Howard County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Howard County covers 294 square miles around Kokomo. Hunters took 590 deer here in the 2025 season, 313 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 21% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.7% of Howard County is public land open to the public, the largest share land trusts and other open land (854 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.
Other DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landHoward CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 188,095 acres (294 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 590 (313 antlered, 277 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.7% (1,348 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Kokomo, Greentown, Russiaville, Converse, Galveston and Burlington |
How many deer are harvested in Howard County?
Hunters took 590 deer in Howard County in 2025: 313 antlered and 277 antlerless (47% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 590 | 313 | 277 |
| 2024 | 488 | 246 | 242 |
| 2023 | 498 | 242 | 256 |
| 2022 | 506 | 262 | 244 |
| 2021 | 405 | 205 | 200 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Howard County.
How much public land is in Howard County?
1,348 of Howard County's 188,095 acres are public land open to the public (0.7%). The biggest share is land trusts and other open land: 854 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Howard County |
|---|---|---|
| Land trusts and other open land | 854 | 0.5% |
| County, city and regional land | 415 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 79 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 1,348 | 0.7% |
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 Howard County?
Highways through it: US 35 (about 26 miles inside) and US 31 (about 25 miles inside). Towns inside: Kokomo, Greentown, Russiaville, Center, Cassville and West Middleton. Nearby: Converse (on the line), Galveston (on the line), Burlington (on the line) and Sharpsville (2 miles).
Which counties border Howard County?
Howard County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 1,607 | 2025 | 0.3% |
| Grant County | 1,220 | 2025 | 0.7% |
| Miami County | 1,750 | 2025 | 0.9% |
| Tipton County | 213 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Carroll County | 1,281 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Clinton County | 557 | 2025 | 0% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Howard County in 2025?
590: 313 antlered and 277 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 488.
Is there public hunting land in Howard County?
1,348 acres, 0.7% 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 (854 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Howard 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 Cass County Grant County Miami County Tipton County Carroll County Clinton County