Washington County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Washington County covers 517 square miles around Salem. Hunters took 2,616 deer here in the 2025 season, 1,211 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 7% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 5.8% of Washington County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (17,094 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)National forestOther DNR landCounty, city and regional landLand trusts and other open landWashington CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 330,604 acres (517 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 2,616 (1,211 antlered, 1,405 antlerless) |
| Public land | 5.8% (19,148 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 3 (17,093 acres inside Washington County) |
| Towns in and near it | Salem, New Pekin, Saltillo, Palmyra, Borden and Medora |
How many deer are harvested in Washington County?
Hunters took 2,616 deer in Washington County in 2025: 1,211 antlered and 1,405 antlerless (54% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,616 | 1,211 | 1,405 |
| 2024 | 2,445 | 1,162 | 1,283 |
| 2023 | 2,278 | 1,113 | 1,165 |
| 2022 | 2,227 | 1,091 | 1,136 |
| 2021 | 1,998 | 1,000 | 998 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Washington County.
How much public land is in Washington County?
19,148 of Washington County's 330,604 acres are public land open to the public (5.8%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 17,094 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Washington County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 17,094 | 5.2% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,031 | 0.3% |
| Other DNR land | 1,002 | 0.3% |
| County, city and regional land | 21 | under 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 19,148 | 5.8% |
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 Washington County
Properties open to public hunting in Washington County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Jackson-Washington State Forest: 11,585 acres
- Clark State Forest: 4,108 acres
- Austin Bottoms Conservation Area: 1,400 acres
How do you get to Washington County?
Highways through it: US 150 (about 10 miles inside). Towns inside: Salem, New Pekin, Saltillo, Livonia, Campbellsburg and Little York. Nearby: Palmyra (on the line), Borden (on the line), Medora (3 miles) and Greenville (3 miles).
Which counties border Washington County?
Washington County touches 8 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | 1,238 | 2025 | 8.9% |
| Floyd County | 726 | 2025 | 2.4% |
| Scott County | 539 | 2025 | 9.1% |
| Orange County | 2,010 | 2025 | 18.7% |
| Jackson County | 1,232 | 2025 | 11.8% |
| Crawford County | 2,118 | 2025 | 20.2% |
| Harrison County | 3,149 | 2025 | 7% |
| Lawrence County | 2,381 | 2025 | 6.4% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Washington County in 2025?
2,616: 1,211 antlered and 1,405 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 2,445.
Is there public hunting land in Washington County?
19,148 acres, 5.8% 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) (17,094 acres). The DNR's map shows 3 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Washington 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.
Get a Indiana hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Indiana included.
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 Clark County Floyd County Scott County Orange County Jackson County Crawford County Harrison County Lawrence County