When Is Deer Season in Indiana? Dates, Bag Limits, and Licenses

Deer season in Indiana runs from mid-September 2026 through late January 2027, split into five windows: a two-day Youth Season on September 26–27, an Archery Season from October 1 to January 3, a Firearms Season from November 14–29, a Muzzleloader Season from December 5–20, and a longer Deer Reduction Zone Season covering September 15 through January 31 in designated high-density areas.¹

Season Dates and Legal Hours

Deer Reduction Zone: September 15, 2026 – January 31, 2027 (designated areas only)
Youth Season: September 26–27, 2026
Archery Season: October 1, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Firearms Season: November 14–29, 2026
Muzzleloader Season: December 5–20, 2026

Legal hunting hours in every season run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.¹ The DNR sets dates each year, so confirm them before you head out.

Bag Limits

The statewide limit is one antlered deer and up to six antlerless deer across all seasons combined. An “antlered” deer has at least one antler measuring three inches or longer.²

On top of that statewide cap, every county has its own County Antlerless Bag Limit, which replaced the older County Bonus Antlerless Quota system in 2025. The county cap is the total antlerless deer you can take in that county across youth, firearms (with a multi-season antlerless license), archery, and muzzleloader seasons combined. The DNR can adjust the county limit mid-season if a disease outbreak like epizootic hemorrhagic disease hits the local herd.³

One rule that catches people out: a firearms-season license is buck only. You cannot use it to take an antlerless deer. To shoot does during firearms season, you need a multi-season antlerless license. Archery and muzzleloader licenses carry no such restriction.³

Licenses and Fees

Every deer hunter needs a valid Indiana hunting license unless they qualify for an exemption. You can buy one online through the DNR, at authorized retailers, or by mail, and you’ll need to supply your name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and Social Security number.

Resident fees for the common deer licenses:

Deer License Bundle: $91, covers one antlered and two antlerless deer across youth, archery, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons
Individual Season License (archery, firearms, muzzleloader, or reduction zone): $39 each
First Multi-Season Antlerless: $39
Second and Additional Multi-Season Antlerless: $24 each, after the first at $39

Non-resident fees run much higher. A non-resident deer license bundle is $550 and individual season licenses cost $240 each. Non-resident youth licenses are priced at resident rates ($39–$91).⁴

Note that the deer license bundle does not count toward Deer Reduction Zone bag limits. If you plan to hunt a reduction zone, you need the separate $39 Reduction Zone license.⁴

Anyone born after December 31, 1986 must complete a DNR-approved hunter education course before buying a license.⁵

Legal Equipment by Season

Archery

Longbows, recurve bows, and compound bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. Crossbows are legal with no stated minimum draw weight. All arrows and bolts must be tipped with broadheads made of metal, metal-edged material, flint, chert, or obsidian. Poisoned or explosive tips are prohibited.⁶

Firearms

The firearms season allows shotguns, handguns, rifles, muzzleloading firearms, and qualifying air guns. Rifles must fire a centerfire cartridge with a bullet diameter of .219 inches (5.56 mm) or larger, and you may not carry more than 10 cartridges per rifle while hunting deer.⁷

Air rifles are legal in the youth, firearms, and reduction zone seasons if they are .40 caliber or larger and produce at least 400 foot-pounds of energy per shot. Air bows that launch an arrow or bolt with a metal broadhead at a minimum of 300 feet per second also qualify.⁷

Muzzleloader

Only muzzleloading handguns and muzzleloading long guns are legal during the dedicated muzzleloader season. No modern rifles, shotguns, or crossbows are permitted in that window.⁷

Hunter Orange Requirements

You must wear solid fluorescent orange as an outer garment during firearms season, muzzleloader season, youth season, and when hunting in Deer Reduction Zones. A vest, coat, jacket, coveralls, hat, or cap all qualify. The orange has to be solid; camouflage-patterned orange does not satisfy the rule even if the base color is fluorescent.⁸

If you hunt from a man-made ground blind sitting on or within four feet of the ground, the blind must display at least 144 square inches of hunter orange on each side. A flag on top does not count.⁹ Violating the orange requirement is a Class D infraction.¹⁰

Deer Reduction Zones

Reduction zones target areas with especially dense deer populations. The season runs September 15 through January 31, far longer than any other, and the bag limit is 10 deer, with only one allowed to be antlered.¹¹

An “earn-a-buck” rule applies: you have to take an antlerless deer in the reduction zone before you can harvest an antlered one there. That requirement is tied only to the reduction zone bag and is separate from your statewide limit. Each deer taken in a reduction zone requires a Reduction Zone license, and the regular deer license bundle does not count toward the reduction zone bag.¹¹

Baiting, Tagging, and Harvest Reporting

Hunting deer over bait is illegal in Indiana. Bait means anything a deer might eat or lick that a person placed there: corn, apples, salt blocks, mineral licks, or food plots of non-native material. You may put food or mineral blocks out during the off-season, but everything must be removed at least 10 days before the season opens. Hunting from a natural apple tree is fine; placing apples under your stand is not. Scent-based lures are legal. Hunting over bait is a Class C misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, and possible forfeiture of your equipment.¹²

Immediately after harvest, fill out a temporary transportation tag and attach it to the carcass. Any piece of paper works, and the DNR provides a printable template on its website. The tag must list your name, address, license number, whether the deer is antlered or antlerless, and the date and time of the kill, and it stays with the carcass until processing is complete.¹³

Every deer must then be reported within 48 hours. You can report online at GoOutdoorsIN.com, at an on-site check station, or by phone at 260-368-5880 at no charge.²

If you hunt in or near a county where Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected, check the DNR website before the season for current CWD zone maps and any carcass transport restrictions that apply.¹⁴

Penalties for Violations

Taking or possessing a deer unlawfully, using illegal methods, or hunting with prohibited equipment can trigger a court-ordered reimbursement to the state of $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense. That money goes into the fish and wildlife conservation fund and is on top of any criminal penalties.¹⁵

Indiana also belongs to the Wildlife Violator Compact, so a serious violation here can suspend your hunting privileges in other member states as well.¹⁶

1
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana Hunting and Trapping Seasons
2
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. White-tailed Deer Hunting
3
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. County Antlerless Deer Bag Limit
4
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. License Fees
5
eRegulations. Indiana Hunting License Information
6
Legal Information Institute. 312 IAC 9-3-3 – Equipment for Deer Hunting
7
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Deer Hunting Questions and Answers
8
eRegulations. Deer Regulations
9
Legal Information Institute. 312 IAC 9-2-15 – General Requirements for Hunter Orange on Ground Blinds
10
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-38-7 – Hunter Orange
11
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Deer Reduction Zones
12
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Baiting Deer Is Still Illegal
13
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana CheckIN Game
14
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana CWD Surveillance, Response, and Management Plan
15
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-38-4 – Fines Unlawful Taking of Deer
16
CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts. Wildlife Violator Compact