KS Hunting Guide 2010:Layout 2

Wildlife & Parks Offices HuntingHunting Office of the Secretary 1020 S Kansas, Rm. 200 Topeka, KS 66612-1327 (785) 296-2281 GuideGuide Pratt Operations Office 512 SE 25th Ave. Pratt, KS 67124-8174 toto KansasKansas (620) 672-5911 Region 1 Office 1426 Hwy 183 Alt., PO Box 338 Hays, KS 67601-0338 (785) 628-8614 Region 2 Office 300 SW Wanamaker Topeka, KS 66608 (785) 273-6740 Region 3 Office 1001 W McArtor Rd. Dodge City, KS 67801-6024 (620) 227-8609 Region 4 Office 6232 E 29th St. North Wichita, KS 67220 (316) 683-8069 Region 5 Office 1500 W 7th St., PO Box 777 Chanute, KS 66720-0777 (620) 431-0380 Emporia Research & Survey Office 1830 Merchant, PO Box 1525 Emporia, KS 66801-1525 (620) 342-0658 Kansas City District Office 8304 Hedge Lane Terr. Shawnee, KS 66227 (913) 422-1314 Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks Hunting In Kansas unting in Kansas can be described with two words: variety and abundance. From east to west, north to south, Kansas has a rich and diverse array of habitat and game species. HThe hunting heritage runs deep in Kansas, and hunting is important to the quality of life and rural economies. To pheasants and mule deer in the west, and whitetails and gray squir- rels in the east, add a mixed bag of prairie chickens, quail, and waterfowl in central Kansas and you have a hunter’s dream. For more information on hunting, Kansas state parks, fishing lakes, or wildlife areas visit our website: kdwp.state.ks.us Physiographic Regions The physiographic regions of the state are dis- tinguished by climatic, topographic, and vegetative differences. Generally, Kansas’ climate is wetter in the east than the west. In fact, the southeast region may receive 40 inches of rain per year, whereas the southwest region may receive less than 15. Being familiar with the physiographic regions can help a hunter select an area of the state to correspond with the preferred type of game, as well as the style of High Plains Chautauqua Hills Arkansas River Lowlands Smoky Hills hunting desired. Flint Hills Osage Questas Cherokee Lowlands Glaciated Region Red Hills Ozark Plateau Wellington / McPherson Lowlands The High Plains comprises most of western Kansas timbered bottomland identify the area. Deer, eastern and historically consisted of shortgrass prairie. Pheasant turkey, quail, small game, gray foxes, coyotes, and bob- may be the most popular game species in this area, but cats are common species. others such as mule deer, pronghorn antelope, quail, The Red Hills in the southcentral provide drama to the turkey, lesser prairie chicken, and coyotes can be found. plains with deep canyons lined with brushy vegetation, The Smoky Hills is characterized by rolling grasslands spring-fed creeks and red earth supporting good numers and timbered creek bottoms and game such as pheasant, of bobwhite quail, turkey, deer, coyote, and bobcat. quail, deer, turkey, prairie chicken, coyotes, bobcats, and The Arkansas River Lowlands is a sandhill grassland other furbearers. region that follows the drainage of the Arkansas River. The glaciated region of the upper northeast is timbered The area is know for its deer, quail, and turkey hunting. rolling plains with rocky hillsides and broad valleys. The Wetlands and salt marshes comprise the Wellington and region is excellent for deer, turkey, quail, and small game. McPherson Lowlands region. Upland birds, deer, and wa- East-centrally located, the Flint Hills region is mostly terfowl are common to this region. untouched tallgrass prairie supporting greater prairie The remaining small physiographic regions of the state chicken, quail, deer, turkey, and furbearers. include the Chautauqua Hills, Cherokee Lowlands, and The Osage Cuestas region makes up most of the Ozark Plateau reside in the southeast part of the state and southeast. Rolling grasslands and limestone bluffs and offer game species found in surrounding regions. Administrative REGION 1 Regions REGION 2 Kansas is divided into five regions for REGION 3 KDWP administrative purposes. Each re- REGION 4 REGION 5 gion has a full-service regional office, as well as numerous local and district offices. This brochure is designed to give the hunter a general overview of hunting opportunities in the state, not specific details. Facil- ity information in the following tables should be timely; however, because game populations fluctuate from year to year, ratings for individual game species provide information only on the norm for a given area. Check with individual area offices for more specific details on game populations. Walk-in Access and Special Hunts Tracts range in size from 80 acres to good hunting opportunities al- Private Land several thousand, and a wide vari- though they are open to everyone. ety of hunting opportunities are Special hunt opportunities are Most land in Kansas is privately available. Hunting atlases are avail- made