Garton Wildlife Area: hunting, rules and access
Garton Wildlife Area is 320 acres by KDWP's count, centered about 5 miles north of Dighton, in Lane County and deer Unit 17. Camping: no; equipment: none (KDWP 2026-27).
Data updated October 2026. KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 summary; KDWP GIS; WIHA 2026-27.
KDWP landState park or recreation areaWalk-in (WIHA)Garton Wildlife AreaOther wildlife areasDeer unit lineLakeHighway
| Acres | 320 (KDWP); 324 inside the mapped boundary, water included |
|---|---|
| Location (KDWP) | 5 mi. N of Dighton, 1 mi. E |
| Phone | (620) 276-8886 |
| Camping | No |
| Boating | None |
| Equipment restrictions | None |
| Daily check-in/check-out | Not listed for this area |
| County | Lane |
| Deer unit | Unit 17 |
What are the rules on Garton Wildlife Area?
KDWP's 2026-27 listing puts no equipment restriction on the area. No other rule is listed.
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 12.
Which deer unit is Garton Wildlife Area in?
Deer Unit 17, 9,056 square miles, with 2,405 deer taken across the whole unit in 2021. Whitetail Antlerless-only permits are not valid in Unit 17.
Unit 17 gets 619 nonresident whitetail permits in 2026 (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 Garton Wildlife Area?
Within five miles: 370 acres of KDWP land (this area included), and 705 acres of WIHA walk-in land on 4 tracts. The biggest walk-in tracts reaching into that ring: 320 acres 0.5 miles southeast (Nov. 1 to Jan. 31), 172 acres 0.5 miles northeast (Sept. 1 to Jan. 31), 160 acres 0.5 miles east (Nov. 1 to Jan. 31) and 37 acres 2.1 miles southeast (Sept. 1 to Jan. 31). Nearest wildlife areas: Lane Wildlife Area (1.6 mi).
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts. County walk-in totals: Lane County.
How do you get to Garton Wildlife Area?
KDWP's directions: 5 mi. N of Dighton, 1 mi. E. Highways within five miles, longest stretch first: KS-23, KS-4 and KS-96.
| Town | Miles from the boundary | Direction from the area |
|---|---|---|
| Dighton | 5 | south |
| Utica | 16 | east |
| Scott City | 25 | west |
| Ransom | 28 | east |
| Gove City | 28 | north |
Questions hunters ask
Can you camp at Garton Wildlife Area?
No. KDWP's 2026-27 listing says no camping.
Do you have to check in to hunt Garton Wildlife Area?
Not by KDWP's 2026-27 list of check-in areas.
Where is Garton Wildlife Area?
Its middle is about 5 miles north of Dighton, in Lane County and deer Unit 17.
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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.