Orange County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Orange County covers 408 square miles around Paoli. Hunters took 2,010 deer here in the 2025 season, 959 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 2% from 2024. 18.7% of Orange County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (47,473 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 forestOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landOrange CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 261,227 acres (408 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,010 (959 antlered, 1,051 antlerless) |
| Public land | 18.7% (48,872 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 3 (47,473 acres inside Orange County) |
| Towns in and near it | Paoli, French Lick, Orleans, Saltillo, Marengo and Livonia |
How many deer are harvested in Orange County?
Hunters took 2,010 deer in Orange County in 2025: 959 antlered and 1,051 antlerless (52% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,010 | 959 | 1,051 |
| 2024 | 1,967 | 925 | 1,042 |
| 2023 | 1,865 | 954 | 911 |
| 2022 | 1,890 | 954 | 936 |
| 2021 | 2,018 | 964 | 1,054 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Orange County.
How much public land is in Orange County?
48,872 of Orange County's 261,227 acres are public land open to the public (18.7%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 47,473 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Orange County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 47,473 | 18.2% |
| National forest | 904 | 0.3% |
| Other DNR land | 435 | 0.2% |
| County, city and regional land | 36 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 24 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 48,872 | 18.7% |
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 Orange County
Properties open to public hunting in Orange County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Hoosier National Forest: 32,385 acres
- Patoka Lake: 14,895 acres
- Harrison-Crawford State Forest: 193 acres
How do you get to Orange County?
Highways through it: US 150 (about 24 miles inside) and IN 337 (about 11 miles inside). Towns inside: Paoli, French Lick, Orleans, West Baden Springs and Prospect. Nearby: Saltillo (on the line), Marengo (2 miles), Livonia (2 miles) and Campbellsburg (2 miles).
Which counties border Orange County?
Orange County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubois County | 2,018 | 2025 | 4.4% |
| Martin County | 991 | 2025 | 8.5% |
| Crawford County | 2,118 | 2025 | 20.2% |
| Lawrence County | 2,381 | 2025 | 6.4% |
| Washington County | 2,616 | 2025 | 5.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Orange County in 2025?
2,010: 959 antlered and 1,051 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,967.
Is there public hunting land in Orange County?
48,872 acres, 18.7% 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) (47,473 acres). The DNR's map shows 3 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Orange 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.
Get a Indiana hunt plan when they open
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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 Dubois County Martin County Crawford County Lawrence County Washington County