Basics
What do I need to apply?
- A valid hunting license for the species you intend to hunt for that season/equipment.
- A valid email address for confirmation of application submission.
How do I know if my application is complete?
- You will receive a confirmation email sent to the email address you provided.
- After you have submitted your application, PRINT or SAVE your confirmation page. Once you have applied, you can double-check if the application was submitted successfully by logging back into the reserved hunt system. If a hunt choice is still in the drop-down box, you did not successfully apply. The system will not allow you to apply for the same hunt more than once. So, if the hunt shows up in your drop-down box, then you need to apply.
- The website will have you add the hunt you apply for to the "Shopping Cart," and you will be asked to "Check Out" and "Place Order, even though there is no fee. You will need to place your order in the cart to submit your application.
Other Important Information
- Once you have submitted your hunt application, you cannot change it. If you need to update your contact information, you may do so by logging into the reserved hunt system.
Results
- Hunters will be selected through a random computerized drawing.
- An email will be sent to applicants who are drawn, as well as those who are not drawn, once the draw has been completed.
- Results are available within two weeks after the application period has closed.
- To view draw hunt results, go to: https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/portal/#/home and click the link to see the status of your reserved hunt registrations or login to your account and view your Hunt Registrations in your online dashboard. The link from the home page will only show hunts that you registered for when the date of the hunt is still upcoming. Logging in to your account online is required for you to see the full history of your past hunt registrations (previous years).
Hunts Currently Taking Applications
- Applications for the following hunts open August 22 and close September 23:
- Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) Waterfowl:
- Fish & Wildlife areas participating include Goose Pond, Hovey Lake, Kankakee, Kingsbury, and LaSalle. Province Pond Wetland Conservation Area (managed by J.E. Roush Lake FWA) will also be participating. Hunt dates vary by property and can be seen when applying. Drawn hunters may bring up to two hunting partners with them.
- Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) Deer:
- Deer Creek and Fairbanks Landing FWAs will host reserved firearm hunts. Hunters can apply for the hunt date of Nov. 12-13 for either property. Additional hunt dates of Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 16-19 are available for Deer Creek FWA. Drawn hunters may bring one additional hunting partner with them.
- Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Deer:
- IPLA deer hunts will begin Oct. 1, additional hunt dates and locations can be seen when applying. Drawn hunters may bring one non-hunting partner with them.
- State Park Deer
- State Parks participating in draw hunts include Brown County, Chain O’Lakes, Charlestown, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, and Whitewater Memorial. Trine State Recreation Area and Cave River Valley Natural Area are also participating. Hunters can choose to apply for the hunt dates of Nov. 14-15 or Nov. 28-29. Hunters may list up to two other hunters for each hunt period and must list their names when applying. State Park deer hunts are only open to those 18 years of age or older who have an Indiana resident or lifetime hunting licenses. Visit the Natural Areas Management page to learn more about state park management hunts.
- Military and National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Deer:
- Properties participating include Big Oaks NWR and Muscatatuck NWR. A variety of hunt types (firearms, muzzleloader, archery) are available. Hunt dates vary by property and may be assigned. Drawn hunters may bring one hunting partner with them.
- Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Game Bird:
- IPLA game bird hunts will begin on Nov. 1. Hunt dates and locations can be seen when applying. Drawn hunters may bring two hunting partners with them.
- November Gamebird Habitat Area (GBA) Pheasant:
- Hunters may choose from a variety of dates in November. Hunters will be assigned to a Fish & Wildlife-managed Gamebird Habitat Area. Drawn hunters may bring two hunting partners with them. Youth hunting opportunities will also be available. These are not put/take pheasant hunts
- Put/Take Pheasant Hunts begin the Saturday before Thanksgiving and continue through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This year, the Put/Take Pheasant Hunt dates will be Nov. 19–27. Registration costs $30 per slot and is first-come, first-served. Once the daily hunter quota is reached, the area becomes unavailable. Hunters should print their registration confirmation sheet and bring it with them on the day of their hunts. The bag limit is two pheasants per person per day.
- The Fish & Wildlife areas participating in the Put/Take Pheasant Hunts are Atterbury FWA, Glendale FWA, J.E. Roush Lake FWA, Pigeon River FWA, Tri-County FWA, Willow Slough FWA, and Winamac FWA.
- December Gamebird Habitat Area (GBA) Pheasant:
- Hunters may choose from a variety of hunt dates in December. Hunters will be assigned to a Fish & Wildlife-managed Gamebird Habitat Area. Drawn hunters may bring two hunting partners with them. These are not put/take pheasant hunts.
- Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Hunts:
- IPLA will offer reserve hunts for rabbit on private lands. Hunt dates and location will be seen while applying.
- Camp Atterbury (National Guard property) has decided to not allocate deer hunting opportunities through the Indiana DNR reservation system. Details on how to apply to hunt deer at Camp Atterbury. Email questions to ng.in.inarng.mbx.hunting-program@army.mil or call 812-5261499, ext. 61375.
- Big Walnut Natural Area - Archery Only
Hunt draw for Big Walnut Nature Preserve and Natural Areas; Putnam County. In-person draw will be on Thursday, July 21 at 10 a.m. ET in the north parking lot of North Putnam High School, 8905 N Co Rd 250 E, Roachdale, IN 46172. Please show up early for draw registration. Firearms are not allowed on school property. Applicants must possess a license to hunt deer to apply. Contact Andrew Reuter at areuter@dnr.IN.gov for additional information.
