Additional Rifles Now Legal
for Deer Hunting
In 2016, the Indiana General Assembly passed
a law to approve certain high-powered rifles
for deer hunting on private land only.
In 2017, language was adopted to add more
options to the year-old law.
The changes do not affect regulations for
other rifles previously allowed for deer hunting
on public land.
During the youth season (Sept. 23-24), firearms
season (Nov. 18 - Dec. 3), deer reduction
zone season (only from Nov. 18, 2017 - Jan. 31,
2018 in zones where local ordinances allow
the use of a firearm), and special antlerless
only season (where authorized from Dec. 26,
2017 - Jan. 7, 2018), rifles that meet the following
specifications can now be used for deer
hunting only on private land:
• The rifle must have a barrel length of at
least 16 inches
• The cartridge must have a minimum case
length of at least 1.16 inches and have a
maximum case length of 3 inches
• The cartridge must fire a bullet with a
diameter that is .243 inches (same as 6mm)
or larger
• A hunter may not possess more than 10
cartridges for each of these rifles while
hunting deer