Gibson County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Gibson County covers 499 square miles around Princeton. Hunters took 1,273 deer here in the 2025 season, 667 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is down 1% from 2024. 2.5% of Gibson County is public land open to the public, the largest share other DNR land (3,865 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)National wildlife refugesOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landGibson CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 319,462 acres (499 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,273 (667 antlered, 606 antlerless) |
| Public land | 2.5% (7,897 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 2 (3,013 acres inside Gibson County) |
| Towns in and near it | Princeton, Patoka, Fort Branch, Lynnville, Decker and Cynthiana |
How many deer are harvested in Gibson County?
Hunters took 1,273 deer in Gibson County in 2025: 667 antlered and 606 antlerless (48% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,273 | 667 | 606 |
| 2024 | 1,287 | 642 | 645 |
| 2023 | 1,246 | 625 | 621 |
| 2022 | 1,276 | 648 | 628 |
| 2021 | 1,154 | 541 | 613 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Gibson County.
How much public land is in Gibson County?
7,897 of Gibson County's 319,462 acres are public land open to the public (2.5%). The biggest share is other DNR land: 3,865 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Gibson County |
|---|---|---|
| Other DNR land | 3,865 | 1.2% |
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 3,013 | 0.9% |
| National wildlife refuges | 657 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 291 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 71 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,897 | 2.5% |
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 Gibson County
Properties open to public hunting in Gibson County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge: 2,926 acres
- Pike State Forest: 87 acres
How do you get to Gibson County?
Highways through it: US 41 (about 48 miles inside), I-69 (about 35 miles inside) and I-64 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Princeton, Patoka, Fort Branch, Oakland City, Haubstadt and Francisco. Nearby: Lynnville (on the line), Decker (on the line), Cynthiana (on the line) and Elberfeld (on the line).
Which counties border Gibson County?
Gibson County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 1,046 | 2025 | 0.4% |
| Pike County | 1,482 | 2025 | 9.5% |
| Posey County | 1,273 | 2025 | 4.6% |
| Warrick County | 1,254 | 2025 | 3.5% |
| Vanderburgh County | 736 | 2025 | 1.1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Gibson County in 2025?
1,273: 667 antlered and 606 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,287.
Is there public hunting land in Gibson County?
7,897 acres, 2.5% 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 other DNR land (3,865 acres). The DNR's map shows 2 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Gibson 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 Knox County Pike County Posey County Warrick County Vanderburgh County