage, Jefferson, Franklin and Wyandotte and 1 more |
| Public land | 2.3% (37,384 acres) |
| Walk-in land (WIHA, 2026-27) | 2,955 acres on 22 tracts (0.2% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2021 | 2,355 (75 bucks) |
| Wildlife areas with a page | Perry Wildlife Area, Clinton Wildlife Area, Buck Creek Wildlife Area, Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area and Kansas River Wildlife Area (Topeka units) |
| Towns in it | Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Topeka, Shawnee and Lawrence |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 19?
KDWP's table counts 2,355 deer in 2021, down 34% from 3,564 in 2017. White-tailed deer were 100% of the 2021 harvest, and nonresident hunters took 47 of the 2,355 deer (2%).
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Taken by residents | Taken by nonresidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,355 | 75 | 2,280 | 0 | 0 | 2,308 | 47 |
| 2020 | 2,031 | 0 | 2,031 | 0 | 0 | 1,998 | 33 |
| 2019 | 340 | 0 | 340 | 0 | 0 | 340 | 0 |
| 2018 | 2,966 | 1,666 | 1,300 | 0 | 0 | 2,814 | 152 |
| 2017 | 3,564 | 1,643 | 1,915 | 0 | 6 | 3,391 | 173 |
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 19?
2.3% of the unit is public land: 37,384 of its 1,645,161 acres, led by KDWP land at 22,925 acres. Wildlife areas with a page of their own: Perry Wildlife Area, Clinton Wildlife Area, Buck Creek Wildlife Area, Douglas State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area, Kansas River Wildlife Area (Topeka units) and Leavenworth State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area. KDWP's map shows 7 wildlife areas in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| KDWP land | 22,925 | 1.4% |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 14,459 | 0.9% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 2,863 | 0.2% |
| State park or recreation area (not counted as hunting land) | 217 | under 0.1% |
KDWP-managed areas inside Unit 19's line are not part of Unit 19. They stay open only under their original unit (Clinton Wildlife Area and Douglas State Fishing Lake under Unit 10, for example); walk-in tracts are the exception (KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 34).
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 19?
KDWP's 2026-27 Walk-In Hunting Access layer maps 2,955 acres on 22 tracts inside the unit, 0.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 100% | 49 | 1 |
| Johnson County | 91.6% | 80 | 1 |
| Leavenworth County | 77.9% | 1,481 | 8 |
| Shawnee County | 61.7% | 2,195 | 18 |
| Osage County | 40.4% | 3,274 | 16 |
| Jefferson County | 44.9% | 1,462 | 12 |
| Franklin County | 43.2% | 0 | 0 |
| Wyandotte County | 100% | 0 | 0 |
| Miami County | 0.3% | 0 | 0 |
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 19 in 2026?
The statewide seasons apply here, plus an extended firearm season for antlerless whitetails, Jan. 1-24, 2027. Up to ten Whitetail Antlerless-only permits can be used here: the first anywhere in the unit (public land and walk-in included), permits 2 to 10 only on private land with permission, walk-in areas, and Elk City and Berentz-Dick wildlife areas.
| 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 |
| Extended firearm whitetail antlerless-only (Unit 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; Whitetail Antlerless-only permits, page 33.
Unit 19 overlays parts of Units 9, 10, 11 and 14 in the Kansas City-to-Topeka corridor. Unit 9, 10, 11 and 14 permit holders may hunt it with their permit's season and equipment limits. All properties owned or managed by KDWP, except WIHA/iWIHA, are excluded from Unit 19 and open only under their original unit. Unit 10A is Fort Leavenworth, open to active and retired military staff only.
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 34.
Is there elk or pronghorn hunting in Unit 19?
KDWP's elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 3. No pronghorn unit overlaps it. 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 19?
Unit 19 touches 4 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2021 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | WIHA acres | Deer harvested, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 9 | 1.7% | 42,406 | 3,581 |
| Unit 10 | 2.1% | 20,500 | 6,706 |
| Unit 11 | 1.5% | 25,147 | 15,611 |
| Unit 14 | 1% | 45,762 | 10,232 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Kansas deer Unit 19?
37,384 acres, 2.3% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps; the largest share is KDWP land (22,925 acres). KDWP's walk-in program adds 2,955 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in Unit 19 in the latest year on record?
2,355 in 2021, KDWP's latest year by unit: 75 white-tailed bucks, 2,280 antlerless whitetails, 0 mule deer bucks and 0 antlerless mule deer.
Who can hunt deer in Unit 19?
Holders of Unit 9, 10, 11 and 14 permits, archery permit holders, Whitetail Antlerless-only permit holders and resident any-season whitetail permit holders, each with their permit's season and equipment rules. KDWP-managed lands other than walk-in areas are not part of Unit 19.
Which counties are in Unit 19?
Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, Shawnee, Osage, Jefferson, Franklin, Wyandotte and Miami. 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 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 14