Bird hunting often takes us to places where our collective history and our personal passions entwine in beautiful ways, and there are few places better suited to indulging both than the Cimarron National Grasslands. Tucked into the southwest corner of Kansas near the Oklahoma and Colorado borders, this 108,000-acre area offers a unique chance to hunt on ground dripping with history.
Native tribes hunted buffalo here, and the region was a waypoint for westward settlers. The Santa Fe Trail is nearby, and this area was the center of the Dust Bowl. Many of those small abandoned farms were bought by the government and turned back to grass, giving hunters a unique opportunity to hunt a living piece of American history.
Where to Hunt
The grasslands comprise one large contiguous parcel in Stevens County, Kansas, with smaller parcels dotting the area surrounding it.
All offer hunting opportunities for bobwhite and scaled quail with the occasional pheasant thrown in, although most pheasants will be found on nearby state WIHA (walk-in hunting area) parcels. Lesser prairie chickens can also be found here, but this area is closed to all prairie grouse hunting, so let them fly.
As mentioned, there are a number of WIHA parcels in the area, and the Comanche National Grasslands, in Colorado, are right across the border in Oklahoma. Both states offer walk-in opportunities.
What to Expect
Rolling sand-sage hills, shortgrass prairie and river bottoms are the primary features of the Cimarron. The Cimarron River’s usually dry bed wends through the main parcel.
Main roads are generally easily passable—if rough—due to oilfield traffic, while some of the lesser roads are sandy and better suited to trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles.
The region can be hot in November and December. Bring plenty of water for you and the dogs. Sandburs are ubiquitous, as is prickly pear, so good boots for you and the dogs are recommended. Keep a pair of pliers or hemostats in your vest for cactus spines.
Where to Stay
There is one designated campground (off State Highway 27 north of Elkhart) that offers basic amenities such as picnic tables and vault toilets. Dispersed camping is also allowed on the grasslands. Lodging and meals can be found in Elkhart and Hugoton.
Hunting in this area is not soft and not always easy. Birds taken are earned. But in return the grasslands offer a chance to experience not just a hunt, but also a connection to the expansive beauty of the Southern Plains and their rich history.
Buy This Issue / Subscribe Now
