Deer

KDWP is offering FREE Chronic Wasting Disease testing during the 2020-2021 deer seasons. For details, see https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD or page 31 of the 2020-2021 Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, here https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Hunting-Regulations.
Two deer species thrive in Kansas: the mule deer and the white-tailed deer.
Mule deer are restricted to the western one-third of the state, primarily on the High Plains, Smoky Hills, and Red Hills regions. As you travel west to east, mule deer are less abundant, and whitetail numbers increase.
Whitetailed deer numbers have increased dramatically in the last 20 years, and they can be found virtually statewide wherever suitable habitat exists. Highest whitetail densities are in the eastern one-third of the state. Whitetails have adapted well to Kansas’ modern landscape, finding cover in natural woodlands, shelterbelts, old homesteads and grasslands, and abundant food in cropfields. The selective management program has created a healthy deer herd, with excellent potential for trophy-sized bucks in all regions.
Dates: 09/01/2022 - 09/11/2022
Dates: 09/03/2022 - 09/11/2022
Youth 17 and younger, who possess a valid deer permit, may hunt during this special deer season only while under the immediate supervision of an adult 18 or older. Any person who possesses a valid deer permit and has a permit to hunt from a vehicle pursuant to KAR 115-18-4 or a disability assistance permit issued pursuant to KAR 115-18-15 may also hunt during this season. All resident and nonresident permits are valid, and equipment restrictions designated on permits apply. Hunter orange is required.
Dates: 09/03/2022 - 09/11/2022
Deer - Fort Riley - Youth & Disability
Dates: 09/12/2022 - 09/25/2022
The following permits may be used during this season in units specified on permit, using muzzleloader or archery equipment: resident or nonresident Muzzleloader Either-species/Either-sex Permit, resident Any-Season White-tailed Deer Permit, nonresident Muzzleloader White-tailed Deer Permit, Hunt-Own-Land Permit, Special Hunt-Own-Land Permit, Antlerless White-tailed Deer Permit, and Antlerless Either-Species Deer Permit. Hunter orange clothing is required
Dates: 09/12/2022 - 12/31/2022
Dates: 09/12/2022 - 12/31/2022
Dates: 10/08/2022 - 10/10/2022
Any permit that allows the harvest of a white-tailed antlerless deer is valid during this season. Equipment and unit restrictions on permit imposed. Hunter orange clothing is required.
Fort Riley is CLOSED for Pre-Rut Season
Dates: 10/08/2022 - 10/10/2022
Deer - Fort Riley - Youth & Disability
Dates: 11/12/2022 - 11/13/2022
Ft. Leavenworth Deer Season (in addition to DMU 19 season dates)
Dates: 11/19/2022 - 11/20/2022
Fort Leavenworth Deer Season (in addition to DMU 19 season dates)
Dates: 11/24/2022 - 11/27/2022
Fort Leavenworth Deer Season (in addition to DMU 19 season dates)
Dates: 11/25/2022 - 11/27/2022
Dates: 11/30/2022 - 12/11/2022
Dates: 11/30/2022 - 12/11/2022
Smoky Hill ANG Firearms Deer Season
Dates: 12/03/2022 - 12/04/2022
Fort Leavenworth Deer Season (in addition to DMU 19 season dates)
Dates: 12/10/2022 - 12/11/2022
Fort Leavenworth Deer Season (in addition to DMU 19 season dates)
Dates: 12/17/2022 - 12/23/2022
Dates: 12/26/2022 - 12/27/2022
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 01/08/2023
January Deer Season - Extended Firearms Whitetail Antlerless Only
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 01/15/2023
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 01/22/2023
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 01/31/2023
Fort Riley Special Authorization
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 01/22/2023
Dates: 01/23/2023 - 01/31/2023
The following unfilled permits are valid during this season using archery equipment only for antlerless whitetails. Resident and nonresident Archery Either species/ Either-sex permit, nonresident Archery White-tailed Deer permit, resident Any-Season White-tailed Deer permit, Hunt-Own-Land Permit valid for Unit 19, Special Hunt-Own-Land permit valid for Unit 19, and Antlerless White-tailed Deer permit. A 2022 hunting license is required, unless exempt by Kansas law. Unit 10A is Ft. Leavenworth and is open only to military personnel.
