Changes to Indiana’s deer hunting regulations in 2026
- Muzzleloaders that allow the powder and primer to be loaded from the breech end are now legal to use in the muzzleloader season. They are still allowed in the youth and firearms seasons as well.
- County Antlerless changes for this year:
- Bartholomew County reduced to two (2)
- Franklin County increased to three (3)
- Fayette County increased to three (3)
- Jennings County reduced to one (1)
- Jackson County reduced to two (2)
- Jefferson County reduced to two (2)
- Martin County reduced to one (1)
- Porter County reduced to two (2)
- Scott County reduced to two (2)
- Switzerland County reduced to two (2)
- There is no Porter County reduction zone, which is the same as last year.
For more information on these new regulations, check out the Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide.
2026-2027 Deer Seasons
- Reduction Zone: Sept. 15, 2026 - Jan. 31, 2027 (where open)
- Youth Season: Sept. 26 & 27, 2026
- Archery: Oct. 1, 2026 - Jan. 3, 2027
- Firearms: Nov. 14 - Nov. 29, 2026
- Muzzleloader: Dec. 5-20, 2026
Deer Infoline
Email or call 812-334-3795, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, Monday-Friday.
Living With Deer
Daily Reported Deer Harvest
Harvest numbers are updated daily with information from game check system. Numbers are raw data that have not yet be verified by Indiana DNR.
