Quick Tips
- Visit Fort Scott National Historic Site
- Visit Appanoose Museum in Pomona
- Great warm water fishing in many state lakes
- Visit Mahaffie state coach stop in Olathe
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Whitetail Deer | 130"-150" | 150"+ |
On The Ground
Bordering Missouri and Oklahoma, this unit has many whitetail deer that live in a patchwork of farms, pastures and woodlands on flat and hilly land. There are several public hunting areas and many walk-in areas where the public may hunt on private tracts.
Mostly private, this unit has numerous walk-in hunting areas open to the public and thousands of acres of public land open to deer hunters.
Terrain
This unit is flat to hilly and features many woodlots and strips of brush and timber intermixed with farm land and pastures in all, or parts of, 16 counties. The main waterways are the Marais Des Cygnes River in the north, the Neosho River, which runs from north to south, and the Marmaton River, which runs through Fort Scott. The largest reservoir is Coffee County Lake. Other lakes include Big Hill Lake east of Cherryvale, Lake Parsons northwest of Parsons, Bone Creek Lake northwest of Englevale, Crawford Lake northeast of Farlington, and several lakes near Fort Scott, including Lake Fort Scott, Elm Creek Lake, Rock Creek Lake and Cedar Lake.
Vegetation
This land is covered by prairie grasses, woods and farm crops. Common trees include bur oak, pin oak, walnut, elm, cedar, hickory and hackberry. Some places have a dense understory of brush, including briers, dogwoods, honeysuckles and various berries.
Access
Hillsdale State Park next to Hillsdale Reservoir has 7,000 acres of land open to hunting. Hunters must check in first using the state’s electronic daily permit system.
Some of the area is reserved for handicapped hunters. Elk City Wildlife Area has 12,446 acres of fish and wildlife habitat open to hunting. Mined Land Wildlife Area is west of Pittsburg and is a fascinating mixture of more than 1,000 narrow, curved lakes and 13,000 acres of land. Strip Pits State Wildlife Management area is north of Hallowell. Big Hill Wildlife Area is east of the southern end of Big Hill Lake, about five miles east of Cherryvale, and has five tracts totaling 1,280 acres. Hollister Wildlife Area is southwest of Fort Scott. Through the state’s walk-in hunting program, public hunters may hunt at no fee on several private parcels listed here. State-licensed private fee hunting areas, some of which might allow deer hunting, are listed here.
Camping and Lodging
Cross Timbers State Park has RV and tent camp sites and rental cabins near Toronto Wildlife Area. Crawford State Park has six campgrounds and five rental cabins that are on the shore of Lake Crawford. There is also camping at Elk City State Park and at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds along Elk City Reservoir. Camping is prohibited in walk-in hunting areas. There are many lodging options in cities and towns. Motels include Fort Scott Inn in Fort Scott, several nationally franchised motels in Ottawa, Lil’ Toledo Lodge near Moran, Best Western Ottawa Inn in Ottawa, The Peaceable Inn near Chanute, and Country Vintage Inn in Osawatomie.
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