Deer harvest in archery stays ahead of last season: Illinois deer hunting

Here is an update on the Illinois Archery Deer Season from the IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources. A reminder that the Illinois Firearm Deer Season resumes Nov. 29-Dec. 2, and archery hunting is closed on those dates in counties open to firearm deer hunting. ARCHERY DEER SEASON Through Monday, November 26, 2018, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 51,025 deer, compared to 50,738 for the same period in 2017. Harvest for the last seven days was 2,918, with 611 deer taken on Saturday and 403 taken on Sunday. Harvest to date has consisted of 46% does and 54% males (23291:27734). Male harvest dropped significantly during the past seven days compared to the previous few weeks, comprising 57% of the weekly harvest. Sixty percent of the harvest has been taken using compound bows; 39% by crossbows; and 1% by traditional bows (longbows and recurves). The top five counties for archery harvest as of November 26 were Pike (1,729), Fulton (1,314), Jefferson (1,206), Adams (1,186), and JoDaviess (989). County results are included in the attached table.