All Things Deer
All Things Deer will prepare you for the 2020-21 Indiana Deer Hunting Season.
 Learn about new hunting regulations, season dates, and bag limits in the 2020-21 Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide.
More information about deer hunting and biology can be found here.
 Bonus antlerless quotas
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The County Bonus Antlerless Quotas are set for the 2020-2021 hunting season. The quotas remain low this year in response to the major epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) outbreak that occurred in 2019. Find out more about bonus antlerless regulations and check the quota for your county.
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Plan ahead for processing
Due to COVID-19 precautions, some Indiana deer processors may have adjusted hours or may not be taking deer at all this fall. Indiana DNR recommends hunters plan ahead and contact their processor before taking a deer to them. Contact a processor in your area.
If your processor is closed this year, consider processing your deer yourself. Learn more about skinning, butchering, and preparing your meat at deer.dnr.IN.gov under Field to Freezer: Meat Preparation.
Special antlerless firearms season
Survey data and research studies show that the Special Antlerless Firearms season is a popular opportunity that does not significantly impact harvest. Data indicates harvest during this special season is within normal annual variation, which may be affected by the number of hunters and weather.
Historically, the late season was available only in counties with a County Bonus Antlerless Quota of 4 or more. Indiana DNR will retain this hunting opportunity in 2020-21 despite lowering all county quotas to less than 4. For the 2020-21 season, the Special Antlerless Firearms season will be open in all counties except those with a county bonus antlerless quota designation of “A”.
Indiana DNR is interested in hearing your opinions about this temporary regulation change. For more information about how the decision was made or to tell us your thoughts, visit our website. (click the map for a larger version)
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 Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) update
In 2019, Indiana’s deer herd experienced a major epizootic hemorrhagic disease outbreak. Sick and dead deer potentially infected with EHD were reported in 85 counties. Indiana DNR responded by lowering the County Bonus Antlerless Quotas to 2 or less in all counties. County quotas will be low again this year to provide relief for those counties that were significantly impacted.
Tell Indiana DNR about sick and dead deer displaying signs of EHD, including swelling around the head and neck, weakness, or excessive salivation. Deer found dead in or around water should also be reported. Report a dead or sick deer online.
 Report a sick or dead deer
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The public may report sick or dead deer to Indiana DNR online through the Sick or Dead Wildlife Report. These reports are sent directly to an Indiana 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 wildlife health over time, detect outbreak events (such as the recent EHD outbreak), and identify areas for disease surveillance.
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 Chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance
Indiana DNR is conducting targeted surveillance for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance in northwest and northeast Indiana during the 2020-21 deer hunting season. Hunters may voluntarily submit samples for testing at select fish & wildlife areas (FWAs) and state fish hatcheries (SFHs) throughout the hunting season. Deer heads can be dropped into designated coolers at select FWAs and SFHs, or hunters may make an appointment for their harvested deer to be sampled by a biologist during office hours. The 2020-21 sampling locations and their hours of operation are listed on the website. Indiana DNR biologists will intensively sample hunter-harvested deer at local businesses in the surveillance areas during three weekends: Nov. 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22.
Hunters interested in testing a deer for CWD that was harvested outside the CWD surveillance areas may take their deer to select FWAs and SFHs as well. Alternatively, hunters may independently submit their deer to the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (ADDL) for testing for a fee. Hunters should complete the submission form and follow the shipping instructions on Purdue ADDL’s website.
Hunters who submit a deer for CWD testing will receive a metal tag reminiscent of Indiana’s historical deer harvest confirmation process.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) surveillance
Indiana DNR will not conduct intensive surveillance for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) during the 2020-21 deer hunting season; however, Indiana DNR will still sample deer if they are reported to exhibit signs of bTB. Hunters should continue to inspect the chest cavity of harvested deer for lesions and contact an Indiana State Board of Animal Health veterinarian if lesions are found.
To contact the State Board of Animal Health, call 877-747-3038 or visit boah.IN.gov.
Annual deer report now online
The 2019 Indiana White-tailed Deer Report is now available online. Along with harvest and disease surveillance summaries, this year’s publication contains Indiana DNR’s evaluations of the high-powered rifle law, Special Antlerless Firearms season, and peak rut. |
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 Rut map for Indiana
Researchers from Indiana DNR used deer-vehicle collisions to develop a peak rut dates map based on a technique pioneered by researchers in Georgia. The technique uses peak collisions with deer to estimate the movements associated with both high numbers of deer-vehicles collisions and the rut. This is the first map produced for Indiana on a statewide basis that provides an estimate for the peak rut dates.
For more information about how this map was developed, read the 2019 Indiana White-tailed Deer Report.
 After Hunt Survey – Share your experience
The After Hunt Survey was created in 2017 to collect biological information on harvested deer and to evaluate the hunters’ experiences. The survey will be available again for the 2020-2021 deer season. Any successful hunter may complete the online survey immediately after checking in their deer online or at a later date by signing up on our website. Greater participation in this survey is needed to collect sufficient information to use in managing deer at the county level.
Deer Management Survey
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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. The 2021 Deer Management Survey will be emailed in early 2021. If you would like to receive a survey, please make sure your email address is current or create an account on our website.
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About Fish and Wildlife Management in Indiana
Fish and wildlife management and public access are funded by fishing and hunting license revenue and also through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. These programs collect excise taxes on sporting arms and ammunition, archery equipment, fishing equipment, and motor boat fuels. The money is distributed among state fish and wildlife agencies based on land size and the number of licensed anglers and hunters in each state. Find out more information about fish and wildlife management in Indiana at Wildlife.IN.gov.
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