Steuben County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Steuben County covers 323 square miles around Angola. Hunters took 3,571 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,603 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 10% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 3.6% of Steuben County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (4,102 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 landSteuben CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 206,405 acres (323 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 3,571 (1,603 antlered, 1,968 antlerless) |
| Public land | 3.6% (7,487 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 4 (4,102 acres inside Steuben County) |
| Towns in and near it | Angola, Fremont, Hamilton, Ashley, Waterloo and Corunna |
How many deer are harvested in Steuben County?
Hunters took 3,571 deer in Steuben County in 2025: 1,603 antlered and 1,968 antlerless (55% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,571 | 1,603 | 1,968 |
| 2024 | 3,261 | 1,388 | 1,873 |
| 2023 | 3,451 | 1,490 | 1,961 |
| 2022 | 3,235 | 1,539 | 1,696 |
| 2021 | 2,710 | 1,293 | 1,417 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Steuben County.
How much public land is in Steuben County?
7,487 of Steuben County's 206,405 acres are public land open to the public (3.6%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 4,102 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Steuben County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 4,102 | 2% |
| State parks | 1,388 | 0.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,048 | 0.5% |
| Other DNR land | 720 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 229 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 7,487 | 3.6% |
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 Steuben County
Properties open to public hunting in Steuben County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area: 2,359 acres
- Cedar Swamp Wetland Conservation Area: 982 acres
- Marsh Lake Wetland Conservation Area: 678 acres
- Jimmerson Lake Wetland Conservation Area: 83 acres
How do you get to Steuben County?
Highways through it: I-80 (about 47 miles inside), I-90 (about 47 miles inside), I-69 (about 35 miles inside), US 27 (about 35 miles inside) and US 20 (about 21 miles inside). Towns inside: Angola, Fremont, Hamilton, Clear Lake, Hudson and Orland. Nearby: Ashley (on the line), Waterloo (6 miles), Corunna (6 miles) and Kendallville (7 miles).
Which counties border Steuben County?
Steuben County touches 3 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noble County | 2,883 | 2025 | 2.5% |
| DeKalb County | 3,007 | 2025 | 0.5% |
| LaGrange County | 3,079 | 2025 | 4.2% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Steuben County in 2025?
3,571: 1,603 antlered and 1,968 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 3,261.
Is there public hunting land in Steuben County?
7,487 acres, 3.6% 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) (4,102 acres). The DNR's map shows 4 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Steuben 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.