Illinois Firearm Deer Season Preliminary Harvest Totals 99,324

Firearm deer hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 99,324 deer during the seven-day firearm deer season on November 16-18 and November 29-December 2.  The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said the total compares with the 97,820 deer taken during the 2011 firearm season.

The top five county totals for deer taken were Pike, Fulton, Adams, Jo Daviess and Randolph.

934 deer were taken in Effingham County during the firearm season, down from 1050 in 2011.

Elsewhere in the area, 1,217 deer were taken in Clay County, down from 1,351 in 2011...934 were taken in Cumberland County, down from 956 in 2011...1,722 in Fayette County, down from 1,952 in 2011...1,160 in Jasper County, down from 1,259 in 2011...and 1,273 in Shelby County, down from 1,430 in 2011.

There are still deer hunting opportunities in Illinois; the archery deer season continues through January 20...the three-day muzzleloader-only deer season this weekend...and the seven-day split Late-Winter Firearm Antlerless-only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season are December 27-30 and January 18-20.