Hunting in Kansas: 3 Animals to Hunt in the Winter

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) supports and manages a vibrant spectrum of game animals for sport hunting, and winter is no exception simply because the fall rush for big game has passed.

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1. Elk

While the KDWPT does offer some limited engagement hunts, this is one of the exclusive big game seasons outside the traffic jam of that the fall months present. Rifle hunting season for elk is a winter season sport running from January through the middle of March. This extended season is exclusive of zones within Fort Riley Military Reservation, where the greatest concentration of elk herds are located. The lottery for the limited quantity tags is intense, however. In a given year, the KDWPT will allot 20 tags in order to maintain population health and size, and they are shared between military personnel and Kansas residents, for a total of applicants that usually number close to 1,000.

2. Deer

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Maintaining a healthy herd sufficiently robust to continue sustaining the hunting industry in Kansas is economically sound strategy, The KDWPT values this industry at $350 million annually. However, controlling the population to avoid depredation and property damage is also crucial for the agricultural industry, which is worth a great deal more. The KDWPT authorizes zone-specific rifle seasons for antlerless deer during the first two weeks of January. Bucks can drop antlers any time from December through early February, making them fair game as well. Managing populations in the urbanized corridor between Topeka and Kansas City is especially crucial. There is an archery season for antlerless deer during the latter half of January focused specifically on this corridor, which is referred to as sub-unit DMU 19.

3. Furbearers


Winter is the season of the luscious, heavy pelts. Although the official season on furbearers begins mid-November, the winter months are the best time for harvesting them. Bobcats, minks, raccoons, and several forms of foxes are all legal game statewide through the middle of February. This is ample opportunity during high-travel forage time when resources and prey are scarcer.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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