Franklin County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Franklin County covers 391 square miles around Brookville. Hunters took 2,108 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,038 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 26% from 2024. 4.1% of Franklin County is public land open to the public, the largest share federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (6,774 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)Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landFranklin CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 250,345 acres (391 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,108 (1,038 antlered, 1,070 antlerless) |
| Public land | 4.1% (10,139 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 1 (2,735 acres inside Franklin County) |
| Towns in and near it | Brookville, Oldenburg, Laurel, St. Leon, Batesville and New Point |
How many deer are harvested in Franklin County?
Hunters took 2,108 deer in Franklin County in 2025: 1,038 antlered and 1,070 antlerless (51% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,108 | 1,038 | 1,070 |
| 2024 | 1,667 | 928 | 739 |
| 2023 | 1,081 | 790 | 291 |
| 2022 | 1,408 | 685 | 723 |
| 2021 | 2,476 | 1,135 | 1,341 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Franklin County.
How much public land is in Franklin County?
10,139 of Franklin County's 250,345 acres are public land open to the public (4.1%). The biggest share is federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes: 6,774 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Franklin County |
|---|---|---|
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 6,774 | 2.7% |
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 2,735 | 1.1% |
| Other DNR land | 253 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 229 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 148 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 10,139 | 4.1% |
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.
Properties open to public hunting in Franklin County
Properties open to public hunting in Franklin County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Brookville Lake: 2,735 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Brookville Recreation Area (9,499 acres).
How do you get to Franklin County?
Highways through it: US 52 (about 30 miles inside) and I-74 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Brookville, Oldenburg, Laurel, Cedar Grove, Mount Carmel and Blooming Grove. Nearby: St. Leon (on the line), Batesville (on the line), New Point (2 miles) and West College Corner (3 miles).
Which counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush County | 426 | 2025 | 0% |
| Union County | 676 | 2025 | 8.8% |
| Ripley County | 1,276 | 2025 | 11.1% |
| Decatur County | 593 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Fayette County | 831 | 2025 | 0.2% |
| Dearborn County | 1,905 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Franklin County in 2025?
2,108: 1,038 antlered and 1,070 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,667.
Is there public hunting land in Franklin County?
10,139 acres, 4.1% 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 federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes (6,774 acres). The DNR's map shows 1 property open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Franklin 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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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Indiana included.
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 Rush County Union County Ripley County Decatur County Fayette County Dearborn County