Bring your shotgun for pheasants, sharptail grouse, and possibly a greater prairie chicken
There is very little state land and walk-in access in this unit, without prior arrangements to access a piece of private land there is very little opportunity to hunt here
Species
General Size
Trophy Potential
Mule Deer
120"-140"
160"+
Whitetail Deer
110"-140"
150"+
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
High
Low
Moon Phases
November 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
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Sat
Located in the south-central part of the state, this unit is not going to be the best fit for DIY hunters who don’t have a relationship with a landowner as there is virtually no public land in the entire unit outside of a very small amount of state land, and very limited walk in access areas.
The terrain is fantastic and offers some incredible habitat for both whitetails and mule deer with miles and miles of small tree lined creek bottoms, and broken CRP.
Made up of an even mix of creek bottoms, CRP, and agriculture, this unit is quite flat with a little roll here and there. The higher elevations in the unit are on the southern border and gradually get lower as you head north. The northwest corner of the unit has a considerably bigger amount of trees and forest than the rest of the unit which is made up of many small creek beds and drainages coming off of Corn Creek. The southwest corner has the largest amount of agriculture, while more ag can be found as you head east along the southern border. There are miles of CRP that can be found in this unit with tree lined creek beds running in all directions off of the larger creeks making for some fantastic mule deer, and whitetail habitat across the entire unit.
A mix of short and tall prairie grass and countless species of wildflowers can be found in most areas of the unit that haven’t been turned for agricultural purposes. Very sparse amounts of timber including a mix of Cottonwood, American Elm, Green Ash, and Bur Oak are located along the riparian zone of the Corn, Bear-in-the-lodge, and Perry Hip Creeks in the western portion of the unit, as well as Black Pipe Creek in the west and other small creek beds scattered across the unit.
There are two major access routes in this unit, the first being US Hwy 18 which runs east and west and makes up the southern boundary, and State Hwy 73 which runs along US Hwy 18 for a portion of the southern border but eventually turns north and heads to the northern boundary in the central-eastern portion of the unit. There are a number of roads that cut through the unit, but you will need to first access either one of these highways in order to get to any of them.
Martin City, located in Bennett County, has a population of just over a thousand people and is the main hub for this portion of the state even with its small status. It is located on the south-central border of the unit along US Hwy 18 where State Hwy 73 heads south into the adjacent unit. Being that it serves not only the town's residents, but the surrounding farmers as well, there is a little more available than would normally be expected in a town of this size including a grocery store, and one hotel, the Cross Roads Inn if you need a place to stay. That being said, this is quite a long way from many portions of the unit, and if you have access to certain pieces of property, it would be best to plan well ahead and have what you need before you make your way into the unit. There are no public camping locations in the unit.