Kansas Deer — Unit 17
West Arkansas
Kansas Unit 17 covers 5,796,129 acres and lies 6 miles north-east of Garden City and 45 miles north-west of Dodge City. 0% of it is public land. In 2021, hunters took 1,970 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 619 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 17, 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-U17 NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 17 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) 30 tags— Cut level
-
— Cut level
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRMD-U17 ↗ NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 17 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) | — Cut level | — | 30 / — | Sep 14 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| NRWT-U17 ↗ Nonresident Whitetail Either-sex Deer, Unit 17 | — Cut level | — steady since 2023 | 619 / — | 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 17
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 5,788,822 ac · 100%
- State land 6,797 ac · 0%
- County or city land 496 ac · 0%
- BLM 7 ac · 0%
- State trust land 4 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 | 1,970 |
| 2020 | 1,823 |
| 2019 | 1,830 |
| 2018 | 2,538 |
| 2017 | 2,106 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 435 |
| 2020 | 331 |
| 2019 | 396 |
| 2018 | 424 |
| 2017 | 385 |
Residents vs nonresidents (2021)
- Resident 1,746 taken
- Nonresident 659 taken
What the agency says about the area
West Arkansas; unit 17: that part of Kansas bounded by a line from the Colorado-Kansas state line east on state highway K-96 to its junction with federal highway US-83, then north on federal highway US-83 to its junction with state highway K-4, then east on state highway K-4 to its junction with federal highway US-283, then south on federal highway US-283 to its junction with state highway K-156, then east on state highway K-156 to its junction with federal highway US-183, then south on federal highway US-183 to its junction with federal highway US-54, then southwest on federal highway US-54 to its junction with federal highway US-283, then north on federal highway US-283 to its junction with federal highway US-56, then southwest on federal highway US-56 to its junction with state highway K-144, then west on state highway K-144 to its junction with federal highway US-160, then continuing west on federal highway US-160 to the Colorado-Kansas state line, then north along the Colorado-Kansas state line to its junction with state highway K-96, except federal and state sanctuaries.
Boundary: Kansas Deer Management Units (KDWP feature service)