Hunting News

Deer reduction zone, youth season soon open

Deer reduction zone, youth season soon open

By Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Deer Reduction Zones, previously called urban zones, give hunters opportunities to harvest deer in defined urban areas and along portions of Indiana highways, in addition to harvests allowed within statewide bag limits elsewhere in Indiana.

To view an interactive map of zone locations, click here.

There is a statewide bag limit of 10 for deer harvested in reduction zones during the reduction zone season, but a doe must be harvested first in a deer reduction zone and be checked toward the bag limit for the deer reduction zone season before harvesting a buck to count toward the deer reduction zone bag limit.

The deer license bundle cannot be used to harvest a deer toward the deer reduction bag limit. Archery equipment and crossbows can be used in deer reduction zones starting Sept. 15.

More information on deer reduction zones is available here.

Youth deer season is Sept. 28-29. Youth age 17 or younger on the date of the hunt can participate but must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 18 years of age.

The youth hunter must possess a valid license for hunting deer (youth hunt/trap combo or other) while in the field unless exempt from needing a license. The youth’s adult partner must possess a valid hunting license of any type that is not an apprentice license. All hunters must wear hunter orange.

Find more information on youth hunting online.

Targeted chronic wasting disease surveillance will be conducted in northwest and northeast Indiana during the 2019-2020 deer hunting season.

Hunters may submit samples for testing at Fish & Wildlife Area properties from Sept. 28 through Jan. 31, 2020.
DNR biologists will be intensively sampling hunter-harvested deer at check-in stations across the surveillance areas on Nov. 16 and 17.

Hunters who submit a deer for CWD testing will receive a Deer Management Partner magnet and a metal tag reminiscent of historical confirmation tags.

Hunters interested in testing a deer for CWD that was harvested outside the CWD surveillance areas may submit their deer to Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for a fee or take their deer head to a nearby Fish & Wildlife Area to be sampled. Additional information can be found at Purdue’s ADDL website.

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