Illinois Deer Harvest Up, Pike County Tops List

Illinois firearm deer hunters wound up with a better harvest than last year.

Preliminary numbers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources indicate hunters bagged a total of 76,547 deer this year, up about 2,200 from 2013.

The second half of the firearm season was much better than a year ago, with 24,717 deer harvested. That’s over 6,000 more than last year.

Pike County led the way in deer harvest, with 2,163 for the full season. Adams County was third with 2,105.