Yellowwood State Forest: hunting and access
Yellowwood State Forest is 24,360 acres open to public hunting in Brown, Monroe and Morgan counties, next to Helmsburg, managed by the DNR's Division of Nature Preserves and the DNR's Division of Forestry. Hunters took 1,400 deer in Brown 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)National forestFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesState parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landYellowwood State ForestCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 24,360 acres in 21 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Brown County, Monroe County and Morgan County |
| Deer harvest unit | Brown County, Monroe County, Morgan County |
| DNR lists for hunting | Squirrel, Deer, Turkey and Raccoon |
| Managed by | the DNR's Division of Nature Preserves and the DNR's Division of Forestry |
| DNR contact | Yellowwood SF 812-988-7945 |
| On the property (DNR) | camping |
| Nearest towns | Helmsburg (next to it), Nashville (2 mi) and Painted Hills (4 mi) |
What can you hunt on Yellowwood State Forest?
In the DNR's words: Squirrel, deer, turkey. Night hunting for raccoon.
What are the rules on Yellowwood State Forest?
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 Yellowwood State Forest?
Yellowwood State Forest lies in 3 counties. Hunters took 1,400 deer in Brown County in 2025, against 1,490 in 2024.
| County | Yellowwood State Forest acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown County | 24,001 | 1,400 | 1,490 | 1,343 |
| Monroe County | 337 | 1,652 | 1,397 | 1,457 |
| Morgan County | 22 | 1,701 | 1,461 | 1,387 |
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 Yellowwood State Forest?
Nearest towns: Helmsburg (next to it), Nashville (2 miles), Painted Hills (4 miles) and Morgantown (5 miles).
What other public land is near Yellowwood State Forest?
Properties open to public hunting within 10 miles:
- Hoosier National Forest: 202,389 acres, next to it
- Morgan-Monroe State Forest: 24,729 acres, next to it
- Mountain Tea State Forest: 1,225 acres, 3.7 miles away
- Monroe Lake: 1,210 acres, 5 miles away
- Grouse Ridge Public Fishing Area: 161 acres, 9 miles away
- Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge: 7,710 acres, 9.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Yellowwood State Forest
Counting Yellowwood State Forest itself, 77,343 of the 168,782 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (45.8%), 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) | 50,387 |
| State parks | 15,210 |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 10,388 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 704 |
| Other DNR land | 356 |
| National forest | 298 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Yellowwood State Forest?
In Brown, Monroe and Morgan counties, next to Helmsburg.
What can you hunt on Yellowwood State Forest?
The DNR lists: Squirrel, deer, turkey. Night hunting for raccoon.
How much public land is around Yellowwood State Forest?
77,343 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Yellowwood State Forest included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and the DNR's public hunting property boundaries. The closest other public hunting property is Hoosier National Forest (next to it).
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, Yellowwood State Forest; 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.