Elk

Elk were another big game species that were common in pre-settlement Kansas. They were also extirpated at the turn of the century. However, a small herd was maintained at the Maxwell Wildlife Area near McPherson. The 2,200-acre enclosure is operated as a refuge and also features bison. In 1981, elk from Maxwell were released at the Cimarron National Grassland, and that herd was free-ranging. To keep that herd from growing too big and causing crop damage, a limited resident-only season was opened in 1987. Later in the 1980s, elk were captured at Maxwell and released on the Ft. Riley Military Reservation. That herd is also free-ranging, and a season was established for the fort in 1990. Today, elk are primarily hunted on and around Ft. Riley, but individual elk or small herds may be found at other locations around the state, and hunting is permitted everywhere except Morton County. About 900 applications are received for the 20 or so permits allotted each year, and they are divided among military personnel and Kansas residents.

Dates: 08/01/2022 - 08/31/2022
Elk Season Outside Fort Riley - Firearm
Dates: 09/01/2022 - 09/30/2022
Elk Season - Muzzleloader and Archery - Fort Riley
Dates: 09/01/2022 - 09/30/2022
Elk Season Outside Fort Riley - Muzzleloader
Dates: 09/12/2022 - 12/31/2022
Elk Season Outside Fort Riley - Archery
Dates: 10/01/2022 - 12/31/2022
Elk Season - Firearm Season for Holders of Any-Elk Permits - Fort Riley
Dates: 10/01/2022 - 10/31/2022
Dates: 11/01/2022 - 11/30/2022
Dates: 11/30/2022 - 12/11/2022
Elk Season Outside Fort Riley - Firearm
Dates: 12/01/2022 - 12/31/2022
Dates: 01/01/2023 - 03/15/2023
January Elk Season Outside Fort Riley - Firearm
Big Game and Wild Turkey - General provisions
Big Game and Wild Turkey - Permit Applications.
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
Antelope - Open Season, Bag Limit, Permits and Game Tags
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.
Elk Management Unit Map