John Redmond Hunting - Coffey Kansas

The John Redmond Wildlife Area is 1,637 acres, lying on both sides of Otter Creek which flows into John Redmond Reservoir along its southwest shoreline.

Hunting

This is a solid, purpose-built hunting area. Species managed for include deer, turkey, quail, doves, and waterfowl.  One important equipment restriction to know — deer hunting is restricted to shotgun and archery only.  Also, steel shot is required for all hunting on the area, so leave your lead shells at home regardless of what you're hunting.

Wildlife You'll See

Species available for harvest include bobwhite quail, mourning dove, greater prairie chicken, cottontail rabbit, squirrel, white-tailed deer, and turkey. The location along the reservoir also makes it a good waterfowl spot — hunters can expect to encounter common duck species of the Central Flyway, including mallard, gadwall, and wigeon.

Terrain

There are approximately 200 acres of riparian area and 465 acres of cropland, with approximately 970 acres that are native grass or have at some time been planted to native grasses. Up to 75 percent of the wildlife area is very heavily flood-prone, making it difficult to sustain good permanent cover such as native grass.  That flood-prone nature is worth keeping in mind — habitat conditions can vary a lot year to year. The most recent KDWP report noted average conditions for 2024, somewhat better than the previous year.

One Big Bonus

John Redmond Wildlife Area is bordered on the west by the Fish & Wildlife Service's Flint Hills Wildlife Area and on the southeast by Corps of Engineers property.  That adjacent Flint Hills NWR adds another 18,500 acres of wetlands, ponds, shallow marshes, and farmlands nearby — though regulations differ between agencies so you'd need to know which land you're on. Combined, it's a massive chunk of public hunting ground in eastern Kansas where public land is hard to come by.

Whitetail Deer — The Crown Jewel

This is Flint Hills country in eastern Kansas, and that matters a lot. Whitetail densities are highest in the eastern one-third of Kansas, where deer have adapted well to the landscape, finding cover in natural woodlands, shelterbelts, and grasslands with abundant food in cropfields. The selective management program has created a healthy deer herd with excellent potential for trophy-sized bucks. Kansas ranks 8th nationally with 867 Boone & Crockett entries, maintains around 700,000 deer statewide, and hunters post a 59% success rate. The foundation of that trophy production is Kansas's one-buck rule, which lets bucks reach maturity. Coffey County falls in or near Unit 12, and Units 12-16 consistently yield the biggest-bodied deer with impressive antler growth, with the Flint Hills ecosystem creating prime conditions with tallgrass prairie and limestone country. 

Turkey

The Flint Hills is considered some of the best turkey habitat in Kansas. Areas in Units 2 and 3 are known for some of the highest turkey populations and success rates in the state, and are home to both Eastern and Rio Grande subspecies — pure Rios on western properties, pure Easterns on eastern farms, and hybrids throughout.  The mix of tallgrass prairie, riparian timber, and cropland around John Redmond is textbook turkey habitat.

Waterfowl

This is where the area really shines if you're a duck or goose hunter. The reservoir sits right on the Central Flyway, and the adjacent Flint Hills NWR adds 18,500 acres of wetland habitat. The lodges and hunting grounds surrounding the area are surrounded by the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge, Melvern Lake, and John Redmond Reservoir, which all provide prime habitat for waterfowl flying through.  Hunters can expect to encounter common duck species of the Central Flyway including mallard, gadwall, and wigeon.  There are also geese, and bald eagles are commonly spotted in the area during migration.

Upland Birds

Vast areas of unbroken tallgrass prairie with timbered, brushy draws and stream bottoms make the Flint Hills ideal for quail, deer, and turkey, and it remains the nation's stronghold for the greater prairie chicken. Bobwhite quail, mourning dove, cottontail, and squirrel round out the upland picture.

Bottom Line

The John Redmond area is genuinely one of the better all-around public hunting destinations in Kansas. The combination of the wildlife area itself, the adjacent 18,500-acre Flint Hills NWR, and Corps of Engineers land creates a large block of public ground in a state that has very little of it. Public hunting opportunities are rare in Kansas, which has the fewest acres of public land of any state,  so finding this kind of access in prime Flint Hills country is a real asset. The one caveat on deer is the shotgun/archery restriction on the wildlife area itself — but that's actually a plus for bowhunters looking to avoid rifle pressure on public land.