available to the public through owned, so most hunting opportuni- able in August for the fall tracts and an online brochure and application ties are found on private land. March for the spring tracts. With an process. The Special Hunts Brochure Kansas law requires that all who atlas in hand, a hunter can choose is produced in late summer for fall hunt on private land have permis- from several thousand tracts to hunts and late winter for spring sion, whether that land is posted or hunt, many of which are in remote, hunts to showcase available hunt not. For those who have the time to out-of-the-way areas. opportunities for the upcoming sea- scout, contact landowners, and get son. Hunts are identified by location, acquainted, permission to hunt can Special Hunts date, hunt type, and hunt category. be obtained. For those who don’t Those who wish to apply for hunts have that luxury, the public lands Special hunts are part of the must complete an online applica- featured in this document and Kansas hunter recruitment and re- tion. The application deadlines are KDWP's Walk-In Hunting Access tention program called “PASS IT August (early fall hunts), October (WIHA) program offer many op- ON.” This program addresses the (late fall hunts), and March (spring portunities. need to recruit new hunters and re- hunts). Individuals may apply once Through WIHA, the department tain existing hunters in order to en- for each application period. At the leases private land for public hunt- sure the future of hunting in Kansas. end of each application period, a ing and currently has over one mil- Special hunt opportunities include random drawing selects the success- lion acres enrolled for fall hunting access to public areas traditionally ful applicants for each hunt. access. Fall access dates include closed to hunting, as well as limited There are no application fees, but Sept.1-Mar.31, Sept.1-Jan.31, and public access to private properties purchase of appropriate licenses, Nov.1-Jan.31. The annual Kansas enrolled in the Special Hunts on Pri- certificates, permits, and stamps is Hunting Atlas, available free of vate Lands program. required. For further information charge, provides the location and While providing excellent oppor- and timely special hunts informa- access dates of WIHA tracts, as well tunities to introduce new hunters to tion, visit the KDWP website, as all other hunting areas open to the sport, special hunts have also www.kdwp.state.ks.us. the public. proven popular with current Additionally, special event hunts There are also more than 160,000 hunters looking for high-quality organized at the local level are avail- acres enrolled in the spring turkey hunting opportunities. Persons with able in various parts of the state. Fur- WIHA program, providing access impaired abilities also find this pro- ther information regarding special from April 1-May 31. A separate gram offers ideal opportunities to event hunts and contact information spring atlas is produced each year to hunt. Special hunts are not designed for hunt organizers is also available showcase the spring WIHA tracts. to provide a guaranteed limit and on the Special Hunts web page. WIHA has been very popular may not appeal to hunters who with both hunters and landowners. have already secured numerous Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs described herein is available to all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gen- der identity, political affiliation, and military or veteran status. Com- plaints of discrimination should be sent to Office of the Secretary, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, 1020 S Kansas Ave., Topeka, KS 66612-1327. 02/10 3 Species and Ranges Ring-necked pheasant and have increased in range Annual pheasant harvest and numbers throughout the Leer Prairie Chicken usually ranks among the top Pheasant northcentral and northwest- three states in the nation. Gen- ern portions of Kansas. erally, the best hunting is found Lesser prairie chickens in- Primary Rang Primary Rang e e Few to None in the northwest and south- Few to None habit the shortgrass prairie in west, with the northcentral being the most stable. Other southwestern Kansas and have benefited from the areas of the state can have locally good pheasant num- Conservation Reserve Program. bers, and often provide good pheasant and quail com- Deer bination hunting opportunities. Two deer species thrive in Whitetail Dr Bobwhite quail Kansas: the mule deer and the While bobwhite populations white-tailed deer. Mule deer Primary Rang Bobwhite Quail are restricted to the western e in many states have declined Few to None dramatically, Kansas bobwhites one-third of the state, primarily on the High Plains, Smoky have held their own. Popula- Primary Rang e Mule Dr tions are traditionally best in the Few to None Hills, and Red Hills regions.

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