Jennings County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Jennings County covers 378 square miles around North Vernon. Hunters took 830 deer here in the 2025 season, 370 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is down 46% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 7.7% of Jennings County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (16,053 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 refugesState parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landJennings CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 242,159 acres (378 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 830 (370 antlered, 460 antlerless) |
| Public land | 7.7% (18,759 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 4 (16,054 acres inside Jennings County) |
| Towns in and near it | North Vernon, Vernon, Country Squire Lakes, Elizabethtown, Dupont and Millhousen |
How many deer are harvested in Jennings County?
Hunters took 830 deer in Jennings County in 2025: 370 antlered and 460 antlerless (55% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 830 | 370 | 460 |
| 2024 | 1,545 | 734 | 811 |
| 2023 | 1,563 | 728 | 835 |
| 2022 | 1,583 | 660 | 923 |
| 2021 | 1,679 | 783 | 896 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Jennings County.
How much public land is in Jennings County?
18,759 of Jennings County's 242,159 acres are public land open to the public (7.7%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 16,053 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Jennings County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 16,053 | 6.6% |
| Other DNR land | 2,195 | 0.9% |
| County, city and regional land | 345 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 151 | 0.1% |
| National wildlife refuges | 15 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 18,759 | 7.7% |
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.
Properties open to public hunting in Jennings County
Properties open to public hunting in Jennings County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge: 8,433 acres
- Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area: 4,202 acres
- Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: 3,068 acres
- Selmier State Forest: 351 acres
How do you get to Jennings County?
Highways through it: US 50 (about 21 miles inside) and IN 750 (about 4 miles inside). Towns inside: North Vernon, Vernon, Country Squire Lakes, Hayden, Scipio and Paris Crossing. Nearby: Elizabethtown (on the line), Dupont (on the line), Millhousen (on the line) and Crothersville (3 miles).
Which counties border Jennings County?
Jennings County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott County | 539 | 2025 | 9.1% |
| Ripley County | 1,276 | 2025 | 11.1% |
| Decatur County | 593 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Jackson County | 1,232 | 2025 | 11.8% |
| Jefferson County | 1,219 | 2025 | 9.1% |
| Bartholomew County | 850 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Jennings County in 2025?
830: 370 antlered and 460 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,545.
Is there public hunting land in Jennings County?
18,759 acres, 7.7% 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 properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (16,053 acres). The DNR's map shows 4 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Jennings 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 Scott County Ripley County Decatur County Jackson County Jefferson County Bartholomew County