Statistics for the 2023-2024 hunting season can be found here.

Special hunts are part of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks' "Recruitment, Retention and Re-Activation (R3)" efforts. These hunts are conducted on lands not normally open to un-restricted hunting and include department lands, including state parks, wildlife areas, and refuges. The hunts also occur on national wildlife refuges, county properties, and other locations. These hunts limit the number of participants to ensure a quality experience or to achieve specific management goals, such as herd reduction.

Hunts are being planned on approx. 22 Wildlife Areas, 3 State Parks, 3 State Fishing Lakes, 2 Private Lands, 2 County owned properties, 2 National Wildlife Refuges, and 1 Corps of Engineers Lake. Special Hunts occur on areas not open to unlimited hunting.

Special hunts only provide access to properties; Licenses, permits, tags, stamps, and Hunter Education are required, unless exempt. 

NON-RESIDENTS must have drawn a deer permit to be eligible for special deer hunts (check the deer management unit on your permit to match the special hunt)

Instructions and Information for 2022 Fall/Winter Special Hunts can be seen below or downloaded HERE.

Some hunts on private county lands are now in the iWIHA program:

https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Hunting-Programs/iWIHA-Limited-Access-Hunts

- For more information, e-mail staff at: tessa.diedrichsen@ks.gov

Applications open to Public - July (preceding fall season)

New for 2024- There will only be one draw for the 2024-25 season

Spring Turkey Draw - March (following year; for turkey hunts beginning in April & May)

The Kansas Special Hunt Program is available at no cost to applicants. Some hunts are restricted to Kansas Residents ONLY. Some hunts are open to Resident AND Non-resident applicants. Please read the hunt description for the specific hunt you are applying for resident requirements. Resident-only hunts require all participants to be residents, not just the applicant.

Participants will be selected by computerized random drawings. There is no preference point system.

Special hunt permits PROVIDE ACCESS ONLY. All appropriate licenses, stamps, tags and permits are required. Deer hunters are reminded that they must purchase a valid permit for the Deer Management Unit where the sp. hunt is located. DMU’s are listed on the Sp. Hunt Narrative.

Hunts can be viewed by clicking the “View Special Hunts List” on the Special Hunts Information website. You can Display All Hunts, or hunts can be sorted by: Species (See list below); Hunt Type (See list below); or by Area (List of all participating properties).

Successful applicants for hunts in a state park will need state park vehicle entrance permits to enter the park.

Descriptions for weapon types, special requirements, and hunt area maps are found by clicking “More Info” on the special hunt list.

Hunts are grouped in seven species groups: DOVE, WHITETAIL ANTLERLESS ONLY, UPLAND (may include pheasant, quail, and/or other upland game depending on property), DUCK/GOOSE (may include duck and/or geese depending on property), DEER, TURKEY AND FURBEARERS.

There are no “group applications”. Some hunts allow the permit holder to bring one (“buddy”) or more hunters with them.

NO-SHOWS – Please make every effort to attend selected hunts. If you are unable to make your awarded hunt, click the Decline Button on the email notification or tessa.diedrichsen@ks.gov as soon as possible so the hunt opportunity may be passed to an alternate.

HUNTER EDUCATION: Youth 15 and younger may hunt without hunter education if directly supervised by an adult 18 or older. Anyone 16 or older may purchase a two-time deferral of hunter education, called an apprentice hunting license. The deferral is valid through the calendar year in which it is purchased and the holder must be under the direct supervision of a licensed adult 18 or older.

There are four HUNT TYPE CATEGORIES: YOUTH, MENTOR, OPEN, OR DISABLED.

• OPEN Hunts– These hunts are available to all persons with no age or experience restrictions.
• YOUTH Hunts – These hunts require parties to contain at least one youth who must be accompanied by an adult mentor. (Some hunts may have more specific age requirements.) Adults may not hunt.
• MENTOR Hunts – Hunts open to both youth and/or inexperienced (novice) hunters who are each supervised by a licensed adult mentor. Both Novice and Mentor may hunt.
• DISABLED Hunts– These hunts are designed for disabled individuals to meet their special needs. Read the hunt descriptions as some hunts may have specific disability requirements.

• YOUTH is a person 17 or younger. Some hunts have more specific age requirements.
• ADULT is a person, 18 years or older, who supervises and/or participates in a hunt restricted to youth or novice (inexperienced) hunters. Some hunts have more specific age requirements and Mentor hunts require the adult be a licensed hunter.
• NOVICE is a youth 16 or younger; or anyone who has not hunted the species listed on the special hunt in the last three years. Some hunts have more specific age or experience requirements.
• DISABLED hunters must possess a valid Department of Motor Vehicle Individual Identification card. Special accommodations for any of the hunts may be made for physically challenged hunters upon request to the hunt contact person.  KDWP has 4 Track Chairs (ASK Program) that may be available for individuals with mobility challenges.

