Illinois deer hunting: Firearm harvest rebounds (slightly)

Harvest numbers are in for Illinois’ two firearm seasons, and they are up slightly from last year.

Here is the word from the IDNR:

Illinois Firearm Deer Hunters Harvest Preliminary Total of 76,547 Deer during Seven-Day Season

Deer Harvest up Slightly Over 2013

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Illinois deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 76,547 deer during the seven-day traditional firearm deer hunting season that closed Sunday, Dec. 7. That figure compares to 74,318 deer harvested during the 2013 firearm season. Preliminary figures for the second segment of the firearm season totaled 24,717, up 34 percent from 18,483 in 2013. Overall, the total represented a slight increase from 2013, with a preliminary first segment harvest of 51,830 compared with 55,708 deer harvested during the first weekend of the 2013 Firearm Season.

Hunters are reminded that an additional 20 counties have been closed to the Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Seasons, Jan. 1-4 and Jan. 16-18. To see a map of counties that are open for the Late-Winter Season, visit:

https://suntimesmedia.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/latewinterdeerseasonmap.pdf

Additional deer hunting opportunities remain

• The Illinois Muzzleloader Season is Dec. 12-14.
• The first Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons will be Jan. 1 – 4, 2015.
• The second Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons will be Jan. 16 – 18, 2015.
• Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 18, 2015.

For more deer hunting information, visit: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer/Pages/default.aspx

A table of preliminary deer harvest numbers broken down by county and compared with 2013 is below.

Fifty-eight counties saw increases in the number of deer killed, while 41 counties decreased slightly. One county remained the same.

County by county comparisons with 2013 figures are below:

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