Adams County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Adams County covers 340 square miles around Decatur. Hunters took 1,107 deer here in the 2025 season, 514 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 39% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.1% of Adams County is public land open to the public, the largest share county, city and regional land (209 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: the DNR's deer reports, 2021 to 2025. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property layer.
State parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landAdams CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 217,532 acres (340 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,107 (514 antlered, 593 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.1% (251 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Decatur, Berne, Geneva, Vera Cruz, Bryant and Monroeville |
How many deer are harvested in Adams County?
Hunters took 1,107 deer in Adams County in 2025: 514 antlered and 593 antlerless (54% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,107 | 514 | 593 |
| 2024 | 798 | 382 | 416 |
| 2023 | 824 | 370 | 454 |
| 2022 | 781 | 370 | 411 |
| 2021 | 637 | 317 | 320 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Adams County.
How much public land is in Adams County?
251 of Adams County's 217,532 acres are public land open to the public (0.1%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 209 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Adams County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 209 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 40 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 251 | 0.1% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries. Hunting rules differ by manager: properties on the DNR's public hunting map are open under the DNR's rules for each; national forest is open; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; Corps of Engineers lake land is open in many places under each project's own rules; state parks hold only special hunts; city and county land sets its own rules.
How do you get to Adams County?
Highways through it: US 27 (about 19 miles inside), US 33 (about 16 miles inside) and US 224 (about 2 miles inside). Towns inside: Decatur, Berne, Geneva, Monroe, Pleasant Mills and Linn Grove. Nearby: Vera Cruz (on the line), Bryant (2 miles), Monroeville (4 miles) and Ossian (5 miles).
Which counties border Adams County?
Adams County touches 3 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay County | 1,537 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Allen County | 1,932 | 2025 | 1.7% |
| Wells County | 916 | 2025 | 1.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Adams County in 2025?
1,107: 514 antlered and 593 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 798.
Is there public hunting land in Adams County?
251 acres, 0.1% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries, the largest share county, city and regional land (209 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Adams County?
Indiana's statewide limit is 1 antlered and 6 antlerless deer; each county has its own antlerless limit within that, on the DNR's county antlerless bag limit list.
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Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries. DNR properties open to hunting: Indiana DNR properties with public hunting (managed lands layer).
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from the DNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.