PRATT — Two Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism publications hunters anxiously wait for each summer are now available: The 2018 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, and the 2018 Kansas Hunting Atlas. Both publications are available online at www.ksoutdoors.com and are being shipped to hundreds of license vendors and KDWPT offices around the state beginning this week. Hunters can also request mailed copies by calling (620) 672-5911.

New this year, the hunting atlas includes both fall and spring Walk-in Hunting Access areas (in previous years, these were two separate publications), so hunters are encouraged to hold on to their atlas through the 2019 spring turkey season.

The hunting summary includes regulations such as methods of take, season dates, bag and possession limits, as well as a list of public wildlife areas. One section features color photographs and range maps for popular game species. And there is also contact information for game wardens listed by the counties they patrol.

The hunting atlas includes maps showing all WIHA areas — private land leased by KDWPT and opened to public hunting — and state and federal public wildlife areas. More than 1 million acres of WIHA lands are mapped in the atlas, so opportunities abound. And soon, Garmin GPS and Google Earth files will be available for download, making finding a place to hunt even easier.

All WIHA properties are marked with signs showing the lease dates, which start either Sept. 1, Nov. 1, or April 1, and end either Jan. 31, March 31, or May 31. All Kansas hunting rules and regulations still apply on these properties, and accessing a WIHA area prior to or after the lease dates shown is prohibited.

To download electronic versions of either the 2018 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary or the 2018 Kansas Hunting Atlas, visit ksoutdoors.com. Whether you decide to keep them on your phone, laptop, or hardcopies in the truck, no hunter Kansas should be without them.