Challenger Exploration
Operator of record for 29 catalogued wells across 2 states. Every well below links to its full registry page.
Filed as: CHALLENGER EXPLORATION INC · Challenger Exploration
At a glance
Challenger Exploration is the operator of record for 29 catalogued U.S. oil & gas wells in 2 states. None is listed as active, 26 (90%) are plugged & abandoned and 2 flagged as orphaned. Its largest concentration is in Oklahoma, with 15 wells (52% of its portfolio).
Wells operated
29
Active
0
Plugged
26
Orphaned
2
Portfolio by state
| State | Wells |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 15 |
| Kansas | 14 |
Well mix
- Oil wells
- 6
- Gas wells
- 0
- Shut-in
- 0
- Active share
- 0%
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Claim Challenger Exploration to keep this portfolio accurate — verified operators can correct well statuses and add plugging documentation.
Claim your operator profileWhere does Challenger Exploration operate?
Challenger Exploration's catalogued wells are spread across 2 states: Oklahoma (15) and Kansas (14). Its 15 Oklahoma wells are 0.0% of the 456,595 catalogued in that state — its largest share of any state. Counts cover only states whose registries WellCensus has ingested with operator names; wells in Nebraska and Texas (location indexes) and in states without a registry ingest are not yet attributed to any operator.
How many of Challenger Exploration’s wells are active, plugged or orphaned?
0% of Challenger Exploration's catalogued wells are active, 29 percentage points below the national share of 29%. 90% are plugged & abandoned, against 47% nationally. 2 wells filed under this name are flagged as orphaned — unplugged, with no operator able to plug them.
What kinds of wells does Challenger Exploration operate?
By product class, 6 (21%) are oil wells and 0 (0%) gas wells; nationally the shares are 43% and 17%. The deepest of its wells with a published depth is Cranston 1 in Ness, KS at 4,395 ft. The wells listed below sit in Ness (KS), Trego (KS), Ellis (KS) and Barton (KS). State filings spell the name 2 ways; WellCensus merges exact-normalized spellings only, so subsidiaries and affiliates keep their own pages.
Notable wells operated by Challenger Exploration
| Well | API # / state ID | Status | Type | Location | Operator | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston 1 | 15-135-23303 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Ness, KS | Challenger Exploration | 4,395 ft |
| Locker 5 | 15-195-22063 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Trego, KS | Challenger Exploration | 4,099 ft |
| Flax 1 | 15-195-22167 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Trego, KS | Challenger Exploration | 4,050 ft |
| Ptaschek, J. 4 | 15-195-22155 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Trego, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,980 ft |
| Gross 'A' 7 | 15-051-30345 | Plugged & abandoned | Injection | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,940 ft |
| Bemis 1 | 15-051-24176 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,865 ft |
| Kraus, Donald 5 | 15-051-23041 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,820 ft |
| Bemis 2 | 15-051-24225 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,807 ft |
| Graf 4 | 15-051-03217 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,760 ft |
| Rohr 1 | 15-051-24676 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,710 ft |
| Mull 1 | 15-009-24359 | Plugged & abandoned | Other type | Barton, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,706 ft |
| Graf 3 | 15-051-06883 | Plugged & abandoned | Oil | Ellis, KS | Challenger Exploration | 3,555 ft |
Deepest first where depth is published. See all 29 wells →
Frequently asked questions
How many wells does Challenger Exploration operate?
Challenger Exploration is the operator of record for 29 catalogued oil & gas wells, with the largest concentration in Oklahoma (15). Only wells in states WellCensus has ingested are counted.
How many of Challenger Exploration's wells are still active?
0 of Challenger Exploration's catalogued wells are active; 26 are plugged & abandoned and 2 are flagged as orphaned.
In which states does Challenger Exploration operate wells?
Challenger Exploration is the operator of record for wells in Oklahoma (15) and Kansas (14).
Does Challenger Exploration operate mostly oil or gas wells?
6 of Challenger Exploration's catalogued wells are oil wells and 0 are gas wells; the rest are injection, service or unclassified wells.
What is Challenger Exploration's deepest well?
Among wells with a published depth, Cranston 1 in Ness, KS is the deepest at 4,395 ft.
Where Challenger Exploration's wells are
About this data
Source: State oil & gas regulator registries (operator of record as filed, exact-normalized across states) plus the USGS United States Documented Orphaned Well Database (2026), as published October 10, 2026 — WellCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: WellCensus, “Challenger Exploration — well portfolio”, https://wellcensus.com/operators/challenger-exploration-7750 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Operator portfolios are resolved from raw state registry filings (exact-normalized names; subsidiaries stay separate).