Indiana hunting license

How much is an Indiana hunting license?

A Resident Annual Hunting License costs $20.00 and a Nonresident Annual Hunting License costs $90.00, as listed by the Indiana DNR for the current license year. The basic Indiana hunting license covers small game. Deer and turkey are sold as separate licenses, so what you pay depends on which animals you plan to chase.

Here is how that plays out. A rabbit or squirrel hunter needs only the $20 annual license. A deer license alone covers deer hunting, so someone who hunts only deer can buy just the deer license. A hunter who wants small game, deer and a spring gobbler buys each one, and the costs add up across the season.

The table below shows the main options. A few things to know when you read it: residents can pick up a Hunting and Fishing Combo for $32, a single resident deer license is $39 (or $91 for the Deer License Bundle), and a resident spring or fall turkey license is $32. Every purchase also carries a small tech fee: $1 at a retailer or by mail, or $3 plus a card fee online or in the app. Full fees are on the DNR license fees page.

Do you need hunter education to hunt in Indiana?

Yes, if you were born after December 31, 1986. Anyone born in 1987 or later must pass a DNR-approved hunter education course before buying a regular, non-apprentice Indiana hunting license. If you were born in 1986 or earlier, the course is not required to buy one.

Indiana offers free classroom courses and a paid online course for Indiana residents age 12 and older, which costs $34.95. Hunter education cards from other states are accepted, so a hunter who certified elsewhere does not need to take the Indiana course again. Course listings are on the DNR outdoor education page.

Plan ahead if you choose a classroom course. Class dates and locations vary through the year, and you need to finish the course before you can buy a regular license. The online option lets Indiana residents 12 and older work at their own pace, which helps busy adults and students fit it in around work or school.

Not certified yet? The apprentice license lets residents and nonresidents of any age hunt without hunter education, up to three times in a lifetime. The apprentice must stay close to a licensed hunter who is 18 or older and be able to talk with them, and one adult can supervise no more than two apprentices. It works well for trying the sport before committing to a class.

Where can you buy a license in Indiana?

The fastest way to buy an Indiana hunting license is online at the GoOutdoorsIN.com Activity Hub or in the GoOutdoorsIN app. You can also buy in person at an authorized license retailer or at most DNR properties, or send a mail order to the DNR Customer Service Center, which you can reach at 317-232-4200.

Online and app sales cost a little more ($3 plus a card fee) than a retailer counter or mail ($1). Either way, have your hunter education information ready if you were born after 1986. The Indiana DNR licenses and permits page links to the purchase system.

1. Pass hunter education if you were born after December 31, 1986, or choose an apprentice license instead.
2. Go to GoOutdoorsIN.com, open the GoOutdoorsIN app, or visit a license retailer or DNR property.
3. Pick the annual hunting license, plus any deer or turkey licenses you plan to use.
4. Pay the license fee and the tech fee, then carry your license while you hunt.

Buy a Indiana hunting license on the official site

Do you need a separate deer or turkey license in Indiana?

Yes. Deer and turkey each require their own license, and a deer license by itself is enough to hunt deer. Indiana has no statewide big-game draw, so you buy these licenses over the counter rather than applying for a lottery.

Turkey works the same way. Spring and fall turkey licenses are sold separately at $32 each for residents, and each is valid only for its own season. Buy the one that matches when you plan to hunt, and keep it with you in the field along with any other licenses you carry.

The statewide limit is one antlered deer, plus antlerless deer within each county's quota. Every deer must be checked in within 48 hours, either online through CheckIN Game on GoOutdoorsIN.com, by phone at (260) 368-5880, or at a check station. Deer and turkey licenses are only valid during their own seasons, so read the Indiana deer regulations before you head out.

If you expect to hunt more than one deer, compare the $91 Deer License Bundle against single $39 licenses before you check out. The fee page spells out what each option includes, and the right choice depends on how many deer you realistically plan to take and in which counties.

What are the youth hunting rules in Indiana?

Kids under 13 do not need an Indiana hunting license as long as they are with a licensed hunter who is 18 or older and are not carrying a gun or bow themselves. That makes it easy to bring a young child along to learn the woods, watch how an adult handles a firearm and sit quietly in a blind before they ever hunt on their own.

Residents 17 and under can buy the Youth Consolidated Hunt/Trap License for $12, which is also valid for deer. Nonresident youth pay $20 for the annual license, $39 for each deer license and $32 for turkey. Young hunters born after 1986 still face the hunter education rule for a regular license, so an apprentice license is the usual first step for a new teen hunter.

Families often move through these steps in order: a young child tags along without a license, a preteen or teen tries an apprentice license under close supervision, and then the young hunter finishes a free classroom course or the online course to qualify for a regular license.

How much is an Indiana hunting license for nonresidents?

A nonresident Indiana hunting license costs $90.00 for the year, or you can buy a $50 Five-Day Hunting License, which suits a single trip. An apprentice version of the five-day license is available for nonresidents without hunter education. Indiana lists no resident short-term option.

The math is simple if you are deciding between the two. Two five-day licenses cost $100, more than the $90 annual license, so a visitor planning more than one trip in the April to March license year usually comes out ahead with the annual license.

Big game costs more for visitors. A nonresident deer license is $240 each, or $550 for the Deer License Bundle, and a spring or fall turkey license for hunters 18 and older is $175 each. Nonresident lessees who farm Indiana land do not get the landowner exemption that residents do. If you are planning a trip across the line, compare with the Illinois hunting license and Kentucky hunting license guides.

What other Indiana hunting rules should you know?

Your license runs from April 1 through March 31 of the following year, no matter when in that window you buy it. A license bought in late winter expires the same March 31 as one bought in April, so check the calendar before you pay.

Keep your paperwork in order for the whole year. Your annual license, any deer or turkey licenses and your hunter education details should be easy to show if a conservation officer asks, so check the DNR rules on how you may carry them before your first hunt of the season.

Lifetime licenses ended on July 1, 2005, though any lifetime Indiana hunting license bought before that date still carries its privileges. Disabled American Veterans can buy a hunting and fishing license for $2.75 a year or $27.50 for 10 years (it does not cover deer or turkey). Full-time Indiana military members on leave with orders are exempt, and the DNR lists no senior hunting discount. For other states, see our hunting license by state guide.

• Hunter orange: wear a solid fluorescent orange outer garment (vest, coat, jacket, coveralls, hat or cap) during the deer firearms, muzzleloader, youth and reduction-zone seasons.
• Ground blinds: show 144 square inches of orange on each side during those seasons.
• Landowners: resident owners of Indiana farmland, resident lessees who farm it, and their spouses and resident children need no license on that land.
• Deer check-in: report each deer within 48 hours online, by phone or at a check station.