Celebrate DNR holidays and find new hunting opportunities near you

Free Fishing Day and National Hunting & Fishing Day

On Sept. 24, DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife is celebrating National Hunting & Fishing Day, which honors the sportsmen and women whose recreational activities have positively impacted fish and wildlife conservation. We sincerely appreciate our hunters, trappers, anglers, boaters, and recreational target and competitive shooters who help provide the funding necessary to improve fish and wildlife habitat, acquire and enhance public lands, increase recreational opportunities, build and maintain public facilities for all Hoosiers, and so much more.

A man standing beside a younger man as he throws out a fishing reel.

Want to celebrate the day out by the water? Sept. 24 is also the last Free Fishing Day of 2022. On Free Fishing Days, Indiana residents can fish Indiana’s public waters without a fishing license or trout/salmon stamp. As fall begins in Indiana, invite your friends and family to join you outdoors and spend some quality time together.

Three people in hunting gear standing beside wetlands at sunset.

Hunting seasons beginning in September

Snipe: Sept. 1–Dec. 16
Sora: Sept. 1–Nov. 9
Early teal: Sept. 10–25
Dove: Sept. 1–Oct. 16
Canada geese (all zones): Sept. 10–18
Deer reduction zone: Sept. 15–Jan. 31, 2023
Youth deer: Sept. 24–25

Put/Take Pheasant Hunt Registration

It’s that time of year again: Registration for the 2022 Put/Take Pheasant Hunts opens Sept. 14 at 7 a.m. ET and continues to the end of the Put/Take Pheasant Hunt period, Nov. 27. The hunts take place from Nov.19–27, beginning the Saturday before Thanksgiving and continuing through the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Registration costs $30 per slot and is first-come, first-served. Once the daily hunter quota is reached, the area becomes unavailable. Hunters should print their registration confirmation sheet and bring it with them on the day of their hunts. The bag limit is two pheasants per person each day.

The Fish & Wildlife areas participating are Atterbury, Glendale, J.E. Roush Lake, Pigeon River, Tri County, Willow Slough, and Winamac. To find out more, please contact the property you are interested in hunting.

A deer in mid-gallop position in a field.

Sign up to hunt on one of Indiana’s participating private properties

Are you looking for new places to hunt? Indiana Private Lands Access Program (IPLA) has a new self-service sign-in system for hunters wishing to hunt private properties. Small game, deer, and waterfowl hunters can visit the new website to view available locations, photos, and maps, as well as property rules.

Hunt windows can be up to three days long, depending on when you register. The system resets at 8 p.m. ET on the final night of each 3-day cycle. Hunters can sign up for the same property only twice in a row. Be sure to sign up early during each window.

Remember: Game bird (pheasant and quail) and turkey hunts are still administered through the reserved hunt draw system.

As IPLA continues to work with private landowners, more properties will likely be added—stay tuned for more places to hunt.

A woman and man smiling as they hunt doves with their dog.

Diving into dove season

Let the excitement begin! Indiana’s first dove season opens on Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 16. The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife offers several opportunities to hunt dove through the draw program, but did you know that there are several properties around the state that do not require a draw to hunt there? Check out our list of non-reserved hunt opportunities around the state on our Where to Hunt page.

Before you head out to dove hunt, be sure to register for your Indiana General Hunting License, Indiana Game Bird Stamp, and your HIP validation number, then view our Where to Hunt Map to find a property near you.

A man in camouflage walking in a field with a black dog by his side.

Additional reserved hunt opportunities available

If you missed the deadline for earlier reserved hunt opportunities, don't worry – there are more. Hunters can apply for additional reserved hunt opportunities online. Remember: The online method is the only way to apply for the hunts listed below. No late entries will be accepted. Applicants must possess a hunting license that is valid for the hunt for which they apply. See the list below for available hunt opportunities.

Open Aug. 22 - Sept. 23:

Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) Waterfowl
Fish & Wildlife Area (FWA) Deer
Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Deer
Indiana Private Lands Access Game Bird
State Park Deer
Military and National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Deer
Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Game Bird
November Game Bird Habitat Area (GBA) Pheasant

Open Oct. 3 - Oct. 31:

December Game Bird Habitat Area (GBA) Pheasant
Indiana Private Lands Access (IPLA) Hunts

Deer reduction zone season starts Sept. 15

Deer reduction zones provide hunters opportunities to harvest deer in defined urban areas and along portions of Indiana highways in addition to the harvests allowed by statewide bag limits. Want to participate? Check out our map to find a reduction zone near you.

Remember: There’s a statewide bag limit of 10 for deer harvested in reduction zones during the reduction zone season. To fulfill the earn-a-buck requirement for the reduction zone season, a hunter must harvest a doe before harvesting a buck, both of which must be counted toward the reduction zone bag limit when checking in the deer.

To count deer toward the reduction zone season bag limit, hunters will need one of the following licenses: deer reduction zone license, resident youth hunt/trap, lifetime comprehensive hunting, or lifetime comprehensive hunting/fishing license. Archery equipment and crossbows can be used in deer reduction zones starting Sept. 15.

Please note: Areas located within deer reduction zones are not necessarily open to hunting. Hunters will need to either obtain permission to hunt private property located within reduction zones or contact public property management to clarify if the property allows hunting or has certain restrictions.

An icon of a deer that reads “Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund.”

Hunt deer and feed hungry Hoosiers

Are you ready to hunt and simultaneously help fight hunger? Indiana hunters are encouraged to donate their harvested deer to the Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund to support hungry Hoosiers during the upcoming seasons.

