Anticipation! Illinois’ firearm deer opener comes with high hopes and moderate weather

More than 200,000 deer hunters will take to the fields and timber Friday through Sunday for Illinois’ first firearm deer season with more anticipation than in recent years.

That higher anticipation comes in part because bowhunters are off to a good start. Illinois bowhunters had harvested 53,064 deer through Sunday, compared with 47,647 at the same time last season. For a fuller breakdown of the latest archery harvest, go to https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/11/18/20970320/deer-harvest-illinois-bowhunters-stays-ahead-last-season-firearm-season-opens-friday.

Many bowhunters reported bucks are still heavily in the rut, something also indicated in the harvest report. During the last week reported, males made up 68 percent of the harvest.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources hired Peter Schlichting as deer project manager Oct. 16, forest wildlife program manager Dan Skinner emailed.

Nov. 1 marked 17 years since the first detection of chronic wasting disease in Illinois’ wild deer. In CWD counties, hunters need to bring their deer to check stations by 8 p.m.The check stations should be included with your permit or the list is at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/Deer%20CWD%20Information%20Sheet.pdf. CWD now is found in less than 2 percent of wild deer in Illinois. More on CWD cane be found at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/programs/CWD/Pages/default.aspx.

Weather is another reason for hope.

‘‘With forecasted high temperatures in the 30s and 40s across much of the state, we have the potential for good hunting conditions — for the time being, anyway,’’ Skinner emailed.

(My plans for opening day are to spend it at a check station.)