Available dates:- Archery Use Only Season
- Oct. 15 – Dec. 18, 2022
- 10 individuals drawn
- Portland Arch Nature Preserve - Archery Use Only:
Hunt draw for Portland Arch Nature Preserve and Natural Areas; Fountain County. In-person draw will be on Thursday, July 21 at 1:30 p.m. ET in the main parking lot of Fountain Central Middle School, 750 East US Highway 136, Veedersburg, IN 47987. Please show up early for draw registration. Please park near the tennis courts. Firearms are not allowed on school property. Applicants must possess a license to hunt deer in order to apply. Contact Andrew Reuter at areuter@dnr.IN.gov for additional information.
Available dates:- Archery Use Only Season
- Oct. 15 – Dec. 18, 2022
- 10 individuals drawn
- Buss Conservation Area - Archery Use Only:
Hunt draw for Buss Conservation Area; White County. In-person draw will be on Tuesday, July 26 at 11 a.m. ET in the parking area of the Buss Conservation Area, White County. Coordinates are as follows: 40.847211, -86.774435. Closest address is a private property located directly south of the parking area, 6439 N W Shafer Dr., Monticello, IN 47960. DO NOT pull onto private property. Please show up early for draw registration. Applicants must possess a license to hunt deer to apply. Contact Andrew Reuter at areuter@dnr.IN.gov for additional information.
Available dates:- Archery Use Only Season
- Oct. 15 – Dec. 18, 2022
- 7 individuals drawn for archery use during above listed dates at BCA
- Tern Bar Slough WDCA in Gibson County will host reserved deer hunts during youth, archery, firearms, and muzzleloader seasons. An in-person draw will be held at Sugar Ridge FWA on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. ET to allocate draw dates. Please call the Sugar Ridge FWA office for additional details 812-789-2724.
Registrations for the Put/Take Pheasant Hunts open Sept. 14 at 7 a.m. ET and continue to the end of the Put/Take Hunt period.
Applications for the following hunts open October 3 and close October 31:
*Gamebird Habitat Area (GBA) pheasant hunts have been broken out into two separate online draws for 2022. The Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) has made this change to allow people to apply to GBA pheasant hunts closer to the actual hunt dates. By making this change, DFW hopes to improve no-show rates (rate at which people who apply for a hunt and get drawn and do not show up for their hunt) of GBA pheasant hunts.
Additional hunting opportunities:
Frequently Asked Questions
- When I enter my Customer ID number and date of birth, the system doesn’t recognize me.
Verify that the information is correct. If your date of birth is not correct on your license, then it is not correct in the system. Please email INHuntFish@dnr.IN.gov or call DNR Customer Service at 317- 232-4200 or toll-free at 877-463-6367 to have the information corrected.
- The system is asking me to place an order for a draw hunt application but there is no cost.
The same process is used for hunts with a fee and for hunts with no fee. Even if there is no fee, the website will still have you add the hunt to the “Shopping Cart,” and you’ll be asked to “check out” and “place order.” Hunts with no fee will simply skip the payment step. The website will allow you to place multiple hunt registrations in the cart and check out all at once.
- I don’t know if I have applied for a hunt. How do I verify?
Click the link that says “to see the status of your registered hunts, click here” on the Reserved Hunts tile at: https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/portal/#/home. You will then be asked to enter your Customer ID and date of birth. Your Customer ID is printed on your license. If you have a lifetime license and don’t know your Customer ID, click the button next to “I don’t know my Customer ID” and enter your last name and one of the four identifiers listed on the screen. If you need assistance, please contact DNR Customer Service at 317-232-4200 or toll-free at 877-463-6367 or email INHuntFish@dnr.IN.gov.
- Will the system allow me to register for the same hunt more than once?
No. The system will not let you apply for the same hunt more than once. So, if a hunt is listed in the choices, then proceed with the application process.
- I entered my Customer ID number and date of birth, but I don’t see any hunts on the Hunt Registration page. What do I do?
Check to make sure you have the proper license that is required for the species you intend to hunt. If you have the correct license and you still do not see any hunts, check to make sure that the application deadline has not passed.
- When will the results for the hunts be posted?
Typically, the draw hunt results will be posted online approximately two weeks (or less) after the application deadline has passed. Sign up for Wild Bulletin to receive emails with the latest news regarding the reserved hunts, and other important fishing, hunting, and wildlife information.
- Where do I find out if I was drawn for a hunt?
Draw results will be posted online along with all the information you will need to participate in the hunt if you were successfully drawn. To view draw hunt results, visit https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/portal/#/home and click the link to see the status of your reserved hunt registrations or login to your account and view your Hunt Registrations in your online dashboard.
- I tried to view my draw results and I got the message "Not Found" What do I do now?
Verify that you typed your Customer ID number and date of birth correctly. Make sure you have a confirmation number (Hunt Registration ID) or confirmation email for the hunt. If you don't have a confirmation number or email, it is likely that you didn't successfully submit your application. If you have a confirmation number or email, and you do not see any results for your name, call DNR Customer Service at 317-232-4200 or toll-free at 877-463-6367.
- There are no results listed under my name for a hunt. What do I do now?
Make sure you have a confirmation number (Hunt Registration ID) or confirmation email for the hunt. If you don't have a confirmation number or email, it is likely that you didn't successfully submit your application. If you have a confirmation number or email, and you do not see any results for your name, call DNR Customer Service at 317-232-4200 or toll-free at 877-463-6367.