Indiana hunting season dates

• Sep 26 – Sep 27 Youth Youth deer weekend.
• Oct 1 – Jan 3 Archery Archery (incl. crossbow) — Oct 1 → Jan 3.
• Nov 14 – Nov 29 Firearm Firearms season.
• Dec 5 – Dec 20 Muzzleloader Muzzleloader season.
• Sep 15 – Jan 31 General 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.

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Apr 18 – Apr 19 Youth Youth spring weekend (2026 dates — 2027 TBA).
• Apr 22 – May 10 Shotgun Spring — shotgun or archery; bearded/male birds (2026 dates — 2027 TBA).
• Oct 21 – Nov 1 Firearm Fall firearm turkey — designated counties; one bird either sex.
• Oct 1 – Nov 1 Archery Fall archery turkey — first split.
• Dec 5 – Jan 3 Archery Fall archery turkey — second split.

Bag limit: 1

Spring: one bearded/male turkey (shotgun or archery). Fall: one bird of either sex per hunter, in designated counties only; a separate license is needed for spring vs fall. Hours: 30 min before sunrise to sunset, all day (no midday closure). Spring 2027 dates are set in late winter — the spring dates shown are the latest published (2026).

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Sep 5 – Sep 13 Shotgun Early teal (statewide).
• Oct 24 – Dec 13 Shotgun Ducks — North Zone first split.
• Dec 19 – Dec 27 Shotgun Ducks — North Zone second split.
• Oct 31 – Nov 8 Shotgun Ducks — Central Zone first split.
• Nov 21 – Jan 10 Shotgun Ducks — Central Zone second split.
• Nov 7 – Nov 8 Shotgun Ducks — South Zone first split.
• Nov 28 – Jan 24 Shotgun Ducks — South Zone second split.

Bag limit: 6

Daily bag 6 ducks with sublimits (no more than 4 mallards incl. 2 hens, 3 wood ducks, 2 canvasbacks, 3 pintails, 2 redheads, 2 black ducks, 1 mottled; scaup 1/day early then 2). Hours: 30 min before sunrise to sunset (teal: sunrise to sunset). Indiana runs three waterfowl zones (North, Central, South) defined by road boundaries — the windows above are the union across zones; a specific tract can differ. North boundary runs along SR 18 / US 24 (Huntington); the South Zone reaches north to Terre Haute. Confirm YOUR zone on the DNR waterfowl-zone map.

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Sep 1 – Sep 13 Shotgun Early September Canada goose (South Zone opens Sep 1; North/Central Sep 5).
• Oct 24 – Nov 1 Shotgun Regular goose — North Zone first split.
• Oct 31 – Nov 8 Shotgun Regular goose — Central Zone first split.
• Nov 7 – Nov 11 Shotgun Regular goose — South Zone first split.
• Nov 21 – Feb 14 Shotgun Regular goose — all zones, second split (to Feb 14).

Bag limit: 5

Canada geese & brant: 5 daily in aggregate (≤1 brant). Light geese (snow/blue/Ross’s): 20 daily, no possession limit. White-fronted geese: 2 daily. Hours: 30 min before sunrise to sunset. Three road-defined zones (North/Central/South) — windows here are the union; confirm your zone on the DNR map. Geese run concurrently with the duck season.

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Sep 1 – Oct 18 Shotgun First split.
• Nov 1 – Nov 29 Shotgun Second split.
• Dec 19 – Dec 31 Shotgun Third split.

Bag limit: 15

Daily bag 15 (mourning & white-winged doves in aggregate). Hours: sunrise to sunset (migratory-bird hours).

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Aug 15 – Jan 31 General Gray & fox squirrel; statewide.

Bag limit: 5

Daily bag 5. Indiana sets no general hunting-hours restriction for squirrels. Season: Aug 15, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027.

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons

• Nov 1 – Feb 28 General Cottontail rabbit; statewide.

Bag limit: 5

Daily bag 5. Season: Nov 1, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027. Indiana sets no general small-game hours restriction, except rabbits on some DNR properties (FWAs; Mississinewa, Patoka, Salamonie) in February run ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour before sunset.

2026-27 season · verified 2026-07-27 · Indiana DNR — 2026-27 Hunting & Trapping Seasons