Nonprofits Still Have Time to Apply for Special Big Game Permits

Local chapters of nonprofit organizations based or operating in Kansas – that actively promote wildlife conservation and the hunting and fishing heritage – may still apply for Commission Big Game Permits by January 15, 2024. Kansas’ Commission Big Game Permit program allows eligible organizations a chance to draw one of seven special big game permits from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, which can then be sold to raise funding for conservation-based projects.

To download an application:

  1. Visit ksoutdoors.com
  2. Click “KDWP Commission” from the left-hand side menu
  3. Click “Commissioner Permits”
  4. Download the file titled, “2024 Commissioner Permit Application fillable.”

Seven winners will be drawn at the Commission’s January 25, 2024 public meeting; and applicants need not be present to win.

One elk, one antelope or up to seven deer permits are issued each year, depending on applicant preference. Deer permits are either-species/either-sex and are valid statewide during any season with legal equipment for that season; and, they do not count against other big game permits the license holder is eligible for.

Once the permit is sold, the cost of the permit, plus 15 percent of the total sale price, is subtracted and kept by the organization, while the remainder is remitted to KDWP with a proposal for a conservation project. When the project is approved, the money is returned to the organization to complete the project. An exception to this procedure would occur if Kansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry (KHFH) is drawn. In that case, KHFH keeps 85 percent of the funds to help pay for processing donated deer. Organizations are not eligible to receive a Commission Big Game Permit more than once in a three-year period.