The best public hunting areas for pheasants in Kansas

According to AI these are the best public hunting areas for pheasants in Kansas:

1. Northwest Kansas (generally highest pheasant numbers):

• Norton Wildlife Area (Norton County)
• Glen Elder Wildlife Area (Mitchell County)
• Jamestown Wildlife Area (Cloud/Republic Counties)
• Webster Wildlife Area (Rooks County)

2. Southwest Kansas:

• Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (Barton County)
• Clark State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area (Clark County)
• Isabel Wildlife Area (Barber County)
• Texas Lake Wildlife Area (Meade County)

3. North Central Kansas:

• Ottawa State Fishing Lake (Ottawa County)
• Wilson Wildlife Area (Russell County)
• Lovewell Wildlife Area (Jewell County)

Key tips for Kansas hunting:

• Focus on Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA) program lands - Kansas has one of the largest private land access programs in the country
• Check the annual upland bird forecast from KDWP
• Best hunting typically follows wheat harvest and after first frost
• Look for areas with a mix of CRP grasslands, plum thickets, and crop fields
• Northwest Kansas consistently produces the highest bird numbers
• Early season can be tough due to standing crops
• Public hunting areas near major cities (Wichita, Kansas City) get heavy pressure