Administered by the DNR Law Enforcement Division, the Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund provides grants to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry, Dubois County Sportsmen Club, and Hunters and Farmers Feeding the Hungry to pay for processing fees when hunters donate legally harvested deer to the program.

The steps to participate are simple:

Enjoy a deer hunting experience.
Harvest your deer.
Drop off your field-dressed deer at a local participating processor.
Processing fees are paid for by the Sportsman's Benevolence Fund.
The processor will create healthy venison burger to distribute to food banks.

Are you interested in helping feed the hungry?

A close-up shot of a teal wing, layered with blue-gray, black, white, and green feathers.

Prep for teal season before it flies by

Get ready, teal hunters! Teal season opens statewide on Sept. 10 and lasts only until Sept. 25, so make sure you have your ducks in a row (no pun intended). Waterfowl hunters are required to have an Indiana General Hunting License, a Federal Waterfowl Stamp, Indiana Migratory Waterfowl Stamp, and a HIP validation number in order to hunt. Remember: Federal regulations require the use of nontoxic shot while hunting all waterfowl. Purchase your necessary licenses and stamps here.

A man sitting on a chair in a boat as he holds moss with the head of a rake.

Conducting aquatic vegetation surveys

If you see DNR biologists out on the water in late summer, they’re likely completing aquatic vegetation surveys. Each year, DNR fisheries biologists complete surveys on glacial lakes to assess the composition and abundance of submersed aquatic vegetation, which serves as the primary source of habitat for fish and wildlife in lakes.

Since 2010, fisheries biologists have surveyed the vegetation communities of 139 different glacial lakes. These surveys provide fisheries biologists with data on the long-term trends in native vegetation species across the region. Coontail, chara, sago pondweed, eel grass, variable-leaf pondweed, Illinois pondweed, common bladderwort, and flat-stemmed pondweed are the most common native species found during glacial lake surveys. Together, all these species of submersed vegetation provide valuable fish habitat that covers between 67-85% of the shallow portions of a typical lake.

This summer, biologists are surveying 10 different lakes across seven northern Indiana counties. Each of these surveys provides valuable information that resource managers use to protect aquatic habitat and outdoor recreation for future generations.

A bucket full of native plantings for the Kokomo reservoir.

Experimental establishment of native vegetation at Kokomo Reservoir

After discovering native aquatic vegetation was lacking in the Kokomo Reservoir, District 3 fisheries biologists worked with the North Region Research Unit last month to establish emergent vegetation there. DNR staff started by planting spatterdock (Nuphar advena) and water lily (Nymphaea odorata), two species tolerant to a wide range of environmental conditions, in two different regions in the reservoir. After establishing the plants, they surrounded them with temporary protective fence. The biologists’ goal for the project is for the vegetation to take root and spread within the reservoir. They plan to return to the plantings periodically to document the progress.

Aquatic vegetation is the primary form of aquatic habitat for fish in Indiana lakes. Vegetation provides physical structure for aquatic organisms, sequesters nutrients, protects shorelines from erosion, and stabilizes lake sediments. July’s project at Kokomo Reservoir highlights one of DNR’s first attempts to establish self-sustaining colonies of aquatic vegetation in a reservoir using plantings.

A body of water with trees in the background at Tri-County FWA.

Give back to nature on National Public Lands Day

On Saturday, Sept. 24, DNR will celebrate National Public Lands Day, a day to support the restoration of public lands across the country. Whatever outdoor space you’re in, you can participate in the nation’s largest annual volunteering day through both big and small acts. Connect with a local property office to join community volunteering opportunities.

Remember: Sunday, Sept. 25, is a fee-free day, too: All entrance fees are waived on public lands. Go forth and explore that weekend, and we’ll see you there.

The Backwater Public Access Site’s newly-constructed boat ramp, with a piece of yellow machinery in the background.

Backwater Public Access Site in North Webster rehabilitated and reopened

After experiencing years of wear and tear from the turbulence of power loading, Backwater’s old boat ramp was ready for an upgrade. To complete the project, Public Access employees tore out the ramp and replaced it with newly constructed precast slabs. The longer ramp extends farther into the water to better protect against the effects of power loading. Along with the boat ramp, the employees re-striped the parking lot.

Public Access also plans to add a new launching pier on to the site, and they will refurbish the current pier during the winter. Similar projects in northern Indiana are slated for West Otter Lake, Pretty Lake, and Bear Lake this year.

A man standing behind a prescribed fire with smoke billowing above it.

Benefits of prescribed fires

In the late summer and early fall, landowners and habitat managers often conduct prescribed fires in grassland areas in order to help support their habitats. Prescribed fire can help increase seed-to-soil contact for new prairie grass and wildflower plantings. Depending on the timing, prescribed fire can also have different effects on established grasslands. Late-season burns can control densities of warm-season grass and encroaching trees and shrubs and can also maintain a greater diversity of wildflowers for pollinators and wildlife, such as small mammals, turkey, Northern bobwhite quail, hummingbirds, bees, and songbirds.

Prescribed fire is one of many tools used by people to establish and enhance habitats; however, a certain level of knowledge and skill must be obtained before attempting a prescribed fire. Learn more about prescribed fires and contact your local district wildlife biologist if you’re interested in conducting a prescribed fire on your property.

New one-day fur buyer’s license available for purchase

A new one-day fur buyer’s license is now available for $25. The sale of legally harvested furbearing mammals or untanned hides of furbearing mammals can be made to licensed fur buyers only. Applications can be found under Permits and Commercial Licenses at wildlife.IN.gov, or you can call 317-232-4102 for more information.

Celebrate DNR holidays and find new hunting opportunities near you

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