Bartholomew County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Bartholomew County covers 410 square miles around Columbus. Hunters took 850 deer here in the 2025 season, 415 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is down 19% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 0.6% of Bartholomew County is public land open to the public, the largest share other DNR land (711 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.
Properties open to public hunting (DNR map)Other DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landBartholomew CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 262,092 acres (410 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 850 (415 antlered, 435 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.6% (1,516 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 1 (161 acres inside Bartholomew County) |
| Towns in and near it | Columbus, Hope, Hartsville, Edinburgh, Prince's Lakes and Trafalgar |
How many deer are harvested in Bartholomew County?
Hunters took 850 deer in Bartholomew County in 2025: 415 antlered and 435 antlerless (51% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 850 | 415 | 435 |
| 2024 | 1,055 | 495 | 560 |
| 2023 | 1,078 | 523 | 555 |
| 2022 | 908 | 451 | 457 |
| 2021 | 921 | 437 | 484 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Bartholomew County.
How much public land is in Bartholomew County?
1,516 of Bartholomew County's 262,092 acres are public land open to the public (0.6%). The biggest share is other DNR land: 711 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Bartholomew County |
|---|---|---|
| Other DNR land | 711 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 521 | 0.2% |
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 161 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 123 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,516 | 0.6% |
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.
Properties open to public hunting in Bartholomew County
Properties open to public hunting in Bartholomew County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Grouse Ridge Public Fishing Area: 161 acres
How do you get to Bartholomew County?
Highways through it: I-65 (about 45 miles inside) and US 31 (about 31 miles inside). Towns inside: Columbus, Hope, Hartsville, Elizabethtown, Jonesville and Clifford. Nearby: Edinburgh (on the line), Prince's Lakes (on the line), Trafalgar (6 miles) and Westport (6 miles).
Which counties border Bartholomew County?
Bartholomew County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 1,400 | 2025 | 33.7% |
| Shelby County | 567 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Decatur County | 593 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Jackson County | 1,232 | 2025 | 11.8% |
| Johnson County | 650 | 2025 | 3% |
| Jennings County | 830 | 2025 | 7.7% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Bartholomew County in 2025?
850: 415 antlered and 435 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,055.
Is there public hunting land in Bartholomew County?
1,516 acres, 0.6% 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 other DNR land (711 acres). The DNR's map shows 1 property open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Bartholomew 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.
Indiana hunting Brown County Shelby County Decatur County Jackson County Johnson County Jennings County