Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area: hunting, rules and access
Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area is 1,088 mapped acres, centered about 6 miles north of Havana, in Montgomery County and deer Unit 12. 1 managed dove field for 2026.
Data updated October 2026. KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 summary and 2026 dove fields; KDWP GIS; WIHA 2026-27.
KDWP landState park or recreation areaWalk-in (WIHA)Buffalo Ranch Wildlife AreaOther wildlife areasDeer unit lineLakeHighway
| Acres | 1,088 inside the mapped boundary, water included |
|---|---|
| Daily check-in/check-out | Required (Go Outdoors Kansas app or ksoutdoors.gov/check-in) |
| County | Montgomery |
| Deer unit | Unit 12 |
| Managed dove fields, 2026 | 1 (8 acres) |
What are the rules on Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
KDWP's summary has no listing of its own for this area; it is on KDWP's list of areas that need electronic check-in and check-out for each hunt.
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 7.
Does Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area have managed dove fields in 2026?
KDWP lists 1 active field here for 2026, 8 acres in all.
| Crop | Acres | KDWP's expected dove use | Field work | Nontoxic shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflowers | 8 | Mowing Prior to Dove Season | No |
Source: KDWP public land dove fields.
Which deer unit is Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area in?
Deer Unit 12, 2,687 square miles, with 6,449 deer taken across the whole unit in 2021. Only the first Whitetail Antlerless-only permit is valid on the area.
Unit 12 gets 2,303 nonresident whitetail permits in 2026, and its extended antlerless firearm season runs Jan. 1-24, 2027 (KDWP deer quotas and draw statistics; KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 30).
Harvest: KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021).
What public and walk-in land is near Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
Within five miles: 2,482 acres of KDWP land and 285 acres of state park or recreation area (this area included), and 99 acres of WIHA walk-in land on 1 tract. The biggest walk-in tracts reaching into that ring: 100 acres 2.7 miles north (Sept. 1 to May 31). Nearest wildlife areas: Elk City Wildlife Area (3.3 mi), Dove Flats Wildlife Area (9 mi) and Copan Wildlife Area (9.2 mi).
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts. County walk-in totals: Montgomery County.
How do you get to Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
Highways within five miles, longest stretch first: US 160 and US 75.
| Town | Miles from the boundary | Direction from the area |
|---|---|---|
| Havana | 6 | south |
| Elk City | 7 | north |
| Niotaze | 8 | southwest |
| Peru | 10 | southwest |
| Caney | 11 | south |
Questions hunters ask
Do you have to check in to hunt Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
Yes, before and after each hunt, in the Go Outdoors Kansas app or at ksoutdoors.gov/check-in.
Where is Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
Its middle is about 6 miles north of Havana, in Montgomery County and deer Unit 12.
How big is Buffalo Ranch Wildlife Area?
1,088 acres inside the boundary on KDWP's map.
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.
Sources: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 7 to 16; KDWP wildlife areas; USGS PAD-US 4.1; KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts; KDWP deer harvest by unit (2017 to 2021). General KDWP public land rules: all wildlife areas. FilledTag is not part of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.