You can actually buy land in Oklahoma a lot cheaper and when you factor in the $ you spend on fuel, it is cheaper than Kansas (even with tag cost difference). There are some big deer in Okie....

Kansas is a draw state...and the draw for 2014 is over.

What I would do is take a scouting trip this year...get an idea of the land and where you will hand stands or put u blinds....and also go onto Goggle Earth now and look at it....make sure it has potential and to do that you will need the address.

Then you need to draw your 2015 tag. You will need to specify Bow, Muzzleloader or Riffle as your choice in the draw. You will also have to specify the unit.

That stinks, I am surprised there wasn't at least an adjacent unit leftover that y'all could have bought and then just selected your unit as a secondary.

What tag are you buying?

Land is near Erie, Kansas.. Anyone know anything about the area?

so guys that don't have private land to hunt, do you just pick a unit and then try to go get private land access after you draw? and if you don't get it do you then look for the WIHA's?

and guys like TX and Ramsey, that have a lease up there, do you take the chance of not drawing a tag in your unit and not getting to hunt for a year?

There are outfitters up there also. You can try for a permit in their Units and hunt with them. You can stay and hunt private land if you find it or a WIHA.

Since I have been hunting up there, our unit has had left over tags after the draw so it hasn't been an issue. There are some units that this would be an issue. Last year, the tags sold out faster than I have seen and that was 2 days after the over the counter permits went on sale. One of the guys that hunts with us bought his when they first came on sale.

Some of the WIHA look really good and there are some great deer that come off those places. Not sure if you have read much about them, but they are private land that the state pays to lease their land. Some stay in the program year after year and some change each year. I have never hunted on one, but know some guys that do. As with any public land, some are really good and some are over crowded.

We hunt in unit 5 and unit 17, the best I could tell there were no leftover out of state tags for these units.

Don't remember the tag #, but it is the linear relative tag. Same cost as resident!

Very good area, especially if it is near crops and the Neosho river basin. Lots of good feeder creeks and big bucks cruising.

can you get the same deal on a resident license in OK, what are the stipulations if you don't live on property?

I hunt private land, but thru a outfitter. Since I can only go a week during the season, I'm better off going this route since there isn't much public land around where I hunt. But, if I had the time to get up there more often, I would put in for the units with the most WIHA's and hunt public. A lot of people in Tx hunt units 11 and 12 (South east) but I would drive the extra miles and put in for 7 and 8 (North Central to North east). There are thousands of acres of WIHA's with prime deer huntin.
As far as tags, I think the western part of the state is harder to draw because of limited tags and what I've seen, it's pretty much wide open spaces, hardy any timber. So, if you put in for any other areas, you are just about guaranteed to draw a tag.

I have hunted in Units 1 and 2 the past 3 yrs now. I mainly wanted a Mule Deer permit and had one the first 2 yrs. This year WT only. There has not been any leftover tags in those units the past 3 yrs that I have put in. It is very open and depending on the area it can be all farm land or all range land. Some mixed areas also. Unit 1 south of Goodland can be iffy for WT. I was told the drought there the past 3 years has not been good for WT. MD are doing ok. Fawn numbers are up this year over the past 2 yrs on both WT and MD. There are quite a few WIHA areas and some State Park lands. With more on the eastern side of both units. There are very few trees in that area with most being along rivers or around farmsteads. Most archery hunters are hunting spot and stalk or ground blinds that I could find out. I talked to one archery hunter that had killed 2 bucks in the past 2 yrs that were a 150+ class 8 point and 160 10 point that he killed spot and stalk in or close to the rut. He showed me a pic of hid Dads 164" 8 point that he had killed last year to the east of that area on private land with a bow. He said the samething about the WT in that there were not as many on the western side of those units but still some in pockets. He had access to some private ground owned by a couple of farmers.

Zero deals for nonresident land owners in Oklahoma. Best bet is if you are a resident to buy the lifetime license (it covers deer). If you move away after that, you are still good for life.

Oklahoma isn't bad if you are a bow hunter 3.5 month season for less than $300. You save the extra $220 (that much more than Texas tag) you spend on your tag on gas. And, if you live in DFW area, you can get on some great spots that are 3 hours or less away. My place was 2 hours from Frisco, Tx (120 miles door to door).

So help me out here to understand the Kansas draw rules, please. If I can hunt on private land, do I still need to put in for the drawing for that unit, or can I just buy an over-the-counter license?

If you wait to buy over the counter, you run a higher risk that the tags in your unit will be sold out. Putting in for the draw will ensure that you get a tag for most units.

There is no difference in how you get your tag, whether you hunt public or private.

I want to ensure the hunters with no Kansas experience are all clear on one thing: the non-resident hunting LICENSE is NOT the same as the deer TAG. You apply for a deer (buck) TAG in the drawing. Those TAGs which are left over after the drawing can be purchased "over the counter" usually starting in June. If you successfully draw or purchase your TAG for $330+, you must then buy the non-resident hunting LICENSE at another $70+ in order to be legal. Luckily, the non-resident TAG is now coming with a "free" antlerless TAG.

This is not like Texas where you buy the license and the deer tags come with the license. I can see someone getting the Kansas tag and thinking they're good to go. Not the case.

Also understand, all non-residents must choose a unit when putting in for the draw. So you better know where you want to go when you put in.

Unit and adjoining unit.