Indiana State Hunting Land

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for the management and upkeep of all the state-owned hunting land. As of 2010, there are 93 hunting preserves in 48 out of the 83 Indiana counties.

The DNR hopes to increase its properties by 45,000 acres by 2016; with the $250 million spent in the state each year on hunting, there will be sufficient funding to accomplish the goal.

  1. Largest

    • Hoosier National Forest in Perry Country is the largest tract of land at 59,000 acres, and Big Oaks in Jefferson County is second with 50,000 acres. Areas with more than 20,000 acres include Monroe Lake, Clark State Forest, Harrison Crawford State Forest, Patoka Lake, Camp Atteberry and Morgan Monroe State Forest.

    Smallest

    • Turkey Creek in LaGrange County has only six acres. DNR hunting properties under 50 acres include Eller Pond, Badal Trust Area, Maxinkuckee and Rome City.

    Requirements

    • A valid hunting or fishing license is required to hunt on state land. An annual adult resident's combined hunting and fishing license is $25 per year, as of 2010, with special stamps required for specific game. A deer hunting stamp is $24, for example, and a waterfowl stamp is $6.75.

    Open Game

    • Various wild animals are open for hunting, depending upon the individual location. Some have more opportunities than others. Overall, the game allowed is coot, deer, dove, pheasant, quail, rabbit, rail, snipe, squirrel, turkey, waterfowl and woodcock. In some areas permits are required for coyote, fox, opossum and raccoon.

    Growth

    • The numbers of Indiana hunters is growing due to an aggressive outreach by the DNR. It has successfully reintroduced turkeys and pheasants in most areas of the state, which has kept many hunters in the state instead of going out of the area to hunt. In 2008, the state recorded a record number of deer taken by hunters. A new generation of hunters is also being trained in the field as the youth licenses experienced a 20 percent growth in just three years.