Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area is 2,181 acres open to public hunting in Clay County, next to Staunton, managed by the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife. Hunters took 1,349 deer in Clay County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: the DNR's DNR property open to hunting data, read 2026-10. Harvest: Indiana DNR deer reports, 2021 to 2025.
Properties open to public hunting (DNR map)Other DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landChinook Fish and Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,181 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Clay County |
| Deer harvest unit | Clay County |
| DNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Quail, Rabbit, Squirrel, Woodcock and Waterfowl |
| Managed by | the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife |
| DNR contact | Deer Creek FWA 765-653-0453 |
| Hunter check-in (DNR) | Required: self-serve |
| Nearest towns | Staunton (next to it), Cloverland (2 mi) and Seelyville (2 mi) |
What can you hunt on Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
In the DNR's words: Deer, turkey, quail, rabbit, squirrel, woodcock, waterfowl, trapping, and fishing.
What are the rules on Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
Antlerless deer may not be taken with a firearm during the firearms season on DNR Fish and Wildlife properties and at Mississinewa, Patoka and Salamonie lakes (DNR).
Hunters must check in at the property; the DNR's property page says how.
Indiana's statewide bag limit is 1 antlered and 6 antlerless deer, within each county's antlerless limit (DNR).
How many deer are taken around Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area lies in Clay County. Hunters took 1,349 deer in Clay County in 2025, against 1,323 in 2024.
| County | Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 2,181 | 1,349 | 1,323 | 1,209 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the property alone: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4).
How do you get to Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Staunton (next to it), Cloverland (2 miles), Seelyville (2 miles) and Billtown (2 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-70, US 40, IN 46 and IN 340.
What other public land is near Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
Properties open to public hunting within 10 miles:
- Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area: 3,710 acres, 9.6 miles away
- HRI Wabash River: 564 acres, 9.7 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area
Counting Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area itself, 2,204 of the 39,387 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.6%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 2,181 |
| Other DNR land | 20 |
| County, city and regional land | 3 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
In Clay County, next to Staunton.
What can you hunt on Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
The DNR lists: Deer, turkey, quail, rabbit, squirrel, woodcock, waterfowl, trapping, and fishing.
How much public land is around Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area?
2,204 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries. The closest other public hunting property is Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area (9.6 miles).
Get a Indiana hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Indiana are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Indiana included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Chinook Fish and Wildlife Area; Indiana DNR properties with public hunting (managed lands layer).
- Boundary and acres: the DNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries.
- Deer harvest: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4).
FilledTag is not part of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Check the DNR's rules and posted signs before you go.