LaPorte County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
LaPorte County covers 604 square miles around Michigan City. Hunters took 2,204 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,001 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 7% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 3.1% of LaPorte County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (8,843 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 park landState parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landLaPorte CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 386,518 acres (604 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,204 (1,001 antlered, 1,203 antlerless) |
| Public land | 3.1% (11,897 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 7 (8,841 acres inside LaPorte County) |
| Towns in and near it | Michigan City, La Porte, Westville, New Carlisle, Town of Pines and Walkerton |
How many deer are harvested in LaPorte County?
Hunters took 2,204 deer in LaPorte County in 2025: 1,001 antlered and 1,203 antlerless (55% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,204 | 1,001 | 1,203 |
| 2024 | 2,069 | 944 | 1,125 |
| 2023 | 1,986 | 901 | 1,085 |
| 2022 | 1,994 | 963 | 1,031 |
| 2021 | 1,710 | 758 | 952 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), LaPorte County.
How much public land is in LaPorte County?
11,897 of LaPorte County's 386,518 acres are public land open to the public (3.1%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 8,843 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of LaPorte County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 8,843 | 2.3% |
| Other DNR land | 1,349 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 948 | 0.2% |
| National park land | 612 | 0.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 145 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 11,897 | 3.1% |
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 LaPorte County
Properties open to public hunting in LaPorte County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area: 6,611 acres
- Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area: 1,391 acres
- Fish Lake Wetland Conservation Area: 239 acres
- Dick Blythe Wetland Conservation Area: 194 acres
- Kankakee Meanderlands Wetland Conservation Area: 176 acres
- Galena Marsh Wetland Conservation Area: 121 acres
- Sprig Slough Wetland Conservation Area: 109 acres
How do you get to LaPorte County?
Highways through it: I-90 (about 49 miles inside), I-80 (about 49 miles inside), US 35 (about 40 miles inside), US 421 (about 31 miles inside) and US 20 (about 26 miles inside). Towns inside: Michigan City, La Porte, Westville, Wanatah, Trail Creek and Long Beach. Nearby: New Carlisle (on the line), Town of Pines (on the line), Walkerton (2 miles) and Beverly Shores (2 miles).
Which counties border LaPorte County?
LaPorte County touches 4 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasper County | 1,519 | 2025 | 2% |
| Porter County | 794 | 2025 | 5.7% |
| Starke County | 2,013 | 2025 | 2.2% |
| St. Joseph County | 1,448 | 2025 | 3% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in LaPorte County in 2025?
2,204: 1,001 antlered and 1,203 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 2,069.
Is there public hunting land in LaPorte County?
11,897 acres, 3.1% 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 properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (8,843 acres). The DNR's map shows 7 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in LaPorte 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 Jasper County Porter County Starke County St. Joseph County