Dates: 01/23/2023 - 01/31/2023
Big Game and Wild Turkey - General provisions
Big Game and Wild Turkey - Permit Applications.
Deer Permits - Descriptions and Restrictions.
Big Game Control Permit - Application, Requirements and Provisions.
Use of crossbows for big game hunting by persons with disabilities - Application, Permit, and General Provisions
Deer; open season, bag limit, and permits; additional considerations; Fort Riley.
Deer; nonresident limited-quota antlered permit application period.
Elk; management units.
Restitution scoring system; white-tailed deer; mule deer; elk; antelope.
Deer - Management Units
Hunter comments received during the 2019-20 Post-season Deer Harvest Survey. Comments are provided as written by the survey respondent, save that personal information and vulgarities have been removed.
Deer Harvest Report for 2019-20, includes estimate of harvest by age/sex/species, weapon type, hunter effort, and harvest date.
Deer Harvest Report for 2018-19, includes estimate of harvest by age/sex/species, weapon type, hunter effort, and harvest date.
Hunter comments received during the 2018-19 Post-season Deer Harvest Survey. Comments are provided as written by the survey respondent, save that personal information and vulgarities have been removed.
Hunter comments received during the 2017-18 Post-season Deer Harvest Survey. Comments are provided as written by the survey respondent, save that personal information and vulgarities have been removed.
Deer Harvest Report for 2017, includes estimate of harvest by age/sex/species, weapon type, hunter effort, and harvest date.
The 2020-21 Kansas Deer Harvest Survey has been sent out and is open for responses. Deer hunters may receive an email or postcard soliciting their response. The survey period will be open through April 19, 2021. Results from this survey help direct future deer seasons and deer management in Kansas.
KDWP utilizes Qualtrics XM Online Survey Software to implement surveys. So, the survey is not sent from a @ks.gov email account. The email will be sent by Levi Jaster from noreply@qemailserver.com, with subject line “2020-21 Kansas Deer Harvest Survey”. The email will contain the selected hunter’s KDWP number. This number is printed on your permit. Hunters will need to enter this number during the survey.
Hunters who do not have an email address may receive a postcard in the mail. The postcard provides this link: https://tinyurl.com/2020-21KSDeerHarvestSurvey, which hunters need to type into their web browser address bar. A QR code is also provided on the postcard to provide quick access to the survey via smartphone. The postcard has the hunter’s KDWP number. Hunters will need to enter this number during the survey.
Hunter selected may also follow this link: 2020-21 Kansas Deer Harvest Survey - Take it Now
E-Tag Holders: Hunters who used E-Tags will receive the same survey this year because this was the first year E-Tags were utilized for big game hunting. As with any new system, there are bugs to work out and by completing the same survey, you help KDWP improve the system faster. In the future, E-Tag holders can expect to receive a shorter survey.
Hunters who have trouble completing the survey, should email "deer survey" to kdwp.surveys@ks.gov and KDWP will reply with a direct link to the survey.
KDWPT is offering FREE Chronic Wasting Disease testing during the 2021-2022 deer seasons. For details, click "2021-2022 CWD Sampling Information" below or see CWD page in the 2021-2022 Kansas Hunting & Furharvesting Regulations Summary, here https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Hunting-Regulations.
