Firearm deer harvest up slightly: Illinois deer hunting update

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters harvested a preliminary total of 80,021 deer during the seven-day Illinois Firearm Deer Season that concluded on Sunday, Dec. 3. The 2017 preliminary harvest total compares to the final total of 79,559 deer harvested during the firearm season in 2016. The preliminary harvest for the second segment of the firearm season on Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 was 28,656, compared with 24,977 during the second season in 2016. The preliminary harvest for the first segment of firearm season on Nov. 17-19 was 51,365 deer. Deer hunting opportunities remain available in Illinois during the remainder of the 2017-18 season: • The Illinois Muzzleloader-only Season is this weekend, Dec. 8-10. • The Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Season and CWD Deer Season first segments (in designated counties only) will be Dec. 28-31. • The second segments of the Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons (in designated counties only) will be Jan. 12-14, 2018. • Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 14, 2018. Details on the Late-Winter and CWD seasons are available on the IDNR website at: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/LateWinterDeerCWDHuntingPermitInformation2017-2018.pdf A map showing the counties open to the Late-Winter and CWD seasons can be found at: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/Documents/IllinoisLateWinterDeerSeasonsMap2017_2018.pdf For more deer hunting information, visit: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/DeerHunting.aspx A table of preliminary Firearm Deer Season harvest totals for 2017 by county, and comparable totals for 2016, is below.