Regulations

• Regulations · Rules and policyWhat Collision Data Tell Us About Deer Hunting Near CitiesAcross six counties near Chicago, deer-vehicle crashes per billion vehicle miles dropped 25% to 57% during 36 years; Illinois' median county finished 4% above its starting rate. Those figures cannot explain the decline's cause, but they give towns five questions for evaluating local deer management.Working paper · Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia · Sep 30, 2026 · 7 min read

  −57%McHenry County deer-collision rate, 1989 to 1993 against 2020 to 2024
• Regulations · Rules and policyThree Counts of Indiana Deer Hunters in One Season: 128,732 to 204,160For 2024, Indiana's DNR gives three different deer-hunter totals. Hunters outside the annual-license tally accounted for a quarter of registered deer. National totals also differ according to what they count.Working paper · Indiana · Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min read

  128,732to 204,160: three counts of Indiana deer hunters in one season
• Regulations · Rules and policyHow Antler Point Rules Altered Buck Harvests in Pennsylvania and MississippiThe harvested bucks became older in both states. Mississippi public hunting areas saw fewer bucks taken per 1,000 acres, along with lower gross antler scores among bucks of the same age. Because the studies followed different outcomes, their findings do not form a like-for-like scorecard.Field guide · Every state · Sep 30, 2026 · 7 min read

  Harvest dataPublic landTrophy Index

  64%Pennsylvania yearling survival after antler point rules, up from below 20%
• Regulations · Rules and policyThe Rifle Line Falls: What SB 280 Changes for IndianaIndiana's 2025 law ended all rifle-cartridge limits and the public/private gun split. More reach in woods may boost harvest efficiency, which would pressure the one-buck rule, called social rather than biological by Indiana DNR.Working paper · Indiana · Jul 25, 2026 · 5 min read

  Firearm

  .219-inchminimum bullet diameter for deer rifles under SB 280
• Regulations · Rules and policyThe Baiting Divide: One State, Two RulesBaiting is prohibited throughout Michigan's Lower Peninsula and permitted under restrictions in the Upper Peninsula. The Michigan DNR ties that divide to where disease occurs.Working paper · Michigan · Jul 25, 2026 · 5 min read

  CWDDisease

  2 gallonsbait cap per site in the Upper Peninsula
• Regulations · Rules and policyThe Straight-Wall Revolution: How Three States Rewrote the Gun LineIndiana, Michigan, and Ohio began replacing the eastern Corn Belt's shotgun-only firearm rule from 2014 to 2026. Straight-wall cartridges came first; two states went further and allowed full rifle use.Working paper · Indiana, Ohio, Michigan · Jul 25, 2026 · 8 min read

  Firearm

  2014year Ohio allowed straight-walled rifle cartridges