Hunters Harvest A Total of 80,896 Deer During the 2018 Illinois Firearm Season

State Representative Jerry Costello II with a nice buck

Firearm deer season has come to an end.  Muzzleloader only is this coming weekend.  If you harvest a deer this weekend, send in your photos to capitoloutdoors@gmail.com and you could be featured in next week's numbers.

Harvest numbers for the same firearm deer season period last year were comparable to this year's numbers for the entire season. 

Hunters harvested 779 more deer this year compared to the same time period in 2017.  

However, hunters harvested 6,596 less deer this year during the second part of firearm season compared to 2017.  

Below you will see the press release from the DNR. 

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A preliminary total of 80,896 deer were taken by hunters during the seven-day Illinois Firearm Deer Season that concluded on Sunday, Dec. 2. The 2018 preliminary harvest total compares to the final total of 80,117 deer harvested during the firearm season in 2017. 

The preliminary harvest for the second segment of the firearm season on Nov. 29 through Dec. 2 was 22,060, compared with 28,656 during the second season in 2017. The preliminary harvest for the first segment of firearm season on Nov. 16-18 was 58,836 deer.
Remaining 2018-19 deer season hunting opportunities in Illinois in the weeks ahead include:  

• The Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season this weekend (Dec. 7-9);
• The Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Season and CWD Deer Season (in designated counties only) will be on two upcoming weekends - Dec. 27-30, 2018 and Jan. 18-20, 2019;
• The Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 20, 2019. 

Details on the Late-Winter and CWD seasons are available on the IDNR website at: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer/Documents/2018-2019%20Late-WinterSHAHuntingPermitInformation.pdf

A map showing the counties open to the Late-Winter and CWD seasons can be found at: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/2018-2019%20Illinois%20Late%20Winter%20Counties%20map.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 2018 by county, and comparable totals for 2017, is here.