Kansas Deer — Unit 18
Cimarron
Kansas Unit 18 covers 2,900,787 acres and lies 17 miles north of Liberal and 28 miles south-east of Ulysses. 4% of it is public land, mostly national forest (4%). In 2021, hunters took 452 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 228 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 18, 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-U18 NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 18 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) 15 tags— Cut level
-
— Cut level
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRMD-U18 ↗ NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 18 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Sep 14 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| NRWT-U18 ↗ Nonresident Whitetail Either-sex Deer, Unit 18 | — Cut level | — steady since 2023 | 228 / — | 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 18
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 2,788,032 ac · 96%
- National Forest 108,598 ac · 4%
- County or city land 2,908 ac · 0%
- State land 1,238 ac · 0%
- Department of Defense 10 ac · 0%
- BLM 0 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 | 452 |
| 2020 | 391 |
| 2019 | 371 |
| 2018 | 566 |
| 2017 | 517 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 135 |
| 2020 | 93 |
| 2019 | 121 |
| 2018 | 87 |
| 2017 | 74 |
Residents vs nonresidents (2021)
- Resident 457 taken
- Nonresident 130 taken
What the agency says about the area
Cimarron; unit 18: that part of Kansas bounded by a line from the Colorado-Kansas state line east on federal highway US-160 to its junction with state highway K-144, then east on state highway K-144 to its junction with federal highway US-56, then east on federal highway US-56 to its junction with federal highway US-283, then south on federal highway US-283 to its junction with the Oklahoma-Kansas state line, then west along the Oklahoma-Kansas state line to its junction with the Colorado-Kansas state line, then north along the Colorado-Kansas state line to its junction with federal highway US-160, except federal and state sanctuaries.
Boundary: Kansas Deer Management Units (KDWP feature service)