Illinois Hunters Harvest 86,711 Deer During Firearm Season
Hunters in Illinois harvested more than 85,000 deer during the seven-day firearm season — a more than 10 percent increase over last year.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources on Wednesday said preliminary totals show 86,771 deer were harvested during the season that ended Sunday. During the seven-day period in 2014 there were 76,575 deer harvested.
Department data show the biggest harvests were in Adams, Jackson, Randolph, Pike and Jo Daviess counties.
And the hunting season isn't over yet.
Illinois' archery deer hunting season lasts until Jan. 17, and muzzleloader-only season runs Friday through Sunday.
Late-winter antlerless-only deer hunting seasons are scheduled for Dec. 31 to Jan. 3 and Jan. 15-17.