Indiana hunters harvested more than 120,000 deer in the 2014 season, according to information released this week by the state Department of Natural Resources. That’s down from the previous two years, but state officials say it reflects their efforts to reduce the deer population.
The archery season ran from Oct. 1, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015; firearms season was Nov. 15-30; and muzzleloader season started Dec. 7 and ended on the 21st. A bonus antlerless season was offered in 63 counties from Dec. 6 to Jan. 4, 2015. Licensed youth ages 17 and younger were eligible to hunt during a two-day season in late September, and urban zones allowed archery or crossbow hunting from Sept. 15 through Jan. 31, 2015.
The firearms season was the most productive, with 57 percent of deer harvested then. DNR officials say that is typical. The archery season accounted for 290 percent of the harvest, followed by 9 percent during muzzleloader season, 3 percent during late antlerless and 2 percent during youth season. State officials say the archery season total includes the urban zone harvest.
Locally Kosciusko County recorded the most deer harvested. Their total of 2,333 was among the highest in the state. Marshall County finished second, with 2,043 deer killed. Starke County’s total of 1,595 was the third highest of adjacent counties, followed by Fulton with 1,546, Elkhart with 1,314 and St. Joseph with 1,155. View the full 2014 Deer report online at http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-2014deerharvestreport.pdf.
