The rut is on and bowhunters stay ahead of 2018 pace of harvesting deer

Illinois bowhunters continue to stay ahead of the 2018 pace for deer harvest and signs come of the rut.

By Dale Bowman

File photo of a mounted deer head against the sky. Credit: Dale Bowman — File photo of a mounted deer head.

Signs of the rut come with the weekly update on deer harvest by bowhunters in Illinois and the pace of harvest stays ahead of 2018.

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

Here’s an update on the Illinois Archery Deer Season from the Illinois DNR Division of Wildlife Resources: ARCHERY DEER SEASON Through Monday, November 11, 2019, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 42,072 deer, compared to 40,670 for the same period in 2018. Harvest to date has consisted of 48% does and 52% males (20261:21811). The proportion of males in the harvest continued to rise with the rut; during the past seven days males comprised 68% of the harvest. The top five counties for archery deer harvest through November 11, 2019 were Pike (1,350), Fulton (1,170), Jefferson (1,047), Adams (1,023), and JoDaviess (860). County results are [below].

County 2018 2019

Adams 1000 1023
Alexander 124 120
Bond 284 262
Boone 105 104
Brown 681 593
Bureau 498 490
Calhoun 483 512
Carroll 434 463
Cass 454 449
Champaign 240 223
Christian 376 366
Clark 586 531
Clay 366 392
Clinton 337 368
Coles 475 495
Cook 68 68
Crawford 590 513
Cumberland 322 348
DeKalb 116 121
DeWitt 345 322
Douglas 128 116
Dupage 11 19
Edgar 310 288
Edwards 130 149
Effingham 332 389
Fayette 628 684
Ford 35 33
Franklin 633 679
Fulton 1096 1170
Gallatin 134 165
Greene 573 592
Grundy 231 212
Hamilton 387 455
Hancock 620 600
Hardin 248 237
Henderson 167 193
Henry 359 364
Iroquois 253 266
Jackson 686 669
Jasper 439 455
Jefferson 900 1047
Jersey 386 403
JoDaviess 865 860
Johnson 417 395
Kane 189 177
Kankakee 212 185
Kendall 103 118
Knox 659 724
Lake 185 174
LaSalle 541 489
Lawrence 274 325
Lee 314 311
Livingston 172 159
Logan 219 283
Macon 275 290
Macoupin 733 818
Madison 601 589
Marion 587 699
Marshall 247 256
Mason 254 314
Massac 159 173
McDonough 418 408
McHenry 378 407
McLean 360 378
Menard 278 300
Mercer 380 385
Monroe 262 293
Montgomery 506 554
Morgan 410 466
Moultrie 230 257
Ogle 472 489
Peoria 596 687
Perry 512 568
Piatt 113 154
Pike 1458 1350
Pope 557 486
Pulaski 116 138
Putnam 173 186
Randolph 692 717
Richland 258 286
Rock Island 516 482
Saline 317 347
Sangamon 589 553
Schuyler 705 746
Scott 164 198
Shelby 599 634
St. Clair 437 442
Stark 98 108
Stephenson 368 392
Tazewell 435 441
Union 499 493
Vermilion 602 575
Wabash 113 133
Warren 200 189
Washington 338 363
Wayne 468 591
White 231 281
Whiteside 355 354
Will 500 422
Williamson 662 747
Winnebago 357 350
Woodford 372 435

Grand Total 40670 42072

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Rut on: Illinois bowhunters stay ahead of 2018 pace of harvesting deer

Illinois bowhunters continue to stay ahead of the 2018 pace for deer harvest and signs come of the rut.