Dearborn County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Dearborn County covers 307 square miles around St. Leon. Hunters took 1,905 deer here in the 2025 season, 844 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 9% from 2024. 0.6% of Dearborn County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (961 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 landLand trusts and other open landDearborn CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 196,740 acres (307 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,905 (844 antlered, 1,061 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.6% (1,234 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | St. Leon, Greendale, Lawrenceburg, Sunman, Milan and Cedar Grove |
How many deer are harvested in Dearborn County?
Hunters took 1,905 deer in Dearborn County in 2025: 844 antlered and 1,061 antlerless (56% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,905 | 844 | 1,061 |
| 2024 | 1,749 | 808 | 941 |
| 2023 | 1,726 | 811 | 915 |
| 2022 | 1,980 | 868 | 1,112 |
| 2021 | 2,173 | 1,002 | 1,171 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Dearborn County.
How much public land is in Dearborn County?
1,234 of Dearborn County's 196,740 acres are public land open to the public (0.6%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 961 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Dearborn County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 961 | 0.5% |
| County, city and regional land | 200 | 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 73 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,234 | 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.
How do you get to Dearborn County?
Highways through it: US 50 (about 47 miles inside), I-74 (about 28 miles inside), I-275 (about 7 miles inside) and US 52 (about 3 miles inside). Towns inside: St. Leon, Greendale, Lawrenceburg, Aurora, Dillsboro and Moores Hill. Nearby: Sunman (on the line), Milan (on the line), Cedar Grove (3 miles) and Rising Sun (5 miles).
Which counties border Dearborn County?
Dearborn County touches 3 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio County | 502 | 2025 | 0% |
| Ripley County | 1,276 | 2025 | 11.1% |
| Franklin County | 2,108 | 2025 | 4.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Dearborn County in 2025?
1,905: 844 antlered and 1,061 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,749.
Is there public hunting land in Dearborn County?
1,234 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 land trusts and other open land (961 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Dearborn 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.