Select Indiana State Park properties will close temporarily for controlled deer management hunts in the coming weeks.
Each hunt runs two days. The first hunt is Nov. 13 and 14. The second is Nov. 27 and 28. The participating state park properties will close to the general public on the evening before each of the two hunts.
Participating state park properties are Chain O’Lakes, Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, O’Bannon Woods, Ouabache, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Versailles and Whitewater Memorial state parks; Raccoon State Recreation Area; and Cave River Valley Natural Area, which is managed by Spring Mill State Park.
These state park properties will reopen the morning after each two-day hunt. All other Indiana state park properties will be open and operate under normal hours.
Indiana DNR biologists evaluate which state park properties require a deer management hunt each year based on habitat recovery and previous harvest rates at each park. The state parks are home to numerous natural communities that serve as significant habitat. The deer management hunts help control browsing by deer to a level that allows for sufficient habitat for native plants and other native animals.
Only individuals selected from the draw may participate at any site.
A full report on the 2022 deer management hunts is at dnr.IN.gov/state-parks/files/sp-2022-deer-management-reduction-results.pdf.
The 2023 report will be available in March 2024.
Information regarding 2024 state park deer management hunts, including online applications, will be available next summer at on.IN.gov/reservedhunt. The application deadline is usually in mid-August of the year in which the hunts are to take place.