The Indiana single season deer harvest record of 125,526 was set during the 2005 season. Since then, the total harvest figures have hovered very close to that same ballpark range. However, in 2008 with a higher antlerless quota being allocated in many counties of our state, the "old" 2005 record was significantly raised.

During the 2008-09 deer season, 129,748 whitetails were officially harvested throughout Indiana. Many counties produced harvest increases. These counties included Steuben, Kosciusko, Noble, Marshall, Switzerland, Franklin, Parke, LaGrange, Harrison and Dearborn.

The antlered buck harvest exceeded 1,000 deer in five counties, while the antlerless harvest exceeded 1,000 deer in 29 counties, compared with 25 in 2007. The age and sex structure of the 2008 deer harvest was 39 percent adult males (antlered bucks), 36 percent adult females, 11 percent male fawns (button bucks) and 15 percent female fawns.

These percentages are nearly identical to the harvest in 2007. About 40 percent of the antlered bucks and 38 percent of the adult does harvested during 2008 were yearlings (1.5-year-olds).

Again, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) was confirmed in select counties; however, overall deer loss is believed to be much less than the previous two years. EHD was confirmed in Tippecanoe, Fountain, Owen, Brown, Bartholomew, Jennings and Switzerland counties. It was also reported, but unconfirmed, in LaGrange, Montgomery, Parke, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, Greene, Martin, Harrison, Morgan, Johnson, Shelby and Henry counties.

Chad Stewart is the Deer Research biologist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Stewart had this to say about the recent bouts with EHD in our state.

"EHD has probably always been around Indiana, and likely will continue to be around. It is predictable seasonally, but little is understood about its emergence annually. There is recent information out of Virginia that high summer and winter temperatures, and drought-like conditions in June, promote EHD outbreaks. As long as conditions are right for the midges that transmit the disease, EHD can and will occur, no matter where the location. The important thing to keep in mind regarding EHD is that individual properties can be affected for several years, but the likelihood of it affecting a countywide area for more than a year is minimal.

Speaking of Steuben County, it led the zone and the entire state again last year -- even though 82 fewer deer were harvested last season there.

"The Indiana deer herd is as strong as ever. Deer in Indiana, like every other state, suffer from some places where there are too many deer, in others, there are not enough, and in the rest, the numbers are just right."

Are there going to be similar numbers of antlerless tags available this year? "There will be an increase in some of the antlerless quotas this year, particularly up north, where an increase was probably overdue," he explained.

With all that said, here is how the season shapes up in the state's seven Indiana Deer Zones.

ZONE 1
Indiana's seven-county northeastern-most zone is located within the famous natural lakes region of the state. With diverse habitat types and plentiful agricultural holdings throughout this area, Zone 1 produces lots of deer for hunters.