Kansas Deer — Unit 2
Smoky Hill
Kansas Unit 2 covers 3,596,322 acres and lies 64 miles north of Garden City and 92 miles north of Ulysses. 0% of it is public land. In 2021, hunters took 1,127 white-tailed deer here. The 2026 draw put up 303 nonresident tags here.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 2, 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-U2 NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 2 (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-U2 ↗ NR Mule Deer Stamp, Unit 2 (upgrades a drawn archery/muzzleloader whitetail permit to either-species) | — Cut level | — | 15 / — | Sep 14 – Dec 31, 2026 |
| NRWT-U2 ↗ Nonresident Whitetail Either-sex Deer, Unit 2 | — Cut level | — steady since 2023 | 303 / — | 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 2
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 3,579,984 ac · 100%
- State land 15,108 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 1,230 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 | 1,127 |
| 2020 | 1,190 |
| 2019 | 1,170 |
| 2018 | 909 |
| 2017 | 1,132 |
Mule Deer
| Season | Harvest |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 413 |
| 2020 | 366 |
| 2019 | 337 |
| 2018 | 338 |
| 2017 | 323 |
Residents vs nonresidents (2021)
- Resident 1,159 taken
- Nonresident 381 taken
What the agency says about the area
Smoky Hill; unit 2: that part of Kansas bounded by a line from the Colorado-Kansas state line east on interstate highway I-70 to its junction with state highway K-147, then south on state highway K-147 to its junction with state highway K-4, then west on state highway K-4 to its junction with federal highway US-83, then south on federal highway US-83 to its junction with state highway K-96, then west on state highway K-96 to its junction with the Colorado-Kansas state line, then north along the Colorado-Kansas state line to its junction with interstate highway I-70, except federal and state sanctuaries.
Boundary: Kansas Deer Management Units (KDWP feature service)