Hunters in Illinois harvested a total of 53,348 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season between Nov. 17-19. That’s up about 1,000 deer from last year.
Illinois’ seven-day firearm deer season will conclude Nov. 30-Dec. 3
Archery deer season began October through Jan. 14 but not during November 30th through December 3rd so it does not overlap with the last week of firearm deer season.
Illinois Valley numbers were all up. Deer hunters in Bureau County bagged an additional 86 deer from last year for a total of 695. Putnam County deer taken numbers were up about 15 deer more than last year. And here in La Salle County, almost 500 deer were taken from the forest, that number is up by 72.
The benefit of deer hunting is population control. Without proper management, deer populations can quickly grow out of control and cause damage to forests, crops, and even vehicles on roadways. Hunting helps keep the deer population in check so that they are not overgrazing or causing harm to human communities.
Visit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website for more details about deer hunting, open counties, and other information.