Shelby County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Shelby County covers 413 square miles around Shelbyville. Hunters took 567 deer here in the 2025 season, 300 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 2% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.1% of Shelby County is public land open to the public, the largest share county, city and regional land (288 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)Other DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landShelby CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 264,185 acres (413 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 567 (300 antlered, 267 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.1% (350 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | None mapped |
| Towns in and near it | Shelbyville, Morristown, Fairland, St. Paul, Edinburgh and New Palestine |
How many deer are harvested in Shelby County?
Hunters took 567 deer in Shelby County in 2025: 300 antlered and 267 antlerless (47% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 567 | 300 | 267 |
| 2024 | 557 | 277 | 280 |
| 2023 | 545 | 278 | 267 |
| 2022 | 522 | 269 | 253 |
| 2021 | 459 | 224 | 235 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Shelby County.
How much public land is in Shelby County?
350 of Shelby County's 264,185 acres are public land open to the public (0.1%). The biggest share is county, city and regional land: 288 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Shelby County |
|---|---|---|
| County, city and regional land | 288 | 0.1% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 62 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 350 | 0.1% |
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.
How do you get to Shelby County?
Highways through it: US 421 (about 46 miles inside), I-74 (about 46 miles inside), I-65 (about 9 miles inside) and US 52 (about 9 miles inside). Towns inside: Shelbyville, Morristown, Fairland, Waldron, Fountaintown and Blue Ridge. Nearby: St. Paul (on the line), Edinburgh (on the line), New Palestine (2 miles) and Hope (4 miles).
Which counties border Shelby County?
Shelby County touches 6 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush County | 426 | 2025 | 0% |
| Marion County | 418 | 2025 | 6% |
| Decatur County | 593 | 2025 | 0.1% |
| Hancock County | 422 | 2025 | 0.2% |
| Johnson County | 650 | 2025 | 3% |
| Bartholomew County | 850 | 2025 | 0.6% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Shelby County in 2025?
567: 300 antlered and 267 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 557.
Is there public hunting land in Shelby County?
350 acres, 0.1% 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 county, city and regional land (288 acres).
What is the deer bag limit in Shelby 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 Rush County Marion County Decatur County Hancock County Johnson County Bartholomew County