Archery Deer Numbers Still Up After First Firearm Season

Archery deer hunters are back in the stand after last weeks First Firearm Season.  Numbers are still up and some big bucks are being taken this year.  Buck consist of 54% of the harvest but have "Dropped significantly during the past seven days compared to previous weeks".   I'm excited to see how the numbers during the second firearm season will compare.  Please send your pictures in and share them with the Capitol Outdoors community.

Rick with a big 9 pointer during the 2018 first firearm season.

 County by County Numbers 

ARCHERY DEER SEASON
Through Monday, November 26, 2018, Illinois archery deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 51,025 deer, compared to 50,738 for the same period in 2017. Harvest for the last seven days was 2,918, with 611 deer taken on Saturday and 403 taken on Sunday.

Harvest to date has consisted of 46% does and 54% males (23291:27734). Male harvest dropped significantly during the past seven days compared to the previous few weeks, comprising 57% of the weekly harvest.

Sixty percent of the harvest has been taken using compound bows; 39% by crossbows; and 1% by traditional bows (longbows and recurves).

The top five counties for archery harvest as of November 26 were Pike (1,729), Fulton (1,314), Jefferson (1,206), Adams (1,186), and JoDaviess (989).