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Indiana

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Indiana County Finder

Answer six questions and get Indiana counties ranked by habitat fit, 2026–27 season dates, public land and Indiana DNR deer harvest.

How the Indiana finder works

Indiana hunters report every deer through CheckIN Game, and the DNR publishes the results by county each year. This tool scores all 92 counties using deer harvest from the DNR's annual reports (antlered and antlerless), USGS land-cover and elevation data, and the share of public land such as state forests, fish & wildlife areas and the Hoosier National Forest.

Season fit uses the 2026–2027 Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide: youth, archery, firearms and muzzleloader deer, spring and fall archery turkey, pheasant and quail by zone, and the North, Central and South waterfowl zones. Turkey is ranked on habitat and access.

Species covered

  • White-tailed deer
  • Wild turkey

Upland birds (ranked by county)

  • Ring-necked pheasant
  • Quail

Waterfowl and migratory birds (ranked by county)

  • Ducks
  • Canada and dark geese
  • Snow and Ross's geese
  • Mourning dove
  • American woodcock

About every species on the species page →

Data sources

Indiana hunting FAQ

When is Indiana's 2026 deer firearms season?

Nov. 14–29, 2026. Archery runs Oct. 1–Jan. 3, muzzleloader Dec. 5–20 and the youth season Sept. 26–27.

Which Indiana counties have the most deer?

Steuben, LaGrange, Noble, Harrison and Kosciusko counties lead the DNR's reported harvest. Pick white-tailed deer to rank every county.

Can I use a rifle for deer in Indiana?

Yes, on private land with legal rifle cartridges (see the guide's list); shotguns, muzzleloaders and handguns are also legal during firearms season.

Indiana harvest leaders

The counties with the highest average reported harvest for each species. High totals often reflect large areas and many hunters; the tool above also weighs harvest per square mile, hunter success, habitat and access.

White-tailed deer (2021–2025 average)

  1. Steuben County: 3,248 per year
  2. LaGrange County: 2,805 per year
  3. Noble County: 2,641 per year
  4. Harrison County: 2,638 per year
  5. Kosciusko County: 2,530 per year

Ducks (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. LaPorte County: 8,093 per year
  2. Greene County: 6,579 per year
  3. Starke County: 5,728 per year
  4. Kosciusko County: 5,705 per year
  5. Newton County: 5,289 per year

Canada and dark geese (USFWS 10-year average)

  1. Lake County: 4,529 per year
  2. Vigo County: 3,434 per year
  3. Allen County: 2,864 per year
  4. St. Joseph County: 2,671 per year
  5. LaPorte County: 2,203 per year