Kansas Hunting

Kansas

World-class prairie pheasant runs, giant Flint Hills whitetails, and extensive WIHA walk-in hunting lands.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Kansas

Official Regulatory Authority

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)

Visit site
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) manages wildlife across more than 300,000 acres of state-owned public lands and reservoirs. In addition, Kansas is home to the nation's premier private-land walk-in access program: Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA), which leases over 1 million acres of private agricultural land for free public hunting. From world-famous waterfowl wetlands at Cheyenne Bottoms to the rolling Flint Hills prairie and western river bottoms, Kansas is a bucket-list destination for monster whitetail bucks, ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, and Central Flyway waterfowl.
Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area
Central Flyway RAMSAR Wetland | 19,857 Acres

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Located in Barton County, Cheyenne Bottoms is the largest inland marsh in the United States and a globally critical wetland of international importance. Encompassing five massive diked water pools and thousands of acres of cattails, bulrush, and smartweed. Attracts hundreds of thousands of migrating ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes every autumn, offering legendary public blind and pass-shooting.

Glen Elder Wildlife Area
Solomon River Valley | 13,200 Acres

Glen Elder Wildlife Area

Surrounding Waconda Lake in Mitchell and Cawker counties. Encompasses fertile river bottoms, native bluestem prairie, and thousands of acres of sharecropped agricultural grain fields (corn, milo, wheat). World-class hunting for ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, giant whitetail deer, and Canada geese.

Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area
Eastern Hardwood River Bottoms | 7,654 Acres

Marais des Cygnes Wildlife Area

Located in Linn County along the Marais des Cygnes River. Encompasses ancient bottomland hardwood timber (bur oak, pin oak, pecan) and managed wetland marshes. Widely recognized as Kansas's top green-timber duck hunting destination, with exceptional opportunities for giant whitetail bucks and wild turkeys.

Kansas Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA)
Statewide Walk-In Program | 1+ Million Acres

Kansas Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA)

A model public-access program leasing over 1 million private acres across working farms, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands, and river draws. Sportsmen with standard hunting licenses enjoy free walk-in access for pheasants, quail, whitetail deer, mule deer, and prairie grouse marked with bright yellow boundary signs.

Cedar Bluff & Norton Wildlife Areas
Smoky Hill & Prairie Dog Creek | 15,000+ Acres Combined

Cedar Bluff & Norton Wildlife Areas

Cedar Bluff (9,300 acres) in Trego County features dramatic limestone chalk bluffs, sagebrush, and cedar draws holding mule deer, whitetail, and pheasant. Norton SWA (6,400 acres) provides excellent public river-bottom hunting for giant whitetail bucks and Rio Grande turkeys.