Whitley County, Indiana: deer harvest and public hunting land
Whitley County covers 338 square miles around Columbia City. Hunters took 1,317 deer here in the 2025 season, 691 of them antlered, by the DNR's deer report. That is up 9% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 0.3% of Whitley County is public land open to the public, the largest share properties open to public hunting (DNR map) (332 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 landWhitley CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 216,287 acres (338 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025 | 1,317 (691 antlered, 626 antlerless) |
| Public land | 0.3% (724 acres) |
| Public hunting properties | 3 (332 acres inside Whitley County) |
| Towns in and near it | Columbia City, Churubusco, South Whitley, Pierceton, Roanoke and Sidney |
How many deer are harvested in Whitley County?
Hunters took 1,317 deer in Whitley County in 2025: 691 antlered and 626 antlerless (48% antlerless).
| Season | Deer taken | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,317 | 691 | 626 |
| 2024 | 1,205 | 590 | 615 |
| 2023 | 1,270 | 646 | 624 |
| 2022 | 1,221 | 648 | 573 |
| 2021 | 910 | 481 | 429 |
Source: Indiana DNR White-tailed Deer Reports (2021 to 2025 seasons, Table 3-4), Whitley County.
How much public land is in Whitley County?
724 of Whitley County's 216,287 acres are public land open to the public (0.3%). The biggest share is properties open to public hunting (DNR map): 332 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Whitley County |
|---|---|---|
| Properties open to public hunting (DNR map) | 332 | 0.2% |
| Other DNR land | 219 | 0.1% |
| County, city and regional land | 173 | 0.1% |
| All public land open to the public | 724 | 0.3% |
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 Whitley County
Properties open to public hunting in Whitley County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Deniston Natural Resource Area: 171 acres
- Pisgah Wildlife Managment Area: 120 acres
- Goose Lake Wetland Conservation Area: 41 acres
How do you get to Whitley County?
Highways through it: US 30 (about 35 miles inside) and US 33 (about 6 miles inside). Towns inside: Columbia City, Churubusco, South Whitley, Larwill, Tri-Lakes and Laud. Nearby: Pierceton (2 miles), Roanoke (3 miles), Sidney (3 miles) and North Webster (3 miles).
Which counties border Whitley County?
Whitley County touches 5 other counties. Their latest DNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County | 1,932 | 2025 | 1.7% |
| Noble County | 2,883 | 2025 | 2.5% |
| Wabash County | 1,638 | 2025 | 6.3% |
| Kosciusko County | 2,718 | 2025 | 1.4% |
| Huntington County | 1,272 | 2025 | 6.8% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Whitley County in 2025?
1,317: 691 antlered and 626 antlerless (DNR). In 2024: 1,205.
Is there public hunting land in Whitley County?
724 acres, 0.3% 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) (332 acres). The DNR's map shows 3 properties open to public hunting here.
What is the deer bag limit in Whitley 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 Allen County Noble County Wabash County Kosciusko County Huntington County