Elkhart County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Elkhart County covers 468 square miles around Elkhart. Hunters took 2,178 deer here in the 2025 season, 925 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 11% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 1.4% of Elkhart County is public land open to the public, the largest share county, city and regional land (2,219 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 landElkhart CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 299,436 acres (468 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,178 (925 antlered, 1,253 antlerless) |
| Public land | 1.4% (4,089 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Elkhart, Goshen, Bristol, Osceola, Syracuse and Milford |
How many deer are harvested in Elkhart County?
Hunters took 2,178 deer in Elkhart County in 2025: 925 antlered and 1,253 antlerless (58% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,178 | 925 | 1,253 |
| 2024 | 1,954 | 831 | 1,123 |
| 2023 | 1,899 | 851 | 1,048 |
| 2022 | 1,906 | 829 | 1,077 |
| 2021 | 1,498 | 677 | 821 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Elkhart County.
How much public land is in Elkhart County?
4,089 of Elkhart County's 299,436 acres are public land open to the public (1.4%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 2,219 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Elkhart County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 2,219 | 0.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,564 | 0.5% |
| Other DNR land | 306 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 4,089 | 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 Elkhart County?
Highways through it: I-90 (about 42 miles inside), I-80 (about 42 miles inside), US 20 (about 35 miles inside), US 33 (about 29 miles inside) and US 6 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Elkhart, Goshen, Bristol, Nappanee, Middlebury and Wakarusa. Nearby: Osceola (on the line), Syracuse (on the line), Milford (on the line) and Ligonier (3 miles).
Which counties border Elkhart County?
Elkhart County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 2,883 | 2025 | 2.5% |
| LaGrange County | 3,079 | 2025 | 4.2% |
| Marshall County | 2,665 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| Kosciusko County | 2,718 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| St. Joseph County | 1,448 | 2025 | 3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Elkhart County in 2025?
2,178: 925 antlered and 1,253 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,954.
Is there public hunting land in Elkhart County?
4,089 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 (2,219 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Elkhart 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 Noble County LaGrange County Marshall County Kosciusko County St. Joseph County