Illinois hunting: Bowhunters on rut bucks

Illinois bowhunters are slightly ahead of the harvest pace for deer from this time last year.

Otherwise, the obvious signs of the rut are there.

Here is the word from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources:

ARCHERY DEER Through Sunday, November 8, 2015, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 31,205 deer, compared to 31,043 for the same period in 2014. Harvest to date has consisted of 53% does and 47% males (16,677:14,528), while 39% percent of the harvest has been antlered bucks (12,021). In the last seven days, harvest sex ratios were 34% females:66% males, while antlered bucks comprised 59% of the harvest. Top five counties are currently Pike (1199), Fulton (929), JoDaviess (727), Jefferson (692), and Adams (671). A table of county results is attached. Up-to-date archery harvest figures (for either deer or turkey) by county/state sites can be tracked on the web athttp://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/IDNRHarvestQuery.aspx Paul Shelton, Manager Forest Wildlife Program

Here is the county-by-county breakdown:

County20142015Adams693671Alexander8076Bond204213Boone9380Brown395443Bureau380386Calhoun327394Carroll359377Cass296320Champaign194178Christian271245Clark385350Clay279253Clinton224183Coles313310Cook5256Crawford389408Cumberland163203DeKalb92101DeWitt277302Douglas91103Dupage1515Edgar212223Edwards94106Effingham214226Fayette335363Ford2430Franklin509499Fulton907929Gallatin128133Greene341350Grundy207209Hamilton306303Hancock351399Hardin193175Henderson129144Henry269286Iroquois207204Jackson515528Jasper252251Jefferson720692Jersey249305JoDaviess727727Johnson369339Kane155146Kankakee189142Kendall104108Knox594580Lake205192LaSalle467447Lawrence225215Lee295270Livingston156152Logan132177Macon288260Macoupin482544Madison500469Marion509519Marshall205199Mason174181Massac151121McDonough261274McHenry321335McLean307285Menard174206Mercer265349Monroe215178Montgomery333366Morgan258298Moultrie178180Ogle434465Peoria546497Perry359382Piatt9987Pike12541199Pope439351Pulaski108104Putnam159163Randolph523544Richland158163Rock Island449442Saline238247Sangamon387374Schuyler451477Scott115116Shelby381393St. Clair297340Stark6570Stephenson318328Tazewell325315Union447401Vermilion484490Wabash125103Warren164177Washington240267Wayne402416White270228Whiteside316296Will388374Williamson551529Winnebago290291Woodford288295Total3104331205

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