Ripley County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Ripley County covers 448 square miles around Batesville. Hunters took 1,276 deer here in the 2025 season, 570 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is down 4% from 2024, and the fewest in the 5 years shown. 11.1% of Ripley County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (25,787 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)State parksOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landRipley CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 286,707 acres (448 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,276 (570 antlered, 706 antlerless) |
| Public land | 11.1% (31,849 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 1 (25,787 acres inside Ripley County) |
| Towns in and near it | Batesville, Milan, Holton, Moores Hill, Millhousen and Oldenburg |
How many deer are harvested in Ripley County?
Hunters took 1,276 deer in Ripley County in 2025: 570 antlered and 706 antlerless (55% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,276 | 570 | 706 |
| 2024 | 1,333 | 645 | 688 |
| 2023 | 1,463 | 725 | 738 |
| 2022 | 1,365 | 613 | 752 |
| 2021 | 1,684 | 806 | 878 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Ripley County.
How much public land is in Ripley County?
31,849 of Ripley County's 286,707 acres are public land open to the public (11.1%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 25,787 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Ripley County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 25,787 | 9% |
| State parks | 5,893 | 2.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 128 | under 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 33 | under 0.1% |
| Other DNR land | 8 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 31,849 | 11.1% |
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 Ripley County
Properties open to public hunting in Ripley County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge: 25,787 acres
How do you get to Ripley County?
Highways through it: US 421 (about 26 miles inside), US 50 (about 20 miles inside), I-74 (about 17 miles inside) and IN 46 (about 2 miles inside). Towns inside: Batesville, Milan, Holton, Versailles, Osgood and Sunman. Nearby: Moores Hill (on the line), Millhousen (on the line), Oldenburg (2 miles) and New Point (3 miles).
Which counties border Ripley County?
Ripley County touches 7 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio County | 502 | 2025 | 0% |
| Decatur County | 593 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Dearborn County | 1,905 | 2025 | 0.6% |
| Franklin County | 2,108 | 2025 | 4.1% |
| Jennings County | 830 | 2025 | 7.7% |
| Jefferson County | 1,219 | 2025 | 9.1% |
| Switzerland County | 1,236 | 2025 | 1.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Ripley County in 2025?
1,276: 570 antlered and 706 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,333.
Is there public hunting land in Ripley County?
31,849 acres, 11.1% 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) (25,787 acres). The DNR's map shows 1 property open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Ripley 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 Ohio County Decatur County Dearborn County Franklin County Jennings County Jefferson County Switzerland County