Hunters in Illinois harvested 54,452 deer during the first weekend of the 2016 firearm season

SPRINGFIELD - Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 54,452 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois Firearm Deer Season on Nov. 18-20.  Hunters took 57,870 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2015.

Illinois’ seven-day Firearm Deer Season will conclude on Dec. 1-4.  

Other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include:

• Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season on Dec. 9-11;

• Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons (first segment) in select counties only on Dec. 29, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017;

• Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons (second segment) in select counties only on Jan. 13-15, 2017;

• Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 15, 2017 (archery is closed Dec. 1-4 in counties open for Firearm Deer Season)

Reminder:  A new rule allows hunters with a valid Illinois firearm deer permit to use archery equipment during firearm season on private land only; archery permits are not valid during the firearm season, except in those counties closed to firearm deer hunting.

For details on deer hunting, open counties, and other information, check the IDNR website at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/DeerHunting.aspx

A table of preliminary Illinois firearm deer harvest totals by county for the first weekend of the 2016 season, and comparable totals for 2015, is below:

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