A non-resident hunting license in Indiana comes from the Department of Natural Resources and costs $90 for an annual base license or $50 for a five-day license, with separate permits required on top for deer, turkey, and waterfowl. The base license alone covers small game like rabbits and squirrels. Anything larger, and you’ll be stacking permits.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
Who Counts as a Non-Resident
If your permanent address is outside Indiana, you’re a non-resident for DNR purposes. You’ll show a government-issued ID when you apply to confirm it.
One exception matters. Active-duty military personnel stationed in Indiana may buy resident licenses, which run substantially cheaper. To use that pricing, a service member has to carry leave orders along with an Indiana driver’s license or voter registration card while hunting.2Justia. Indiana Code Title 14, Article 22, Chapter 11 – Licenses and Permits General Provisions – Section: IC 14-22-11-11
Hunter Education or an Apprentice License
If you were born after December 31, 1986, you must complete an approved hunter education course before buying a standard license. Indiana accepts certifications from other states and equivalent programs, so a course you finished at home counts. Keep your certification number or card handy when you apply.3Cornell Law School. Indiana Administrative Code 312 IAC 9-12-2 – Mandatory Hunter Education for an Individual Born After December 31, 1986
Haven’t taken the course? Indiana sells an apprentice hunting license that lets you skip it, but you must be accompanied at all times by a licensed hunter age 18 or older. That companion has to stay close enough to monitor you and communicate, and they can supervise no more than two apprentices at once. There’s a lifetime cap of three apprentice licenses of any type per person, so treat it as a trial run rather than a workaround.4Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-12-1.7 – Apprentice Hunting License
What the Permits Cost
The annual non-resident hunting license is $90 and the five-day is $50. Both cover small game only. Deer, turkey, and waterfowl each require add-on permits.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
Deer
Each deer permit is separate and comes on top of the base license:
- Deer archery: $240
- Deer firearm (buck only): $240
- Deer muzzleloader: $240
- First multiseason antlerless deer: $240
- Additional multiseason antlerless deer: $39 each
- Deer license bundle: $550, covering one antlered and two antlerless across seasons
If you’re hunting more than one season, the bundle usually saves money.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
Turkey
- Spring turkey (18 and up): $175
- Fall turkey (18 and up): $175
- Youth spring or fall turkey: $32
Spring and fall are separate permits. Hunting both means paying twice.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
Youth Pricing
Non-resident hunters age 17 and younger pay reduced rates. Youth deer licenses are $39 per season (archery, firearm, or muzzleloader), the youth deer bundle is $91, and youth turkey permits are $32.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees Youth hunters born after December 31, 1986, still need hunter education or an apprentice license.
How to Buy
You have three options:
- Online through the DNR’s Activity Hub portal, uploading documents and paying by card.
- In person at an authorized license retailer, a DNR property, or the DNR Customer Service Center. Many sporting goods stores are retailers.
- By mail, including your name, date of birth, full address, phone number, physical description (height, weight, hair and eye color), and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
The last four SSN digits are required for every application method. If you were born after December 31, 1986, include your hunter education certification number or a copy of the card. Licenses are issued electronically, so you can print immediately after paying. All are non-transferable and non-refundable.5Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Licenses and Permits
When the License Is Valid
Annual non-resident licenses run April 1 through March 31 regardless of purchase date. Buy in January and it still expires that March 31. Five-day licenses cover only the five days you pick at purchase.1Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
Species permits are valid only during the corresponding season set by Indiana Administrative Code, and season dates shift each year. Check them before you buy.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-11-4 – License Expiration There’s no automatic renewal. Outstanding violations or unpaid fines can lead the DNR to deny an application.
Waterfowl and Migratory Birds
Ducks, geese, doves, woodcock, and other migratory birds trigger extra steps beyond the base license.
Every migratory bird hunter must register with the Harvest Information Program (HIP) before hunting. Registration is free, done online or by phone, and produces a validation number you record on your license. One registration per state per season, so if you hunt migratory birds in more than one state, you register in each.7Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Waterfowl and Migratory Game Bird Hunting
Waterfowl hunters also need a signed Indiana Migratory Waterfowl Stamp. And anyone 16 or older hunting waterfowl anywhere in the U.S. must carry a signed Federal Duck Stamp. The 2025–2026 federal stamp is $25 and valid July 1 through June 30.8U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp)
Field Rules That Catch Visitors
Tagging and Check-In
Before you move a harvested deer or turkey, fill out a temporary transportation tag on any piece of paper. For a deer, record your name, address, license number, date of kill, and sex. For a turkey, add the equipment type (archery or firearm) and attach the tag to the bird’s leg before transporting. Feathers and beard stay on the bird in transit.9IN.gov. Turkey Temporary Transportation Tag
You then have 48 hours to check in the animal. Check-in is free and available online at GoOutdoorsIN.com, by phone at 260-368-5880, or at a traditional check station. You’ll get a confirmation number to write on your tag.10Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana CheckIN Game Skipping check-in is a violation, and conservation officers look for it.
Hunter Orange
During firearms, muzzleloader, and youth deer seasons, every deer hunter wears hunter orange, whatever weapon they’re carrying. Bowhunting during an overlap with firearms season? Still orange. It applies the whole time you’re in the field, including walking in and out.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-38-7 – Hunter Orange If you hunt from a ground blind during an orange season, the blind must display at least 144 square inches of hunter orange visible from every direction.
Private Land Permission
You cannot hunt on private land without the owner’s or tenant’s consent. This applies even to unfenced land that looks open, and it’s one of the most common violations conservation officers write up. Verbal permission is legally sufficient, but the DNR offers a printable permission form and a written record protects both sides.12IN.gov. Permission To Hunt On Private Land Form
What a Violation Costs
Most hunting violations, including hunting without a valid license, are Class C misdemeanors. Maximum 60 days in jail and up to a $500 fine.13Justia. Indiana Code 14-22-38 – Violations
Unlawfully taking a deer or wild turkey adds a reimbursement charge on top of any criminal penalty: $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for each subsequent offense.14Justia. Indiana Code 14-22-38 – Violations – Section: IC 14-22-38-4 Conservation officers can also seize equipment used in a violation.
The reach doesn’t stop at the state line. Indiana belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, so a suspension of hunting privileges here can trigger suspensions in every other member state.15Justia. Indiana Code Title 14, Article 22, Chapter 41 – Wildlife Violator Compact One Indiana ticket can cost you hunting rights across much of the country.