Indiana Hunting Seasons 2025: Dates, License&Regulations

The official Indiana hunting season calendar for 2025 – 2026 has been announced. This State provides many chances for hunters and trappers to go out and pursue their passion.

This comprehensive guide outlines the opening and closing dates for a variety of game species across the state, helping hunters plan their adventures and stay up-to-date with the latest regulations.

So, why wait? Mark the newest Indiana hunting seasons with us!

What Hunting Season Is Right Now In Indiana?

What You Can Hunt In Indiana?

There are various species that you can hunt in Indiana all year round. Here, we list the game animals you can hunt in each month:

January: Deer, Turkey, Duck, Fox, Coyote, Raccoon, Mink
February: Geese, Fox, Coyote
March: Crow, Coyote, Beaver
April: Turkey
May: Turkey
June: No open season
July: Crow
August: Crow
September: Deer, Doves, Sora, Snipe, Teal, Geese
October: Deer, Turkey, Doves, Snipe, Woodcock, Duck, Fox, Coyote
November: Deer, Pheasant, Quail, Doves, Sora, Snipe, Geese, Fox, Coyote, Raccoon, Mink
December: Deer, Turkey, Pheasant, Quail, Crow, Doves, Snipe, Duck, Fox, Coyote, Raccoon

Each of the seasons has its own limits and regulations. In the next part, we will explain them to you and help you better understand and prepare for the upcoming Indiana hunting seasons.

Deer Hunting Seasons In Indiana

The first and most popular season is deer hunting season. The deer season lasts for 4 months this year.

In Indiana, the most common deer species you can hunt is white-tailed deer. Surprisingly, there are about 115 thousand deer being taken annually. If you plan to be one of the deer hunters that contribute to this big number, check out the details of the deer season as follows:

• Youth Season: Sept. 27 – 28, 2025
• Archery: Oct. 1, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026
• Firearm: Nov. 15 – Nov. 30, 2025
• Muzzleloader: Dec. 6 – 21, 2025
• Reduction Zone: Sept. 15, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026

Indiana Turkey Seasons

The turkey seasons for 2025 and 2026 in Indiana have been released. Check out when to prepare your turkey hunting:

• Youth Spring: April 19 – April 20, 2025
• Spring Season: April 23 – May 11, 2025
• Fall Wild Turkey: Oct. 1 – 26, 2025, and Dec. 6, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026
• Fall firearms Season: Oct. 15 – 26, 2025

The bag limit for the Spring season is 1 bearded or male turkey; while the limit for the Fall season is 1 turkey of either sex.

Remember to wear hunter orange when the deer season is open at the same time(during Dec. 6–21, 2025).

Indiana Gamebird Seasons

Pheasant: Nov. 1 – Dec. 15, 2025 (2 per day)

Bobwhite Quail:

• North: Nov. 1 – Dec. 15, 2025 (4 per day)
• South: Nov. 1 – Jan. 10, 2026 (8 per day)

Crow:

• July 1 – Aug. 15, 2025 (No Limit)
• Dec. 13 – March 1, 2026 (No Limit)

Indiana Waterfowl Seasons

Indiana Small Game Seasons

Squirrel: Aug. 15 – Jan. 31, 2026 (5 per day)

Rabbit: Nov. 1 – Feb. 28, 2026 (5 per day)

Green Frog & Bullfrog: June 15, 2025 – April 30, 2026 (25 per day)

Turtles: July 1 – March 31, 2025 (4 per day)

Indiana Furbearer Seasons

Red & Gray Fox: Oct. 15 – Feb. 28, 2026 (Hunting); Oct. 15 – Jan. 31, 2026 (Trapping)

Coyote & Striped Skunk: Oct. 15 – March 15, 2026

Raccoon & Opossum: Nov. 8 – Jan. 31, 2026

Mink, Muskrat & Long-Tailed Weasel: Nov. 15 – Jan. 31, 2026

Beaver: Nov. 15 – March 15, 2026

Dog Running (Raccoon, Opossum)Chasing Season Only: Feb. 1 – Oct. 25, 2025

River Otter (Trapping Only): Nov. 15 – March 15, 2026

Bobcat(Trapping Only): Nov. 8 – Jan. 31, 2026

The seasonal bag limit is two for river otter and one for bobcat, while there is no limit on hunting the remaining furbearing animals.

Veterans Free Hunting Days

Disabled veterans can hunt in the following free hunting days without a hunting license or stamp.

• Sept. 6 – 7, 2025
• Nov. 29 – 30, 2025

Indiana Hunting License Prices

There are lots of different types of hunting licenses available. Check the following tables to find the required licenses you need and their costs. Note that there is no lifetime hunting license in Indiana anymore.

