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Indiana

Fishing

Fishing

Reptiles & Amphibians

Reptiles/Amphibians Seasons & Limits

Species

Season

Daily Bag Limit

Possession Limit

Restrictions

Game turtles

Eastern Snapping Turtle

July 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025

4, 12 inch minimum carapace length, any combination of game turtle

8, 12 inch minimum carapace length, any combination of game turtle

Turtle traps may be used but may not have an opening below the water surface.

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Spiny Softshell Turtle

Game frogs

Bull Frog

June 15, 2024 to April 30, 2025

25, any combination of bull or green frog

50, any combination of bull or green frog

Frogs may be taken with gig or spear with a head not more than 3 inches in width and a single row of tines; long bow and arrow; club; hands alone; or pole or hand line with not more than one hook or artificial lure attached. Firearms for frog hunting are restricted to .22-caliber loaded with birdshot only or an air rifle that fires a lead pellet (.177 diameter minimum) at least 500 feet per second where legal to use.

Green Frog

All reptiles and amphibians native to Indiana are regulated species.

A license is required to take a reptile or amphibian from the wild. Species of frogs, lizards, salamanders, snakes, toads, or turtles on the state or federally endangered species list may not be taken at any time. Eastern box turtles cannot be collected from the wild at any time.

Eastern snapping turtles, smooth softshell turtles, and spiny softshell turtles can be taken only between July 1 and March 31 of the following year and must have a carapace (shell) length of at least 12 inches.

Carapace length is the straight line measurement along the top surface of the shell from the central point of the front edge directly behind the turtle's neck to a central point on the back edge directly above the turtle's tail.

Indiana residents 18 years of age or older must possess a valid hunting or fishing license while collecting species of reptiles or amphibians from the wild.

All nonresident adults and nonresident youth must possess a nonresident annual hunting license while collecting reptiles or amphibians from the wild.

License holders must obey season dates and bag limits, and use legal methods. Excluding state parks, an individual with a valid fishing or hunting license may take game frog and turtle species from a DNR property where fishing and hunting is authorized. Other species of reptiles and amphibians may not be taken from any DNR property, including state parks.

The daily bag limit is 25 for game frog species and 4 for game turtle species. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

Reptiles and amphibians collected from the wild in Indiana may not be sold.

Only legally collected amphibians or reptiles held for fewer than 30 days may be released at their original capture site if they have never been housed with another animal.