The first case of CWD was found in a captive bull elk in Harper County in 2001. As of 30 June 2021, CWD has been detected in 550 cervids: 2 captive elk, 1 captive mule deer, and 547 wild, free-ranging deer in Deer Management Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Surveillance efforts began in 1996 and, to date, 30,551 cervids have been sampled and tested for CWD. Hunters and other wildlife enthusiasts can avoid the human-assisted spread of CWD by not transporting a live or dead deer or elk from areas where CWD occurs. HUNTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE ELECTRONIC DEER CHECK-IN OR LEAVE EVIDENCE OF SEX ATTACHED TO THE CARCASS. BONE-OUT DEER, AND LEAVE CARCASSES IN THE COUNTIES WHERE DEER ARE TAKEN. MOVING CARCASSES MOVES PRIONS AND CWD TO NEW LOCATIONS! There is currently no known treatment or eradication method for CWD, so preventing the introduction of the the disease into new areas is of utmost importance to the health of local deer herds. Baiting and feeding deer tend to concentrate deer at small point on the landscape, often with the trails leading to the feeding sites resembling the wheel spokes of a bicycle. Anytime animals are concentrated at this type of "hub," the likelihood of disease transmission increases in a deer herd. More alarming, the transferring of CWD prions to healthy deer is not the only concern. Diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, foot rot bacteria, fungal pathogens, and a host of detrimental parasites, including exotic lice, flukes, roundworms, mange mites, lungworms, and barberpole worms are transmitted more efficiently when deer are concentrated in a small area, especially around feeding stations. Think of future generations of hunters and do your best to lower wildlife disease transmission risk.
Watch this video to learn how to extract the correct lymph nodes for CWD Testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygoOy0gldQM
Another major concern is the potential of CWD spreading from captive cervid farms into the wild cervid population. Once a disease gets into a wild population, it is virtually impossible eradicate. KDWPT recommends that every captive cervid operator enroll in the voluntary CWD monitoring program administered by the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division. The sooner diseases such as CWD can be detected in captives, the sooner control efforts can begin and possibly prevent disease from spreading to wild populations of the state. CWD is only one of many diseases that could go undetected in an unmonitored captive cervid herd. Bovine tuberculosis and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), for example, are serious diseases that could seriously damage not only populations of deer and an annual 350 million-dollar hunting economy, but could also threaten the 6 billion-dollar Kansas cattle industry via quarantines, loss of accreditation, and loss of global export.
IMPORTANT: Help Control the Spread of CWD and CWD Prions in Kansas!!
1. Use Electronic Check-In for deer taken with an Antlerless Only permit. Deer taken with an either sex permit can be deboned in the field without Electronic-Deer-Check-In.
2. Remove the musculature (deboning) from the carcass and leave the carcass at the kill site. Make sure to complete Step 1 first.
3. If at all possible, do not transport a carcass from counties known to have CWD (see map to the right) to other counties. Use electronic deer check-in: https://programs.ksoutdoors.com/Programs/Electronic-Deer-Check-in for deer taken with Antlerless Only (AO) permits.
4. If you have to transport a whole carcass away from the kill site, take or send the deboned carcass, spinal column and head to your county landfill for disposal, once you have deboned the carcass at your place of processing. Don't carelessly discard this material where other deer and scavengers can contact it. Careless discarding of a cervid skeleton could potentially start a CWD hotspot in your area.
5. Keep the deer permit/tag with the meat. For more information about CWD, visit the CWD Alliance website at http://cwd-info.org/.
Click HERE for information concerning CWD Regulations for Resident and Non-Resident Hunters
National Wildlife Health Center (USGS) has links to current research and popular articles such as “The Quiet Spread of CWD” which appeared in Field & Stream.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information about CWD and humans.
Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance has links to state regulations regarding CWD carcass
American Veterinary Medical Association has information about precautions hunters and anyone who spends time outdoors should take to protect themselves from potential risks.
