Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area: hunting and access
Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area is 7,234 acres open to public hunting in Posey County, 6 miles from Mount Vernon, managed by the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife. Hunters took 1,273 deer in Posey 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 landHovey Lake Fish and Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 7,234 acres in 10 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Posey County |
| Deer harvest unit | Posey County |
| DNR lists for hunting | Dove, Squirrel, Deer, Woodcock, Turkey, Waterfowl, Raccoon and Fox |
| Managed by | the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife |
| DNR contact | Hovey Lake FWA 812-838-2927 |
| Hunter check-in (DNR) | Required |
| Nearest towns | Mount Vernon (6 mi), New Harmony (17 mi) and Parkers Settlement (18 mi) |
What can you hunt on Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
In the DNR's words: Dove, squirrel, deer, woodcock, turkey, waterfowl. Night hunting for raccoon and fox.
What are the rules on Hovey Lake 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 Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area lies in Posey County. Hunters took 1,273 deer in Posey County in 2025, against 1,388 in 2024.
| County | Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Posey County | 7,233 | 1,273 | 1,388 | 1,301 |
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 Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Mount Vernon (6 miles), New Harmony (17 miles), Parkers Settlement (18 miles) and Blairsville (18 miles).
What other public land is near Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
Properties open to public hunting within 10 miles:
- Twin Swamps: 617 acres, next to it
- Wabash Lowlands Nature Preserve: 430 acres, next to it
- Section Six Flatwoods Nature Preserve: 464 acres, next to it
Public land within 3 miles of Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area
Counting Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area itself, 8,825 of the 91,693 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (9.6%), 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) | 8,745 |
| Other DNR land | 80 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
In Posey County, 6 miles from Mount Vernon.
What can you hunt on Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
The DNR lists: Dove, squirrel, deer, woodcock, turkey, waterfowl. Night hunting for raccoon and fox.
How much public land is around Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area?
8,825 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Hovey Lake 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 Twin Swamps (next to it).
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 facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: DNR, Hovey Lake 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.