Glen Elder Wildlife Area: hunting, rules and access
Glen Elder Wildlife Area is 12,500 acres of land and 12,500 of water by KDWP's count, centered about 2 miles southwest of Cawker City, in Mitchell and Osborne counties and deer Unit 7. Camping: yes, in designated areas; equipment: none (KDWP 2026-27). 8 managed dove fields for 2026.
Data updated October 2026. KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 summary and 2026 dove fields; KDWP GIS; WIHA 2026-27.
KDWP landBureau of ReclamationOther publicWalk-in (WIHA)Glen Elder Wildlife AreaOther wildlife areasDeer unit lineLakeHighway
| Acres | 12,500 land, 12,500 water (KDWP); 15,654 inside the mapped boundary, water included |
|---|---|
| Location (KDWP) | Near Cawker City, Downs, and Glen Elder |
| Phone | (785) 545-3345 |
| Camping | Yes, in designated areas |
| Boating | Yes |
| Equipment restrictions | None |
| Daily check-in/check-out | Required (Go Outdoors Kansas app or ksoutdoors.gov/check-in) |
| County | Mitchell and Osborne |
| Deer unit | Unit 7 |
| Managed dove fields, 2026 | 8 (83 acres) |
What are the rules on Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
KDWP's 2026-27 listing puts no equipment restriction on the area. Its other rules:
- Electronic check-in/check-out required through the Go Outdoors Kansas mobile app or ksoutdoors.gov/check-in. Special hunts available. Refuges: visit website for details. Youth/Mentor access at Granite Creek Area, all species Oct. 1-Jan. 31. Handicapped hunting access by permit; phone (785) 545-3345. Shooting range open daylight hours, 1 mile S of Downs.
Source: KDWP's Fall 2026-Spring 2027 Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, page 8.
Refuge or special-rule zones KDWP maps here: Granite Creek Refuge (Glen Elder Wildlife Area, 51 acres; November 1 to January 31) and West Refuge (Glen Elder Wildlife Area, 1,040 acres; November 1 to January 31).
Source: KDWP refuge and special regulation areas at reservoirs.
Youth mentor area: Glen Elder Wildlife Area. Each hunting adult must have a hunting youth (age 17 or under) with them. Area is open to the public February through September. No boats allowed. Shoreline hunting for waterfowl is allowed.
Accessible hunting: Area is open for public use. Written permit required from Area Manager to access with motorized vehicle.
Does Glen Elder Wildlife Area have managed dove fields in 2026?
KDWP lists 8 active fields here for 2026, 83 acres in all.
| Crop | Acres | KDWP's expected dove use | Field work | Nontoxic shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflowers | 20 | fair to good | Mowed | No |
| Sunflowers | 15 | fair to good | Mowed | No |
| Sunflowers | 14 | fair to good | Mowed | No |
| Sunflowers | 11 | fair to good | Mowed | No |
| Sunflowers | 8 | Fair to Good | Mowed | No |
| Wheat | 5 | Fair | No | |
| Wheat | 5 | Fair | No | |
| Wheat | 5 | Fair | No |
Source: KDWP public land dove fields.
Which deer unit is Glen Elder Wildlife Area in?
Deer Unit 7, 4,806 square miles, with 4,641 deer taken across the whole unit in 2021. Only the first Whitetail Antlerless-only permit is valid on the area.
Unit 7 gets 1,372 nonresident whitetail permits in 2026, and its extended antlerless firearm season runs Jan. 1-17, 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 Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
Within five miles: 15,495 acres of KDWP land, 1,763 acres of other public and 947 acres of Bureau of Reclamation (this area included), and 5,543 acres of WIHA walk-in land on 30 tracts. The biggest walk-in tracts reaching into that ring: 460 acres 4.2 miles southeast (Nov. 1 to Jan. 31), 350 acres 3.7 miles east (Sept. 1 to Jan. 31, archery and shotshell only), 340 acres 4.3 miles northeast (Sept. 1 to May 31) and 320 acres 1.5 miles east (Sept. 1 to March 31). Nearest wildlife areas: Jewell State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area (11.8 mi).
Measured by FilledTag from USGS PAD-US 4.1 and KDWP Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) tracts. County walk-in totals: Mitchell County and Osborne County.
How do you get to Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
KDWP's directions: Near Cawker City, Downs, and Glen Elder. Highways within five miles, longest stretch first: KS-9, KS-181, US 24 and KS-128.
| Town | Miles from the boundary | Direction from the area |
|---|---|---|
| Downs | under 1 | west |
| Cawker City | under 1 | northeast |
| Glen Elder | under 1 | east |
| Tipton | 6 | south |
| Osborne | 8 | west |
Questions hunters ask
Can you camp at Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
Yes, in designated areas, by KDWP's 2026-27 listing, for up to seven days in a row.
Do you have to check in to hunt Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
Yes, before and after each hunt, in the Go Outdoors Kansas app or at ksoutdoors.gov/check-in.
Where is Glen Elder Wildlife Area?
Its middle is about 2 miles southwest of Cawker City, in Mitchell and Osborne counties and deer Unit 7.
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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.