Deer reduction zone season runs now through Jan. 31

INDIANA — According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), deer reduction zone season began on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and it will run through Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021.

Officials report that deer reduction zones give hunters the opportunity to harvest deer in defined urban areas and along portions of Indiana highways, in addition to harvests allowed statewide by bag limits elsewhere in Indiana.

Deer reductions zones (DRZS) target areas that have high deer populations and high human density or use, resulting in concerns about the local ecology, deer-vehicle collisions, and personal property damage. These areas are often under-used by hunters because of lack of access or because hunters have not considered hunting in an urban area or area with high human use.

The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife designates an area as a DRZ to manage problems faced by residents and commuters in these areas through sport hunting. A DRZ provides hunters with additional opportunities to take deer in these areas. The goal is to reduce deer-human conflict; it is not to eliminate the deer population. Incorporating or increasing hunting both helps manage deer populations and increases their wariness of humans, which can also reduce conflicts.

DRZS may also be used in areas where a high population of deer threatens to spread disease to livestock, humans and other wildlife.

The smallest deer management unit in Indiana has traditionally been at the county level; however, a DRZ allows the Indiana DNR to target areas within a county for management. This should allow deer in one part of a county to remain stable or increase, while decreasing populations in another part of

the same county. This also coincides with the current deer management plan in Indiana. The 5-year plan is to strategically manage Indiana’s deer herd. In some areas, that means there should be a larger deer population, while in others the population should be maintained or reduced. The DRZS allow managers to target such areas without reducing county-wide deer populations.

You can access an interactive map of the zones by visiting the following website: www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/8534.htm

DNR officials provided these additional details to elaborate on deer reduction zones:

• Bag limit: 10 deer, of which only one can be antlered. Individuals hunting in a designated reduction zone who are attempting to satisfy the reduction zone bag limit must harvest an antlerless deer in the Deer Reduction Zone before harvesting an antlered deer (a.k.a. earn-a-buck). The earn-a-buck requirement only applies to the reduction zone bag limit. The reduction zone bag limit is in addition to all other bag limits. See the hunting guide for deer bag limits.

• A Deer Reduction Zone license, resident youth hunt/trap, lifetime comprehensive hunting, or lifetime comprehensive hunting/ fishing license is required unless you meet a license exemption under state law.

• The Deer Reduction Zone license allows the individual to harvest one deer per license. A valid license is required for each deer taken. Purchase a license .

• Where allowed by local ordinances, firearms legal for deer hunting can be used in reduction zones with a Deer Reduction Zone license or to count the deer towards the reduction zone bag limit from Nov. 14, 2020 through Jan. 31, 2021. The season does not override any local ordinances restricting discharge of firearms and bows.

• The season does not override any local ordinances restricting discharge of firearms and bows.

• It’s illegal to hunt, shoot at, or kill a deer or to shoot at any deer from within, into, upon, or across any public road.

• Hunters must obtain permission from landowners to hunt on their property. (For a private land permission form, see Permission to Hunt on Private Lands .)

• Deer Reduction Zones may be altered annually at the DNR director’s discretion based on deer population management needs.

For answers to some frequently asked deer hunting questions, visit www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/7389.htm.