Indiana deer research / Elkhart County
Elkhart County, Indiana Deer Hunting Research
Provisional FDR Deer Herd Index 45.6 Provisional, ranked #60 of 92 ranked Indiana counties. Built from Indiana DNR (IDNR) county deer harvest (antlered/antlerless), 2013–2024.
C - Above AverageWhat drives the Elkhart County index
Provisional components, each scored 0–100 against the ranked Indiana counties. Provisional.
Trophy Index
82↓ out of 100. How this county ranks for trophy bucks against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Ranked per acre of bow-huntable land (10 m estimate).
2013–2024 harvest trend
| Season | Total harvest |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,954 |
| 2023 | 1,899 |
| 2022 | 1,906 |
| 2021 | 1,498 |
| 2020 | 1,798 |
| 2019 | 1,522 |
| 2018 | 1,324 |
| 2017 | 1,232 |
| 2016 | 1,294 |
| 2015 | 1,308 |
| 2014 | 1,314 |
| 2013 | 1,346 |
Harvest totals from Indiana DNR (IDNR) county deer harvest (antlered/antlerless), 2013–2024. Indiana DNR reports totals by county and season; archery / firearm splits are not broken out in this dataset.
Harvest composition
Indiana DNR reports each deer as antlered or antlerless. In 2024, the Elkhart County harvest was 831 antlered and 1,123 antlerless deer.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 831 | 1,123 | 1,954 |
| 2023 | 851 | 1,048 | 1,899 |
| 2022 | 829 | 1,077 | 1,906 |
| 2021 | 677 | 821 | 1,498 |
| 2020 | 737 | 1,061 | 1,798 |
| 2019 | 670 | 852 | 1,522 |
| 2018 | 544 | 780 | 1,324 |
| 2017 | 450 | 782 | 1,232 |
| 2016 | 558 | 736 | 1,294 |
| 2015 | 501 | 807 | 1,308 |
| 2014 | 489 | 825 | 1,314 |
| 2013 | 496 | 850 | 1,346 |
The dataset carries antlered and antlerless counts only, with no finer split of the antlerless count.
Herd & land detail
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Latest season (2024) | 1,954 deer |
| Harvest per sq mi | 4.22 |
| Antlered harvest | 831 |
| Antlerless harvest | 1,123 |
| County land (sq mi) | 463.20 |
Methodology
Provisional index. Provisional index: herd, harvest, trophy (the Trophy Index), and roadway (exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rate) components; habitat/age-structure partial where the state does not publish them.. FULLY DRAWN RESEARCH · Indiana DNR (IDNR) PROVISIONAL COUNTY DEER INDEX
Informational only. Built from public-record Indiana DNR (IDNR) county harvest data, US Census TIGER county land area, the Trophy Index, and exposure-normalized deer-vehicle crash rates where published. Provisional index; some components partial or pending. Not a prediction or guarantee. Verify with the Indiana DNR (IDNR).
See Elkhart County on the map
Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land, leaf-off imagery, and this research, together on one hunting map.
Nearby counties
Frequently asked questions
Is Elkhart County, Indiana good for deer hunting?
Elkhart County scores 45.6 of 100 on the provisional FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #60 of 92 ranked Indiana counties. The provisional index is built from Indiana DNR public harvest records, the Trophy Index and deer-vehicle crash data; some components are partial, as noted in the methodology.
How many deer were harvested in Elkhart County last season?
Indiana DNR records show 1,954 deer harvested in Elkhart County, Indiana in 2024, the most recent reported season.