Delaware County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Delaware County covers 396 square miles around Yorktown. Hunters took 1,049 deer here in the 2025 season, 542 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 7% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.4% of Delaware County is public land open to the public, the largest share county, city and regional land (2,441 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)State parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landDelaware CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 253,360 acres (396 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,049 (542 antlered, 507 antlerless) |
| Public land | 1.4% (3,580 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Yorktown, Muncie, Eaton, Matthews, Dunkirk and Parker City |
How many deer are harvested in Delaware County?
Hunters took 1,049 deer in Delaware County in 2025: 542 antlered and 507 antlerless (48% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,049 | 542 | 507 |
| 2024 | 978 | 463 | 515 |
| 2023 | 885 | 471 | 414 |
| 2022 | 876 | 422 | 454 |
| 2021 | 733 | 351 | 382 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Delaware County.
How much public land is in Delaware County?
3,580 of Delaware County's 253,360 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 2,441 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Delaware County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 2,441 | 1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 974 | 0.4% |
| Other DNR land | 165 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 3,580 | 1.4% |
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 Delaware County?
Highways through it: US 35 (about 49 miles inside) and I-69 (about 41 miles inside). Towns inside: Yorktown, Muncie, Eaton, Daleville, Albany and Selma. Nearby: Matthews (on the line), Dunkirk (on the line), Parker City (on the line) and Chesterfield (on the line).
Which counties border Delaware County?
Delaware County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jay County | 1,537 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Grant County | 1,220 | 2025 | 0.7% |
| Henry County | 785 | 2025 | 2.2% |
| Madison County | 715 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Randolph County | 941 | 2025 | 0.3% |
| Blackford County | 602 | 2025 | 0% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Delaware County in 2025?
1,049: 542 antlered and 507 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 978.
Is there public hunting land in Delaware County?
3,580 acres, 1.4% 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 (2,441 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Delaware 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 Jay County Grant County Henry County Madison County Randolph County Blackford County