Putnam County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Putnam County covers 483 square miles around Greencastle. Hunters took 2,721 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,470 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 15% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 2.7% of Putnam County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (5,150 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)Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesState parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landPutnam CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 308,923 acres (483 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,721 (1,470 antlered, 1,251 antlerless) |
| Public land | 2.7% (8,384 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 3 (5,149 acres inside Putnam County) |
| Towns in and near it | Greencastle, Cloverdale, Fillmore, Stilesville, Coatesville and Waveland |
How many deer are harvested in Putnam County?
Hunters took 2,721 deer in Putnam County in 2025: 1,470 antlered and 1,251 antlerless (46% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,721 | 1,470 | 1,251 |
| 2024 | 2,368 | 1,226 | 1,142 |
| 2023 | 2,203 | 1,169 | 1,034 |
| 2022 | 2,180 | 1,174 | 1,006 |
| 2021 | 1,984 | 1,055 | 929 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Putnam County.
How much public land is in Putnam County?
8,384 of Putnam County's 308,923 acres are public land open to the public (2.7%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 5,150 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Putnam County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 5,150 | 1.7% |
| Other DNR land | 1,604 | 0.5% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,126 | 0.4% |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 408 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 96 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 8,384 | 2.7% |
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 Putnam County
Properties open to public hunting in Putnam County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Cagles Mill Lake: 2,445 acres
- Deer Creek Fish and Wildlife Area: 2,162 acres
- Owen-Putnam State Forest: 542 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Cecil M. Harden Recreation Area (408 acres).
How do you get to Putnam County?
Highways through it: I-70 (about 41 miles inside), US 40 (about 38 miles inside), US 231 (about 30 miles inside) and US 36 (about 17 miles inside). Towns inside: Greencastle, Cloverdale, Fillmore, Roachdale, Bainbridge and Russellville. Nearby: Stilesville (on the line), Coatesville (on the line), Waveland (2 miles) and North Salem (2 miles).
Which counties border Putnam County?
Putnam County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County | 1,349 | 2025 | 1.2% |
| Owen County | 2,277 | 2025 | 5.5% |
| Parke County | 2,557 | 2025 | 3.2% |
| Morgan County | 1,701 | 2025 | 3.6% |
| Hendricks County | 802 | 2025 | 0.7% |
| Montgomery County | 1,215 | 2025 | 1% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Putnam County in 2025?
2,721: 1,470 antlered and 1,251 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 2,368.
Is there public hunting land in Putnam County?
8,384 acres, 2.7% 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) (5,150 acres). The DNR's map shows 3 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Putnam 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 Clay County Owen County Parke County Morgan County Hendricks County Montgomery County