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Blackford County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land

Blackford County covers 166 square miles around Hartford City. Hunters took 602 deer here in the 2025 season, 268 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 3% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. Almost none of Blackford County is public land (USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries), so most hunting here is on private land with permission.

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.

Map of Indiana's Blackford County: public land by manager, the counties around it; towns: Hartford City, Montpelier, Shamrock Lakes, Dunkirk and Matthews

County, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landBlackford CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway

Blackford County at a glance
Size105,990 acres (166 square miles)
Deer taken, 2025602 (268 antlered, 334 antlerless)
Public land0% (39 acres)
Public hunting propertiesNone mapped
Towns in and near itHartford City, Montpelier, Shamrock Lakes, Dunkirk, Matthews and Pennville

How many deer are harvested in Blackford County?

Hunters took 602 deer in Blackford County in 2025: 268 antlered and 334 antlerless (55% antlerless).

SeasonDeer takenAntleredAntlerless
2025602268334
2024583259324
2023506232274
2022511235276
2021399181218

Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Blackford County.

How much public land is in Blackford County?

39 of Blackford County's 105,990 acres are public land open to the public (0%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 39 acres.

ManagerAcresShare of Blackford County
County, city and regional land39under 0.1%
All public land open to the public39under 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 Blackford County?

No numbered highway crosses it. Towns inside: Hartford City, Montpelier, Shamrock Lakes, Roll and Millgrove. Nearby: Dunkirk (on the line), Matthews (3 miles), Pennville (3 miles) and Upland (3 miles).

Which counties border Blackford County?

Blackford County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:

CountyDeer harvestedYearPublic land
Jay County1,53720250.1%
Grant County1,22020250.7%
Wells County91620251.2%
Delaware County1,04920251.4%

Questions hunters ask

How many deer were harvested in Blackford County in 2025?

602: 268 antlered and 334 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 583.

Is there public hunting land in Blackford County?

39 acres, 0% 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 (39 acres).

What is the deer bag limit in Blackford 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

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 Jay County Grant County Wells County Delaware County