Kansas Deer — Unit 1
High Plains
Kansas Unit 1 covers 4,045,402 acres and lies 96 miles north-west of Hays. 0% of it is public land. In 2021, hunters took 1,159 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 389 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 1, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
NRMD-U1 NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 1 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) 19 tags— Cut level
-
— Cut level
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRMD-U1 ↗ NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 1 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) | — Cut level | — | 19 / — | Sep 14 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| NRWT-U1 ↗ Nonresident Whitetail Either-sex Deer, Unit 1 | — Cut level | — steady since 2023 | 389 / — | Dec 2–13, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per application | $152.50 | $152.50 | $602.50 |
Application window: opens Apr 1, closes Apr 24, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in Unit 1
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- Private 4,034,601 ac · 100%
- State land 9,723 ac · 0%
- County or city land 556 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 521 ac · 0%
Source: PAD-US 4.1 — Manager Type (fee interests), Kansas subset
How the hunting has gone
What Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast.
White-tailed Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,159 |
| 2020 | 1,506 |
| 2019 | 2,072 |
| 2018 | 1,967 |
| 2017 | 2,414 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 671 |
| 2020 | 945 |
| 2019 | 794 |
| 2018 | 848 |
| 2017 | 915 |
Residents vs nonresidents (2021)
- Resident 1,272 taken
- Nonresident 558 taken
What the agency says about the area
High Plains; unit 1: that part of Kansas bounded by a line from the Nebraska-Kansas state line south on federal highway US-283 to its junction with interstate highway I-70, then west on interstate highway I-70 to the Colorado-Kansas state line, then north along the Colorado-Kansas state line to its junction with the Nebraska-Kansas state line, then east along the Nebraska-Kansas state line to its junction with federal highway US-283, except federal and state sanctuaries.
Boundary: Kansas Deer Management Units (KDWP feature service)