Persons must create an account annually and may submit 1 application for one or all draws.

DRAW #1 – Hunts that begin in Sept or Oct; DRAW #2 – Hunts beginning in Nov or Dec; DRAW #3 – Hunts beginning in Jan. or Feb.

• Remember Username, Password, and email address for future login and editing of current choices.
• Before starting an application, review the hunts, dates available and become familiar with your choices (up to three per species) per drawing.
• Weapon Types, especially for deer hunts, can be found by clicking “More Info” on the special hunt list.
• Apply online only at https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Special-Hunts-Information.
• To review or edit your current application, Log In and use the “My Information” link found on the upper right corner after login. 
• Email address must be valid and security settings enabled to receive the reply.  
• All applicants will be notified within 1-2 weeks (maximum) after each drawing by email whether successful or not. Do not call to find out if you drew. You may email an inquiry about your application status after two weeks. 
• There will be three application deadlines and three draws, Application period for all draws begins in July and runs until 9am the day of the draw. Drawings are typically held within 2 days of the deadline and notifications within a week.
• Each Hunt is listed by a specific date or range of dates. Some hunts are single day and some are for entire seasons.
• Successful applicants will receive an on-line survey to be completed after the hunt whether the hunt was attended or not.
• Hunters holding a Kansas Lifetime License are considered residents of Kansas for the Special Hunts Applications. 

Instructions to Apply for a Special Hunt

- To apply for Youth Hunts with maximum age requirements, you must apply with the youth's name and date of birth.

Before beginning the application process, please read the following file explaining age restrictions, hunt type definitions and the application process.

You can view application instructions and information for 2022 Fall/Winter Hunts HERE

You can view a list of the hunts by clicking on the "View Special Hunts List" button above.

Here you will either Login to an existing account or create a new account. (Save this account information, it will be used for deer check-in, turkey check-in, future special hunts applications, etc.)

Once you are logged in you will fill out the following information. The information is required to continue the process.

1. First Name
2. Last Name
3. Address
4. City, State, Zip Code
5. Phone Number
6. Email - this is for draw notification, if you are selected for a hunt you will receive an email with a link to print off your permit. If you are not selected you will also receive an email
7. Date of Birth - This needs to be the Date of Birth for the individual going on the hunt. Youth hunts are only for hunters sixteen years old or younger at the time of the hunt.

Once you have filled out the information you must check the "Acknowledgment" box to verify that the information is correct.

Once this box is checked, the "Select your choices" section(s) will appear. You are given three choices for each species that have hunts available during that season. During the first fall application period you can sign up for both September - October hunts as well as November - December hunts.

To select a choice for a species click on the corresponding button "Select * Hunt Choice" * being the choice, 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

This brings up the hunts list corresponding to the species and the season you are selecting. You can either click the corresponding "Select Hunt" button on a hunt from the list, or if you already know your hunt code, you can enter it in the Hunt Code box and click "Select Hunt".

This returns you to the application and replaces the button you clicked with the hunt you selected. You will also see a checkbox located next to the hunt, labeled "Any Date". If you check this box it allows you to be in the drawing for any hunt for that location and hunt type, not just the date you selected. Giving you more of an opportunity to draw a hunt.

Once you have selected all your hunts click "Select Hunts".

REMINDER! To review or edit your current application, use the "My Information" link found on the upper right corner after login.

• Click on "Special Hunts Application" or "View Special Hunts List"
• Use your username and password to log in
• A new page will open; Select "My Information" in the upper right-hand corner
• Make any necessary changes to your special hunt selections or password

- For more information, e-mail staff at: tessa.diedrichsen@ks.gov

- There were 366 Total Hunts Offered for the 2023-2024 Fall/Winter Season

- There were 724 Total Permits Available (some hunts offer more than 1 permit)

- The hunts occurred on 30 Wildlife Areas, 4 State Parks, 3 State Fishing Lakes, 2 Private Lands, 6 County owned properties, 2 National Wildlife Refuges, and 1 Corps of Engineers Lake. Special Hunts occur on areas not open to unlimited hunting.

You can find a more detailed breakdown of the season hunt statistics here. 

We've also collected the Draw Statistics for hunts during the 2023-2024 season here.

There were 26 Hunts with 83 individual permits available this spring.

There were 10 Open, 12 Youth, and 4 Mentor hunts available. 

Hunts were located on 9 different locations: Buck Creek WA, Kansas River WA - Fitzgerald & MacVicar, Marais Des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, Noe WA, Prairie Center, and Wilson County.