Kansas Deer Season 2025: Drawing, Dates & Rules

Welcome to Kansas, known for its beautiful landscape and deer hunting opportunities. In Kansas wilderness, the dominant deer species are the white-tailed deer and the mule deer. The new Kansas deer seasons will start soon, and let’s get ready for the hunt together!

Learn everything about the deer hunting season with our guide on dates, rules, and licensing details, and make your hunting plan in advance.

When Does Deer Season Start In Kansas?

The deer season in Kansas starts in early September and ends in late January of the next year. Each of the seasons may have limits in specific dates and zones. Please check the following chart for clear information on when to plan your deer hunting in your location.

How to Apply to Hunt In Kansas?

To hunt deer in Kansas, in addition to a hunting license, hunters will need to have a permit, too. Resident or Nonresident hunters will need to apply for certain deer hunting permits.

Kansas Resident Deer Draw

In previous years, Resident permits could be directly purchased. But this year, there are some differences. There is one specific permit that resident hunters need to apply for in the drawing. Here is the detail:

The following permits for Residents can be directly purchased over the counter, online at www.gooutdoorskansas.com, or by phone(1-833-587-2164), available on Aug. 1 – Dec. 31.

The permit lists are:

1. Any-Season White-tailed Deer permit
2. Archery Either-species/Either-sex Deer permit
3. Muzzleloader Either-species/Either-sex Deer permit
4. Hunt-Own-Land Deer Permit
5. Resident Antlerless White-tailed Deer permit

Here are their costs:

• $42.50 General residents
• $22.50 Resident Landowner/Resident Tenant
• $87.50 NR Tenant
• $12.50 Resident Youth (15 and Younger)

Kansas Non-resident Deer Draw

For non-residents, there is also a lottery system(deer draw) that is used to allocate deer permits.

The results will be announced on May 23. You can check your draw status on the application page on the official website.

Once you get selected, you can buy a deer hunting permit, and it will be mailed to the address that you have submitted in the application.

What if hunters don’t get selected? If you are not chosen, you will receive a preference point for a future drawing instead.

You can also buy preference points that will be applied toward a deer permit in a future drawing. The more preference points you have, the higher the chance you are being selected.

🔔Notes:

Preference points are kept for 5 years from the last issue or purchase date. If no application or point is purchased within 5 consecutive years, all earned points will be reset to zero.

Kansas Hunting License And Permits

There are various hunting licenses for residents and nonresidents who want to hunt in Kansas. Note that most licenses expire 365 days from the date of purchase, except for multi-year and lifetime licenses.

Residents Hunting License Fees

Non-residents Hunting License Fees

How to Buy a Kansas Hunting License?

There are 3 ways to buy all valid hunting licenses. Check the following:

1. Buy on the official website: Visit the Kansas licensing system and create an account, then you will be able to purchase any license and permits.
2. Buy with license agents: Here are all the agents that you can buy licenses from: Locate An Agent.
3. By phone: You can call 1-833-587-2164 to purchase the licenses on the office.

Where To Hunt Deer In Kansas

There are 18 deer management units that offer hunting opportunities in Kansas. You can check the following map and find a unit that is near you.
Here are some of the popular deer hunting units in Kansas:

• Unit 15/16: Known as one of the best deer hunting units in Kansas. It is located in the south-central part of the state.
• Unit 16: It is historically known for quality whitetails.
• Unit 17: This unit is more favorable for hunting mule deer.

Kansas Deer Hunting Regulations

Legal Firearm

Acceptable firearms include centerfire rifles and handguns that are not fully automatic, utilizing various types of ammunition such as hard-cast solid lead, soft point, hollow point, tumble-on-impact, or other expanding bullets; shotguns of any gauge are also permitted if using only slugs.

Legal Archery

Permitted archery such as longbows, recurve bows, compound bows, and crossbows. No electronic device that controls the flight of the arrow can be attached to any arrows or bows.

Hunter Orange

During an open firearm or muzzleloader season, all deer hunters must wear orange. An orange hat and a minimum of 200 square inches of orange are necessary, with 100 square inches visible from the front and 100 square inches visible from the back on the upper body. Camouflage orange is acceptable as long as it meets the required visibility.

Accessory Requirements

Hunting blind and stands are allowed. Only range-finding devices and optical scopes or sights that project no visible light are allowed.

How to Hunt Kansas WIHA Like a Local?

Kansas WIHA(Walk-In Hunting Access) gives you over a million acres to hunt. Luck won’t get you a big buck, you need strategies. Here are some practical tips:

Small-tract advantage: Most folks chase the big 1,000+ acre tracts on the map. Don’t fight the crowds. Some of the best mature bucks live on small, ignored parcels (40–80 acres) right next to private corn or soybean fields. Those small lands are perfect bedding spots. Lazy hunters may directly drive past them, leaving you with opportunities.

Late season pays off: October (pre-rut) is pressured with heavy hunter traffic. Data shows the January Extended Firearm Season is hardly used. If you can stand the cold, encounter less competition, observe feeding patterns more effectively, and achieve better results.

E-scout with a purpose: Don’t just focus on trees. In western Kansas (mule deer and whitetail country), look for old homesteads, CRP fields, and deep draws. Use the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) historical aerials to find locations that hold water during droughts. Those spots matter.

Follow these things, and you’ll skip the crowds and find better deer.

Additional Kansas Hunting Seasons

Except for deer hunting, other hunting activities are also popular in Kansas. If you are planning to hunt more games, click the tabs to check out the dates for each season:

FAQs About Kansas Hunting

Conclusion

Kansas is known as the “land of the giants” and is one of the top 3 States for Pheasant & Quail hunting. It also provides abundant opportunities for hunting white-tailed deer, upland game, waterfowl, and more.

We’ve summarized the details of the upcoming Kansas Deer Hunting Season and many other seasons. Hope this guide will prepare you for your journey. Get ready with your gear, go out, and create lasting memories.