Illinois hunting: Good bowhunting, rut building

Hunting conditions remained excellent during the past week, with cool weather and light winds throughout the period. Small amounts of rain fell during the early morning hours on Saturday in parts of the state, but harvest remained strong. Harvest was up significantly this week, and the proportion of males in the harvest continued to climb. Through Sunday, November 4, 2012, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 30,956 deer. Last year’s preliminary harvest for the same period was 28,198, and the five-year average for 2007-2011 was 29,381. Harvest to date (for all weeks) consists of 56% does and 44% males (17475 F; 13481 M). Males comprised about 59% of the past week’s harvest. Top five counties to date are Pike (1309), Fulton (998), Jefferson (685), Peoria (671), and Adams (656).