MANAGEMENT UNIT | 2022 RESIDENT EITHER SPECIES, EITHER SEX FIREARMS DEER PERMIT | PERMITS AUTHORIZED | # of Leftover Permits |
---|---|---|---|
WMD (UNITS 1,2,17,18) | EITHER SPECIES, EITHER SEX | 1257 | |
EMD (UNITS 3,4,5,7,16) | EITHER SPECIES, EITHER SEX | 80 | |
Resident Either Species, Either Sex Deer Draw Stats Report
Nonresident Deer Draw Stats Report
MANAGEMENT UNIT | 2022 NONRESIDENT DEER PERMIT TYPE | PERMITS AUTHORIZED | # of Leftover Permits | Date Leftover Permits Sold Out |
---|---|---|---|---|
UNIT 1 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 662 | ||
UNIT 1 | MULE DEER STAMP | 40 | ||
UNIT 2 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 419 | ||
UNIT 2 | MULE DEER STAMP | 30 | ||
UNIT 3 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 952 | ||
UNIT 3 | MULE DEER STAMP | 5 | ||
UNIT 4 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 521 | ||
UNIT 4 | MULE DEER STAMP | 1 | ||
UNIT 5 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 724 | ||
UNIT 5 | MULE DEER STAMP | 1 | ||
UNIT 6 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 528 | ||
UNIT 7 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1649 | ||
UNIT 8 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1948 | ||
UNIT 9 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1045 | ||
UNIT 10 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1270 | ||
UNIT 11 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 3360 | ||
UNIT 12 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 2262 | ||
UNIT 13 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 562 | ||
UNIT 14 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1951 | ||
UNIT 15 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1519 | ||
UNIT 16 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 1848 | ||
UNIT 17 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 656 | ||
UNIT 17 | MULE DEER STAMP | 50 | ||
UNIT 18 | WHITETAIL EITHER SEX | 258 | ||
UNIT 18 | MULE DEER STAMP | 20 |
Kansas Deer Management Unit Maps. NOTE: Unit 10A is Fort Leavenworth and is open to active and retired military staff only.
Unit 19 Deer Management Map
Either Species - Either Sex Deer Zones
Antlerless White-Tailed Unit Map
Special Extended Seasons Deer Management Map
Hunters who choose e-tags will keep the big game permit and e-tag on their mobile device.
To validate an e-tag when an animal is killed, open the “HuntFish KS” mobile app and record the date and time of kill and enter a photograph of the entire carcass with sufficient clarity to display the species and whether it is antlered or antlerless.
Once the data and photo are submitted, a confirmation number will be displayed within the app and must be kept on the mobile device during transport and retained by the hunter until the meat is consumed, given to another or otherwise disposed of.
An e-tag confirmation number will work the same as electronic registration for a hunter wanting to bone out an animal taken with antlerless-only permit and transport only meat.
To download the HuntFish KS mobile to your Android device, visit: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aspiraconnect.hf.ks
To download the HuntFish KS mobile to your Apple/iOS device, visit: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/huntfish-ks/id1456586235?ls=1
Click HERE to view a PDF of all available big game tagging methods in Kansas.
- Certificates are issued for racks or horns taken in Kansas which meet minimum scores as listed below. Hunter must possess a valid permit and trophy must have been taken by legal means during the legal open season.
- Scoring must be made by a certified Pope & Young, Boone & Crockett or Kansas measurer after a 60 day waiting period. Those scoring in the Kansas top 20 must be verified by a certified Pope & Young or Boone & Crockett measure.
- To keep records consistent with national lists, any scores listed with Boone & Crockett or Pope and Young Club's will be included in state records.
- The Chief of the Information and Education Section retains the right to reject any applications submitted to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
- Any rack that has been altered will automatically be disqualified.
Archery | Firearms | |
Whitetail, Typical | 115 | 135 |
Whitetail, Non-Typical | 120 | 150 |
Mule, Typical | 135 | 150 |
Mule, Non-Typical | 150 | 185 |
Antelope | 50 | 70 |
Elk, Typical | 220 | 300 |
Elk, Non-Typical | 280 | 320 |