Illinois bowhunters continue a harvest pace well ahead of last season.
Here is the latest from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (an editorial note, as always, the link below for current harvest is only for this season,).
ARCHERY DEER SEASON ThroughSunday, December 17, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of53,731deer, compared to48,924for the same period in 2016. Total harvestto date hasconsisted of45% does and55% males (23942:29789). During the past week, does made up 57% of the harvest. Top five counties for the 2017-18 season through Dec. 17: Pike(1880),Fulton(1493), Jefferson (1257),Adams (1171),andWilliamson(1063). County results are included in the attached table. Up-to-date archery harvest figures (for either deer or turkey) by county/state sites can be tracked on the web at http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/IDNRHarvestQuery.aspx
Here is the county-by-county comparison to last year:
| County | 2016 | 2017 |
| Adams | 1115 | 1171 |
| Alexander | 141 | 156 |
| Bond | 318 | 327 |
| Boone | 110 | 119 |
| Brown | 771 | 797 |
| Bureau | 583 | 621 |
| Calhoun | 552 | 610 |
| Carroll | 502 | 529 |
| Cass | 486 | 544 |
| Champaign | 270 | 330 |
| Christian | 391 | 446 |
| Clark | 707 | 763 |
| Clay | 486 | 486 |
| Clinton | 305 | 377 |
| Coles | 477 | 603 |
| Cook | 86 | 105 |
| Crawford | 739 | 845 |
| Cumberland | 341 | 428 |
| DeKalb | 158 | 142 |
| DeWitt | 383 | 441 |
| Douglas | 128 | 174 |
| Dupage | 22 | 34 |
| Edgar | 345 | 386 |
| Edwards | 188 | 207 |
| Effingham | 395 | 398 |
| Fayette | 621 | 707 |
| Ford | 41 | 47 |
| Franklin | 846 | 898 |
| Fulton | 1346 | 1493 |
| Gallatin | 225 | 245 |
| Greene | 581 | 735 |
| Grundy | 260 | 289 |
| Hamilton | 598 | 611 |
| Hancock | 670 | 740 |
| Hardin | 359 | 400 |
| Henderson | 234 | 234 |
| Henry | 392 | 437 |
| Iroquois | 312 | 314 |
| Jackson | 897 | 1036 |
| Jasper | 461 | 527 |
| Jefferson | 1137 | 1257 |
| Jersey | 432 | 450 |
| JoDaviess | 919 | 979 |
| Johnson | 578 | 633 |
| Kane | 206 | 264 |
| Kankakee | 251 | 240 |
| Kendall | 148 | 158 |
| Knox | 788 | 850 |
| Lake | 210 | 297 |
| LaSalle | 645 | 617 |
| Lawrence | 427 | 459 |
| Lee | 375 | 365 |
| Livingston | 179 | 203 |
| Logan | 231 | 267 |
| Macon | 373 | 428 |
| Macoupin | 798 | 983 |
| Madison | 677 | 751 |
| Marion | 818 | 928 |
| Marshall | 317 | 291 |
| Mason | 281 | 344 |
| Massac | 299 | 300 |
| McDonough | 472 | 504 |
| McHenry | 446 | 466 |
| McLean | 418 | 468 |
| Menard | 300 | 357 |
| Mercer | 397 | 481 |
| Monroe | 323 | 378 |
| Montgomery | 548 | 603 |
| Morgan | 473 | 540 |
| Moultrie | 230 | 329 |
| Ogle | 647 | 555 |
| Peoria | 738 | 818 |
| Perry | 729 | 744 |
| Piatt | 118 | 158 |
| Pike | 1854 | 1880 |
| Pope | 763 | 779 |
| Pulaski | 202 | 206 |
| Putnam | 218 | 195 |
| Randolph | 918 | 991 |
| Richland | 355 | 399 |
| Rock Island | 594 | 664 |
| Saline | 405 | 491 |
| Sangamon | 601 | 699 |
| Schuyler | 801 | 954 |
| Scott | 184 | 223 |
| Shelby | 604 | 691 |
| St. Clair | 483 | 571 |
| Stark | 103 | 108 |
| Stephenson | 439 | 456 |
| Tazewell | 431 | 491 |
| Union | 675 | 700 |
| Vermilion | 690 | 734 |
| Wabash | 179 | 191 |
| Warren | 236 | 249 |
| Washington | 431 | 483 |
| Wayne | 752 | 855 |
| White | 453 | 470 |
| Whiteside | 439 | 437 |
| Will | 600 | 624 |
| Williamson | 886 | 1063 |
| Winnebago | 422 | 424 |
| Woodford | 436 | 486 |
| Total | 48924 | 53731 |
