Kansas Deer Management Unit 2: deer harvest, public land and walk-in access
Kansas's Deer Management Unit 2 covers 5,619 square miles across Logan, Gove, Wallace, Trego and Sherman counties. 0.3% 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 157,235 acres of private walk-in land on 405 tracts. KDWP's harvest table shows 1,540 deer taken here in 2021: 658 white-tailed bucks, 469 antlerless whitetails, 386 mule deer bucks and 27 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 landOther publicWalk-in (WIHA)Unit 2Wildlife areaNeighboring unitsLakeHighway
| Size | 3,596,323 acres (5,619 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Counties | Logan, Gove, Wallace, Trego, Sherman, Greeley, Thomas and Wichita and 3 more |
| Public land | 0.3% (11,180 acres) |
| Walk-in land (WIHA, 2026-27) | 157,235 acres on 405 tracts (4.4% of the unit) |
| Deer harvested, 2021 | 1,540 (1,044 bucks) |
| Nonresident whitetail permits, 2026 | 303 (decreased by 10 from 313 in 2025) |
| Wildlife areas with a page | Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area, Kansas Veterans Wildlife Area, Greeley County Wildlife Area, Logan Wildlife Area and Scott State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area |
| Towns in it | Oakley, Leoti, Sharon Springs, Tribune, Russell Springs and Wallace |
How many deer are harvested in Unit 2?
KDWP's table counts 1,540 deer in 2021, up 6% from 1,455 in 2017. White-tailed deer were 73.2% of the 2021 harvest, and nonresident hunters took 381 of the 1,540 deer (24.7%).
| Year | Total deer | White-tailed bucks | Antlerless whitetails | Mule deer bucks | Antlerless mule deer | Taken by residents | Taken by nonresidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,540 | 658 | 469 | 386 | 27 | 1,159 | 381 |
| 2020 | 1,556 | 787 | 403 | 357 | 9 | 1,106 | 450 |
| 2019 | 1,507 | 684 | 486 | 332 | 5 | 1,126 | 381 |
| 2018 | 1,247 | 758 | 151 | 325 | 13 | 872 | 375 |
| 2017 | 1,455 | 646 | 486 | 297 | 26 | 1,140 | 315 |
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 2?
0.3% of the unit is public land: 11,180 of its 3,596,323 acres, led by KDWP land at 11,180 acres. Wildlife areas with a page of their own: Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area, Kansas Veterans Wildlife Area, Greeley County Wildlife Area, Logan Wildlife Area and Scott State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area. KDWP's map shows 6 wildlife areas in the unit in all.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the unit |
|---|---|---|
| KDWP land | 11,180 | 0.3% |
| Other public (not counted as hunting land) | 2,082 | 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 2?
KDWP's 2026-27 Walk-In Hunting Access layer maps 157,235 acres on 405 tracts inside the unit, 4.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logan County | 100% | 19,583 | 47 |
| Gove County | 91.1% | 23,266 | 58 |
| Wallace County | 100% | 44,053 | 96 |
| Trego County | 55% | 23,735 | 93 |
| Sherman County | 45% | 19,535 | 49 |
| Greeley County | 53.8% | 16,648 | 50 |
| Thomas County | 37% | 32,327 | 98 |
| Wichita County | 50.3% | 2,468 | 13 |
| Scott County | 36.5% | 2,240 | 1 |
| Lane County | 18.7% | 18,462 | 80 |
| Ness County | 10.5% | 16,025 | 64 |
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 2 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 2 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 2 get?
KDWP authorized 303 nonresident whitetail either-sex permits for Unit 2 in 2026 (decreased by 10 from 313 in 2025). 499 hunters picked the unit as their first choice, and 96 permits went to applicants with no preference points. KDWP also issued 15 Mule Deer Stamps for the unit, from 90 first-choice applications.
| Draw | Permits | First-choice applications | Second choice | Permits to 0-point applicants | Permits to 1-point applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 303 | 499 | 550 | 96 | 186 |
| 2025 | 313 | 548 | 670 | 111 | 171 |
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 2?
KDWP's elk unit map overlaps it: elk unit 3. Pronghorn units that overlap it: the archery unit and Unit 2. 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 2?
Unit 2 touches 5 other units. Their public land, walk-in acres and 2021 harvest, for comparison:
| Unit | Public land | WIHA acres | Deer harvested, 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 0.2% | 170,924 | 1,830 |
| Unit 3 | 0.2% | 81,918 | 3,394 |
| Unit 4 | 1.1% | 29,342 | 2,752 |
| Unit 5 | 1.9% | 25,072 | 3,096 |
| Unit 17 | 0.1% | 117,037 | 2,405 |
Questions hunters ask
How much public land is in Kansas deer Unit 2?
11,180 acres, 0.3% of the unit, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP area maps; the largest share is KDWP land (11,180 acres). KDWP's walk-in program adds 157,235 acres of private land open to walk-in hunting in 2026-27.
How many deer were harvested in Unit 2 in the latest year on record?
1,540 in 2021, KDWP's latest year by unit: 658 white-tailed bucks, 469 antlerless whitetails, 386 mule deer bucks and 27 antlerless mule deer.
Can a nonresident hunt deer in Kansas Unit 2?
Yes, with a permit drawn in April. KDWP set 303 nonresident whitetail permits for Unit 2 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 2?
Logan, Gove, Wallace, Trego, Sherman, Greeley, Thomas, Wichita, Scott, Lane and Ness. 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 1 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 17