It's time to get ready for deer season

Indiana Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 09/13/2019 08:57 AM EDT

All Things Deer

This special “All Things Deer” email will prepare you for the 2019-2020 Indiana Deer Hunting Season.

Learn about new hunting regulations and bag limits in the 2019-2020 Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide.
Information about season dates and biology can be found here.
Where to Hunt in Indiana
Deer Hunting FAQ's
What license do I need?
Get your license

Check your harvested game online

The Indiana CheckIN Game system allows hunters to check in their harvested game from any device connected to the Internet.

EHD update

Indiana DNR has received reports of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in several central and southern counties. EHD is a naturally occurring virus that is transmitted to deer by a biting midge.

EHD outbreaks can be more severe in years where there is a wet spring followed by a hot, dry fall. Indiana DNR monitors the severity of EHD outbreaks through the Report a Dead or Sick Deer form. Indiana is currently experiencing an outbreak of EHD caused by the EHDV-2 virus.

Find the latest EHD information or report deer that you suspect may be sick with or may have died from EHD online: wildlife.IN.gov/8541.htm.

Report a sick or dead deer

The public may report sick or dead deer to Indiana DNR online through the Report a Dead or Sick Deer form.

The reports are sent directly to a DNR biologist who evaluates the report and arranges to sample the deer if necessary. Not all reports generate an immediate response. Reports are used to monitor large scale events (such as the recent EHD event), to track deer road kills, and to target areas for disease surveillance.

Chronic wasting disease surveillance

DNR is conducting targeted chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance in northwest and northeast Indiana during the 2019-2020 deer hunting season.

Hunters may voluntarily submit samples for testing at Fish & Wildlife Area properties from Sept. 28 – Jan. 31, 2020. Indiana DNR biologists will be intensively sampling hunter-harvested deer at businesses across the surveillance areas during opening weekend of firearms season, Nov. 16-17.

Hunters who submit a deer for CWD testing will receive a Deer Management Partner magnet and a metal tag reminiscent of historical confirmation tags.

CWD testing outside the surveillance area

Hunters interested in testing a deer for CWD that was harvested outside the CWD surveillance area may independently submit their deer to the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for testing for a fee.

Hunters should complete the submission form and follow the shipping instructions on Purdue ADDL’s website. Alternatively, hunters may take their deer to a nearby Fish & Wildlife Area property and drop off the head to be sampled, or the deer can be sampled while you wait by appointment during normal business hours, Monday through Friday.

Property details and locations will be available soon on the CWD website.

bTB surveillance

A total of 2,677 hunter-harvested deer were sampled for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) from 2016 to 2019, none of which tested positive.

These results suggested that, through the 2018–19 hunting season, the prevalence of bTB in wild deer within the Franklin County surveillance zone remained at levels that were difficult to detect (likely very low to non-existent).

As a result, during the 2019-2020 deer season, DNR will not be conducting intensive bTB surveillance.

After Hunt Survey – share your experience

The After Hunt Survey was created in 2017 to capture biological data on harvested deer and to evaluate the hunter’s hunting experience.

The survey will be available again this deer season. Any successful hunter may complete the online survey immediately after checking in a deer online or at a later date by visiting our website. Additional hunter participation is needed in this survey to collect enough data to incorporate findings into county level deer management.

Photos courtesy of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study

Inspect your deer hooves

One sign that a deer has contracted and survived EHD is the sloughing or breaking of their hooves. DNR would like successful hunters to report both normal looking hooves and hooves that show evidence of breaking using the After Hunt Survey. See photos above for examples of sloughing or damage.

County bonus antlerless quotas lowered

County bonus anterless quotas have been reduced to a maximum of two in areas impacted by EHD.

Counties that had a county bonus anterless quota of three or four, have now been reduced to two. Counties that already had a county bonus anterless quota of two or fewer have not changed. The effects of the harvest and EHD will be evaluated after the season and additional changes may be made the following year if necessary.

The Special Antlerless Firearms Season is only allowed in counties marked in green on the county bonus antlerless map. These counties previously had a county bonus antlerless quota of four, but were reduced to a maximum of two.

Annual deer report now online

The 2018 Indiana White-tailed Deer Report is now available online. This year’s publication contains more comprehensive deer data and analyses and includes results from hunter and non-hunter surveys. Data from individual counties can also now be found online.

Watch this video about tree stand safety

Tree stand safety

Tree stand accidents are the number one cause of hunter-related injuries every season. To avoid these accidents, follow these important tree stand safety tips this fall:

Select the proper tree – never hang your stand in a dead or dying tree or a tree that is too big or small for your stand.
Always inspect tree stands before and during the season – inspect the ladder steps and tree stand attachments to make sure everything is tightly secured to the tree.
When using a climbing stand, make sure the two sections of your stand are attached together (safety cord or rope).
Never hunt from a tree stand without a safety harness and safety rope – it only takes one fall to suffer a serious injury.
Be aware of hazardous climbing conditions such as rain, sleet, snow or ice that may result in slipping.
Always have three points of contact to your steps or ladder when climbing or descending – never climb with anything in your hands or attached to your back.
Use a haul line to pull-up and lower your gear; always unload your firearm or bow before pulling them up.
Always let family and friends know where you will be hunting and how long you plan to be out.

These tree stand tips will help make sure you’ll return safely home each and every hunt.

Deer Management Survey

The Deer Management Survey will be available again this year for any hunter and non-hunter who has an Indiana DNR account with a valid email address. This survey allows Indiana DNR to collect information about individual and deer demographics, public opinions on deer management, and deer trends for individual counties to incorporate into deer management decisions.

Buy your license | Where to hunt | Hunting guide

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.