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