Section 312IAC9-3-3. Equipment for deer hunting

   (a) During the youth special deer season established in section 4(b) of this rule, a youth hunter must hunt deer only with the following equipment:

(1) A bow and arrow as described in subsection (b)(1) through (b)(5).

(2) A crossbow as defined in 312 IAC 9-1-5.3.

(3) A shotgun as described in subsection (d)(1).

(4) A muzzleloading long gun as described in subsection (d)(3).

(5) A rifle, with the use of cartridges described in subsection (d)(4).

  (b) During the archery season established in section 4(c) of this rule, an individual must hunt deer only with equipment as follows:

(1) With a long bow, recurve bow, or compound bow that has at least thirty-five (35) pounds pull with a valid license identified at section 2(f) of this rule.

(2) With a crossbow with a valid license identified at section 2(g) of this rule.

(3) Arrows or bolts must be equipped with metal or metal-edged (or flint, chert, or obsidian napped) broadheads.

(4) Poisoned or explosive arrows or bolts are unlawful.

(5) For long bows, recurve bows, and compound bows, no portion of the bow's riser (handle) or any:

(A) track;

(B) trough;

(C) channel;

(D) arrow rest; or

(E) other device;

that attaches to the bow's riser shall contact, support, or guide the arrow from a point rearward of the bow's brace height.

  (c) During the firearms season established in section 4(e) of this rule and the special antlerless season established in section 4(h) of this rule, an individual must hunt deer only with any of the following equipment:

(1) A shotgun.

(2) A shotgun with rifled barrel.

(3) A handgun.

(4) A muzzleloading long gun.

(5) A muzzleloading handgun.

(6) A rifle, with the use of cartridges described in subsection (d)(4) only.

  (d) As used in section 2 of this rule, this section, and sections 4 and 8 of this rule, a firearm must meet the following specifications:

(1) A shotgun must have a gauge 10, 12, 16, 20, 28, or .410 bore loaded with a single projectile.

(2) A handgun must:

(A) conform to the requirements of IC 35-47-1-6;

(B) have a barrel at least four (4) inches long;

(C) fire a bullet of two hundred forty-three thousandths (.243) inch diameter or larger; and

(D) not be a rifle that has a barrel less than eighteen (18) inches.

The handgun cartridge case, without bullet, must be at least one and sixteen-hundredths (1.16) inches long. Full metal jacketed bullets are unlawful. All 25/20, 32/20, 30 carbine, and 38 special ammunition is prohibited.

(3) A muzzleloading long gun must be .44 caliber or larger, loaded with a bullet at least three hundred fifty-seven thousandths (.357) inch or larger. A muzzleloading handgun must be single shot, .50 caliber or larger, loaded with bullets at least .44 caliber and have a barrel at least twelve (12) inches long. The length of a muzzleloading handgun barrel is determined by measuring from the base of the breech plug, excluding tangs and other projections, to the end of the barrel, including the muzzle crown. A muzzleloading gun must be capable of being loaded only from the muzzle, including both powder and bullet.

(4) A rifle must fire a cartridge that meets the following specifications:

(A) Fire a bullet of three hundred fifty-seven thousandths (.357) of an inch diameter or larger.

(B) Have a minimum case length of one and sixteen-hundredths (1.16) inches.

(C) Have a maximum case length of one and eight-tenths (1.8) inches.

Full metal jacketed bullets are unlawful.

  (e) During the muzzleloader season established in section 4(f) of this rule, an individual must hunt deer only with a:

(1) muzzleloading long gun as described in subsection (d)(3); or

(2) muzzleloading handgun as described in subsection (d)(3).

  (f) During the deer reduction season established in section 4(d) of this rule, an individual may hunt deer with bows and arrows described in subsection (b) from September 15 through January 31 of the following year, or with firearms described in subsections (c) and (d) from the first Saturday after November 11 through January 31 of the following year.

  (g) An individual must not erect, place, or hunt from a permanent tree or ground blind on state owned lands. A tree or ground blind placed on:

(1) a DNR property as defined at 312 IAC 8-1.5-6;

(2) U.S. Forest Service lands; or

(3) any national wildlife refuge;

must be portable and may be left overnight only between noon on September 15 and January 10. A fastener used in conjunction with a tree blind and a tree or pole climber that penetrates a tree more than one-half (1/2) inch is prohibited. Each tree or ground blind must be legibly marked with the name, address, and telephone number of the owner of the blind in the English language or the individual's customer identification number issued by the department.

  (h) An individual must not use infrared sensors to locate or take deer. An individual must not hunt or retrieve deer with the aid of an infrared detector.

  (i) An individual must not possess or use an electronic deer call while hunting deer. (Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-3-3; filed May 12, 1997, 10:00 a.m.: 20 IR 2703; filed Nov 13, 1997, 12:09 p.m.: 21 IR 1272; filed Dec 26, 2001, 2:40 p.m.: 25 IR 1530; readopted filed Jul 28, 2003, 12:00 p.m.: 27 IR 286; filed Sep 23, 2004, 3:00 p.m.: 28 IR 538; filed Jun 23, 2006, 2:24 p.m.: 20060719-IR-312050214FRA; filed Jun 29, 2007, 2:30 p.m.: 20070725-IR-312060272FRA; filed Sep 6, 2007, 12:20 p.m.: 20071003-IR-312070023FRA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Nov 3, 2009, 3:34 p.m.: 20091202-IR-312090044FRA; filed Dec 1, 2011, 4:01 p.m.: 20111228-IR-312110101FRA; filed Sep 13, 2013, 3:02 p.m.: 20131009-IR-312120670FRA; errata filed Dec 6, 2013, 11:12 a.m.: 20140101-IR-312130537ACA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; filed Jun 15, 2015, 3:43 p.m.: 20150715-IR-312140453FRA)