Resident Licenses

Non-residents Licenses

However, there are also some excemptions that hunters don’t need to possess a hunting license:

• Nonresident landowners can hunt on their own farmland in Indiana without a license. This includes their spouse and children living with them.
• Youth who are under 13 years old can hunt without a license if they are accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at least 18 years old, as long as the youth is not carrying a bow or firearm.
• Youth participating in the designated free youth hunting days are also exempt from needing a hunting license.
• Disabled resident veterans who hunt on free hunting days.

Indiana General Hunting Regulations

Deer Hunting Regulations

1. The statewide deer hunting limit is 1 antlered deer and 6 antlerless deer. While in designated deer reduction zones, the bag limit 1 antlered deer and 9 antlerless deer, or a total of 10 antlerless deer.
2. Deer hunting is only permitted from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset during all deer hunting seasons.
3. Hunters must wear hunter orange material on their head, chest, and back while hunting deer. This helps ensure the safety of all hunters in the field.
4. All deer harvested in Indiana must be reported within 48 hours of the time of harvest. This can be done online, by phone, or through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) mobile app.
5. Hunters must purchase a deer hunting license to legally hunt deer in Indiana, not a general hunting license.
6. Hunters are allowed to use tree stands to hunt deer, but cannot build permanent tree blinds on state-owned lands. Temporary, portable tree stands are permitted.
7. Hunters must purchase different licenses for hunting with different firearms. Such as a firearms license for firearms season and a muzzleloader license for muzzleloader season.
8. Hunters can harvest one deer with each deer hunting license. While a deer license bundle includes the privilege can harvest two antlerless deer and one antlered deer.
9. Hunters can use rifle cartridges with a case length ranging from 1.16 to 3 inches, and shoot a bullet with a diameter of at least .219 inches (5.56mm).

Turkey Hunting Regulations

1. Hunters under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult possessing a valid license.
2. Legal shooting hours are from half an hour before sunrise until sunset across the state. Certain DNR facilities have shortened operating hours.
3. A spring turkey hunting license and Game Bird Habitat stamp are necessary.
4. There will be no youth season in the autumn.
5. Hunter orange is mandatory for turkey season when deer muzzleloader season overlaps (Dec. 7-22).
6. A successful turkey harvest needs to be registered within 48 hours through the CheckIN Game platform.
7. Legal weapons for turkey season include shotguns ranging from 410 to 28 gauge with designated pellet sizes, muzzleloading shotguns, as well as bows and crossbows.

Waterfowl Hunting Regulations

1. Migratory gamebirds may be hunted from a motorboat if it’s beached, at anchor, tied to a stationary object, or only moving due to non-motor forces like wind or paddles.
2. Hunters may retrieve dead or injured birds by hand or from a motorboat under power.
3. No shooting from a powered or moving boat.
4. All killed game birds must be retrieved and kept in the hunter’s custody.
5. Birds given to another person must be tagged with the hunter’s signature, address, species count, and kill dates.
6. No receiving untagged birds from others.
7. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset for all migratory birds except early teal season.
8. Non-toxic shot is required for migratory waterfowl and mourning doves on DNR properties.
9. No traps, snares, nets, rifles, pistols, larger than 10-gauge shotguns, etc.
10. No hunting from a sink box or with live decoys.
11. No hunting from aircraft, motor vehicles, or sailboats (exceptions for certain disabled persons).
12. No driving, rallying, or chasing birds with motorized vehicles or sailboats.
13. No baiting or hunting over baited areas.
14. No use of recorded or amplified bird calls or sounds.

Gamebird Hunting Regulations

Pheasant Hunting:

1. Female pheasants (hens) can only be legally shot during put-and-take hunts in designated areas.
2. When transporting pheasants, the head and head plumage must be left intact.
3. No specific equipment or ammunition restrictions, but a 12- or 20-gauge shotgun with 4- to 6-size shot is recommended.
4. Nontoxic shot is mandatory for certain DNR properties.

Bobwhite Quail Hunting:

1. A valid hunting license and Indiana Gamebird Habitat Stamp are required.
2. Hunter orange clothing is mandatory.
3. No specific equipment or ammunition restrictions.

Crow Hunting:

1. Crows can be hunted outside the regular season if they cause damage to trees, crops, livestock, or wildlife, or pose a public health risk.
2. No restrictions on the use of calls or decoys; crows can be hunted with bows and arrows, crossbows, or firearms, following local regulations.
3. No need for a state stamp, federal stamp, or HIP registration number for crow hunting.

Conclusion

From white-tailed deer, gamebirds to small game, this comprehensive overview of the Indiana hunting seasons will help maximize your time in the field. The schedule will change each year. Check back with us and we will keep you posted with the latest information all the time.

Check more hunting schedules near you:

• US Hunting Season Summary For 50 States
• Illinois Deer Season Dates
• Michigan Turkey Season Dates
• Ohio Hunting Season
• Kentucky Hunting Season