17,486 wells across 974 active operators, with 545 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months.
Refreshed monthly from KCC well-header records. Data current as of 2026-08-24.
Quick answer: The Cherokee Basin formation in Kansas has 17,486 wells on record across 974 active operators, with 545 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months (as of 2026-08-24). Its most active operators by well count are Laymon Oil Ii, RJ Energy, Colt Energy, Trimble & Maclaskey Oil and Owens Petroleum. Compiled from Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) well-header records, refreshed monthly.
The operators with the most well counts targeting the Cherokee Basin formation in Kansas:
| # | Operator | Wells in Cherokee Basin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laymon Oil Ii | 1,141 |
| 2 | Rj Energy | 922 |
| 3 | Colt Energy | 823 |
| 4 | Trimble & Maclaskey Oil | 594 |
| 5 | Owens Petroleum | 455 |
| 6 | Warhorse Petroleum INC | 357 |
| 7 | Altavista Energy | 323 |
| 8 | 325 Energy Operations, LLC | 276 |
| 9 | Jackson Brothers | 259 |
| 10 | Tremo | 251 |
The Kansas counties with the most Cherokee Basin activity:
Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Chautauqua, Bourbon
The most recent 100 drilling permits filed for Cherokee Basin wells in Kansas:
| Permit Date | Well | API | County | Operator | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-18 | N Vestal 20 | 15049226360000 |
Elk | Gus Jones Cable Tool Service | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 1 | 15001320340000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 4 | 15001320310000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 1 | 15001320280000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 2 | 15001320350000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 2 | 15001320290000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 6 | 15001320390000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 5 | 15001320320000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 4 | 15001320370000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 5 | 15001320380000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 3 | 15001320300000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Gregg 3 | 15001320360000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-14 | Green 6 | 15001320330000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-08-04 | Horton Inj1 | 15125325800000 |
Montgomery | Horton John | — |
| 2026-07-29 | Horton 24 | 15125325790000 |
Montgomery | Horton John | — |
| 2026-07-27 | White 38 | 15019277580000 |
Chautauqua | Jones Oil Exploration | — |
| 2026-07-24 | White 37 | 15019277570000 |
Chautauqua | Jones Oil Exploration | — |
| 2026-07-22 | Wiggans 15-H | 15205285830000 |
Wilson | Jv Oil | — |
| 2026-07-22 | Wiggans 16-H | 15205285840000 |
Wilson | Jv Oil | — |
| 2026-07-22 | Wiggans 17-H | 15205285850000 |
Wilson | Jv Oil | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Kirk 75 | 15001320240000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Thornton 1 | 15001320220000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Charlotte Hobbs 131 | 15001320270000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Fitzpatrick 19 | 15001320210000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Thornton 2 | 15001320230000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Charlotte Hobbs 130 | 15001320260000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Kirk 76 | 15001320250000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-21 | Fitzpatrick 18 | 15001320200000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Vigle V-22 | 15073242570000 |
Greenwood | Cross Bar Energy | — |
| 2026-07-07 | Vigle V-21 | 15073242560000 |
Greenwood | Cross Bar Energy | — |
| 2026-06-26 | Johnson 4 | 15011249900000 |
Bourbon | Indian Creek Petroleum Cattle LLC | — |
| 2026-06-22 | Johnson 2 | 15011249890000 |
Bourbon | Indian Creek Petroleum Cattle LLC | — |
| 2026-06-18 | Johnson 3 | 15011249880000 |
Bourbon | Indian Creek Petroleum Cattle LLC | — |
| 2026-06-18 | Johnson 1 | 15011249870000 |
Bourbon | Indian Creek Petroleum Cattle LLC | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 18 | 15001320160000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 17 | 15001320150000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 16 | 15001320140000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 19 | 15001320170000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 15 | 15001320130000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-06-12 | Bowlus B 20 | 15001320180000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lueker 4 | 15001320090000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lueker 6 | 15001320110000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Kirk 74 | 15001320080000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Kirk 72 | 15001320060000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Kirk 71 | 15001320050000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lueker 5 | 15001320100000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Kirk 73 | 15001320070000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-29 | Lueker 7 | 15001320120000 |
Allen | Colt Energy | — |
| 2026-05-22 | Puetz 43-26 | 15207301390000 |
Woodson | Laymon Oil Ii | — |
| 2026-05-22 | Puetz 44-26 | 15207301400000 |
Woodson | Laymon Oil Ii | — |
Wells targeting the Cherokee Basin that have been spudded but are waiting on completion — near-term production upside:
| Spud Date | Days Waiting | Well | Operator | County | Lateral (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-21 | 33 | Vigle V-22 | Cross Bar Energy | Greenwood | — |
| 2026-07-20 | 34 | White 27 | Jones Oil Exploration | Chautauqua | — |
| 2026-06-02 | 82 | Olinger 3a | Owens Oil Company | Greenwood | — |
| 2026-05-27 | 88 | Sutherland 11 | Colt Energy | Allen | — |
| 2026-05-21 | 94 | Sutherland 10 | Colt Energy | Allen | — |
| 2026-05-18 | 97 | Harner 59 | W & W Production Company General | Allen | — |
The Cherokee Basin is one of Kansas's active oil and gas plays, with 17,486 wells on file across 974 distinct operators of record. Operators have filed 545 drilling permits targeting the Cherokee Basin in the last 24 months — a measure of how active the play is right now versus its historical baseline.
For mineral owners with interests in Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Chautauqua, Bourbon, knowing whether your tract sits within an active Cherokee Basin footprint is a foundational valuation question. Active formations with consistent permit flow command premium pricing; legacy formations with steady but declining production are valued differently.
See all Kansas oil & gas formations & plays · Download the Kansas formations dataset (CSV)
17,486 wells target the Cherokee Basin in Kansas, worked by 974 active operators, per KCC well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
By well count, the most active Cherokee Basin operators in Kansas are Laymon Oil Ii, RJ Energy, Colt Energy, Trimble & Maclaskey Oil and Owens Petroleum. The full ranking is in the table on this page.
Operators filed 545 drilling permits targeting the Cherokee Basin in the last 24 months, and there are 6 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion — a live measure of current activity, per KCC records.
Operators filed 545 new drilling permits targeting the Cherokee Basin in Kansas over the last 24 months, with 6 drilled-but-uncompleted (DUC) wells awaiting completion. New permits and spuds are the clearest signal of active Cherokee Basin drilling, per KCC records (as of 2026-08-24).
Cherokee Basin activity in Kansas currently spans 17,486 wells on record and 974 active operators, led by Laymon Oil Ii, RJ Energy, Colt Energy, Trimble & Maclaskey Oil and Owens Petroleum, with 545 drilling permits filed in the last 24 months — refreshed monthly from Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) well-header records (as of 2026-08-24).
The most active Cherokee Basin counties in Kansas are Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Chautauqua, Bourbon.
Value depends on your net mineral acres or royalty decimal, the operator, the remaining drilling locations, and current oil and gas prices. Buckhead Energy checks your tract against current Cherokee Basin well and permit data and puts a free, no-obligation written offer in writing — this page is informational only, not a valuation.
Cite this dataset
Permanently archived and citable via a DOI on Zenodo (CERN), under a CC BY 4.0 license. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21442884 · View on Zenodo
License & attribution: This data is licensed CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt it, including commercially, provided you credit “Buckhead Energy” and link back to this page or the DOI above.
Get a free written offer based on your specific tract, operator, and the current Cherokee Basin activity in your area.
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Formation: Cherokee Basin
State: Kansas
Total wells: 17,486
Active operators: 974
Permits 24mo: 545
Last refresh: 2026-08-24