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Whitetail deer

Indiana deer hunting

18 public hunting areas ranked by today’s conditions, herd density, and habitat, plus current seasons and CWD zones.

Live · updated

Season & rut right now

Rut phase today: Outside the rut · peak breeding around 11/14. Full rut forecast →

youth

Sep 26 – Sep 27

Youth deer weekend.

archery

Oct 1 – Jan 3

Archery (incl. crossbow) — Oct 1 → Jan 3.

firearm

Nov 14 – Nov 29

Firearms season.

muzzleloader

Dec 5 – Dec 20

Muzzleloader season.

general

Sep 15 – Jan 31

Deer Reduction Zone (designated locations only) — bow from Sep 15; firearm later.

Bag limit: see agency. One antlered deer per license year statewide; antlerless is set by a per-county bag quota (0–4). Confirm your county’s bag on the DNR bag-limit map. Hours: 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset. Statewide one antlered deer; antlerless by county quota. All deer must be reported within 48 hours (GoOutdoorsIN). Baiting is illegal statewide. Deer Reduction Zones are designated urban/overpopulated areas only.

CWD Disease Surveillance Area: CWD has been confirmed in wild Indiana deer since spring 2024 (first positive: a deer taken in LaGrange County during the 2023-24 season). The CWD Positive Area covers northeast Indiana: LaGrange, Steuben, DeKalb, Allen, Whitley and Noble counties. New 2025-26 positives added Franklin and Rush counties (southeast). Enhanced (voluntary) surveillance also ran in Posey, Gibson and Vanderburgh (southwest). In the Positive Area, moving live deer out of the area is prohibited. Statewide: baiting is illegal, and carcass-import rules restrict bringing high-risk cervid parts into Indiana. Confirm the current DSA map with the DNR before moving a carcass.

Regulations: Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons · verified 2026-07-27.

Seasons at a glance

Every game class we model in Indiana, and whether it’s open today. See all 2026-27 season dates, bag limits & shooting hours →

Whitetail Deer Closed bag — Wild Turkey Closed bag 1 Ducks Closed bag 6 Canada Geese Closed bag 5 Mourning Dove Closed bag 15 Squirrel Closed bag 5 Cottontail Rabbit Closed bag 5

Public hunting land, ranked for today

Each tract is scored on its own conditions, then blended with county herd density and habitat. Highest first.

  1. 65 Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife AreaCWD LaGrange County · 11,794 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 72 · ground 78
  2. 63 Harrison-Crawford State Forest Harrison County · 24,287 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 60 · ground 83
  3. 62 Martin State Forest Martin County · 9,304 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 60 · ground 80
  4. 61 Hoosier National Forest Perry County · 205,000 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 50 · ground 85
  5. 61 Clark State Forest Clark County · 25,604 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 50 · ground 85
  6. 61 Morgan-Monroe State Forest Monroe County · 24,516 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 50 · ground 87
  7. 61 Winamac Fish & Wildlife Area Pulaski County · 4,850 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 60 · ground 75
  8. 60 Yellowwood State Forest Brown County · 24,163 ac · Deciduous Forest herd 50 · ground 80
  9. 59 Jackson-Washington State Forest Jackson County · 18,416 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 50 · ground 78
  10. 59 Kingsbury Fish & Wildlife Area LaPorte County · 7,400 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 50 · ground 74
  11. 58 Ferdinand State Forest Perry County · 7,821 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 50 · ground 72
  12. 58 Pike State Forest Pike County · 5,032 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 50 · ground 74
  13. 58 Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area Greene County · 9,098 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 50 · ground 72
  14. 57 Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area Newton County · 10,175 ac · Cultivated Crops + edge herd 42 · ground 74
  15. 57 Glendale Fish & Wildlife Area Daviess County · 8,060 ac · Cultivated Crops herd 50 · ground 68
  16. 57 Crosley Fish & Wildlife Area Jennings County · 4,288 ac · Deciduous Forest herd 50 · ground 68
  17. 54 Greene-Sullivan State Forest Greene County · 9,054 ac · Deciduous Forest + edge herd 50 · ground 73
  18. 53 Owen-Putnam State Forest Owen County · 6,718 ac · Deciduous Forest herd 50 · ground 71

Public land map

Every mapped tract. Tap a marker for conditions.

Top counties by deer-harvest density

All 92 counties →

Season-final harvest per square mile, a herd-quality proxy from the state’s annual report.

CountyHarvestPer sq miCWD
Steuben 3,261 10.55 Yes
LaGrange 2,871 7.56 Yes
Switzerland 1,528 6.91 —
DeKalb 2,493 6.87 Yes
Crawford 2,001 6.54 —
Noble 2,681 6.52 Yes
Starke 1,812 5.86 —
Dearborn 1,749 5.73 —
Parke 2,442 5.49 —
Marshall 2,416 5.44 —
Harrison 2,603 5.38 —
Ohio 452 5.26 —

Scout your own spot → How the score works