From the Illinois DNR

-- Deer hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 99,419 deer during the seven-day firearm deer hunting season on Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 3-6. The preliminary harvest total compares with 105,595 deer taken by hunters during the 2008 firearm season.

The preliminary second-season (Dec. 3-6) harvest total was 33,293, compared with the 33,701 deer taken by hunters during the second segment of the season in 2008. This year’s preliminary first-season (Nov. 20-22) deer harvest was 66,126, compared with a first-season harvest of 71,894 in 2008. The preliminary harvest totals include deer taken in all counties in which firearm deer hunting is permitted, as well as Chain O’Lakes State Park in Lake County.

"Harvest during the second season was nearly identical to last year," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton. "We did experience a slow start during the first firearm season. However, there are still plenty of hunting opportunities for hunters with Muzzleloader season and an expanded archery and Late-Winter firearm season."

Preliminary reports show that Pike County once again topped the county deer harvest totals for the firearm season as hunters there took 3,265 deer. Other top county harvest totals were Fulton (2,616), Adams (2,480), Jefferson (2,379), Jo Daviess (2,281), Randolph (2,256), and Jackson (2,153).

Hunters still have the opportunity to harvest deer in Illinois during remaining gun seasons and the rest of the 2009-2010 archery deer season. The three-day Illinois muzzleloader-only deer season is this week (Dec. 11-13), while the expanded seven-day split Late-Winter Firearm Antlerless-only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season are Dec. 31, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010 and Jan. 15-17, 2010. The statewide archery deer hunting season continues through Jan. 17, 2010.

Permits for both the Late-Winter and Special CWD seasons will be available over the counter through DNR Direct license and permit agents beginning Dec. 15.

Permits for the Late-Winter season will be issued in two categories, based on deer management needs in individual counties. In 11 select counties with a need for significant increases in deer harvest, hunters will be able to purchase Late-Winter permits without limit. In 59 other counties open for the Late-Winter season, hunters will be limited to purchasing one Late-Winter deer permit. As in years past, unfilled 2009 firearm, muzzleloader, youth, and landowner firearm permits will be valid for this season provided that they were issued for an open county, but only antlerless deer may be taken.

A list of counties that are open (and the permit limit for those counties) and closed for the Late-Winter season for 2009-2010 is available on the IDNR web site at this link: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/admin/pdf/latewintercountieslist.pdf.

Hunters in Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, and Winnebago counties and that portion of Kane County west of Ill. Rt. 47 can participate in the seven-day Special CWD Deer Season on Dec. 31, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010 and Jan. 15-17, 2010 to help control deer densities and the spread of chronic wasting disease. Special CWD season antlerless-only permits will be available beginning Dec. 15 over the counter for $5 each at participating DNR Direct license and permit vendors. In addition, hunters with unfilled 2009 firearm, muzzleloader, youth deer hunt, or archery deer permits valid for one of the open counties may use those permits to hunt during the CWD season.

Hunters using unfilled permits from the 2009 firearm, muzzleloader, youth, or archery season for the CWD hunt may take deer appropriate for that permit (antlerless-only or either-sex). There will be no manned check stations during CWD season this year. Successful hunters should report their harvest by 10 p.m. on the same calendar day the deer was taken by calling the toll-free telephone check-in system at 1-866-452-4325 (1-866-ILCHECK) or by accessing the online check-in system at www.dnr.state.il.us/vcheck. Successful hunters are encouraged to have any adult deer tested for CWD by taking it to a cooperating meat processor.

The table below includes preliminary county harvest totals for the first and second portions of the 2009 firearm deer season, the preliminary total firearm harvest for 2009, and the comparable county harvest totals for 2008.

2009 First 2009 Second 2009 2008

County Season Season Total Total

Adams 1614 866 2480 2649

Alexander 328 232 560 502

Bond 566 277 843 913

Boone 102 53 155 157

Brown 938 540 1478 1475

Bureau 820 463 1283 1616

Calhoun 858 524 1382 1342

Carroll 698 329 1027 1128

Cass 494 233 727 755

Champaign 171 115 286 320

Christian 400 204 604 667

Clark 908 420 1328 1296

Clay 942 374 1316 1430

Clinton 581 227 808 873

Coles 502 201 703 744

Crawford 798 362 1160 1192

Cumberland 617 270 887 920

DeKalb 126 89 215 246

DeWitt 250 141 391 469

Douglas 130 58 188 204

Edgar 528 243 771 784

Edwards 366 144 510 514

Effingham 765 263 1028 1057

Fayette 1336 571 1907 2109

Ford 74 39 113 162

Franklin 779 425 1204 1204

Fulton 1725 891 2616 2688

Gallatin 421 219 640 617

Greene 873 511 1384 1483

Grundy 274 128 402 408

Hamilton 872 434 1306 1347

Hancock 1215 735 1950 2353

Hardin 747 312 1059 1103

Henderson 390 207 597 674

Henry 479 219 698 893

Iroquois 387 266 653 821

Jackson 1416 737 2153 2204

Jasper 837 408 1245 1289

Jefferson 1606 773 2379 2451

Jersey 585 353 938 1021

JoDaviess 1493 788 2281 2371

Johnson 1304 467 1771 1845

Kane 38 17 55 63

Kankakee 121 86 207 240

Kendall 59 38 97 96

Knox 866 564 1430 1618

Lake 9 1 10 21

LaSalle 756 388 1144 1381

Lawrence 457 212 669 609

Lee 436 233 669 696

Livingston 316 167 483 593

Logan 235 160 395 458

Macon 203 113 316 337

Macoupin 1200 536 1736 1846

Madison 638 301 939 922

Marion 1374 624 1998 2035

Marshall 548 213 761 834

Mason 443 200 643 680

Massac 425 232 657 628

McDonough 707 402 1109 1149

McHenry 215 162 377 372

McLean 450 222 672 728

Menard 310 137 447 430

Mercer 551 320 871 981

Monroe 792 295 1087 1102

Montgomery 841 350 1191 1231

Morgan 732 361 1093 1007

Moultrie 206 85 291 337

Ogle 645 463 1108 1182

Peoria 1012 501 1513 1648

Perry 899 446 1345 1385

Piatt 115 79 194 204

Pike 2012 1253 3265 3342

Pope 1275 494 1769 1828

Pulaski 471 253 724 818

Putnam 365 193 558 536

Randolph 1576 680 2256 2489

Richland 614 264 878 882

Rock Island 578 336 914 984

Saline 644 318 962 1025

Sangamon 541 289 830 886

Schuyler 1114 571 1685 1779

Scott 368 191 559 577

Shelby 996 446 1442 1435

St. Clair 656 266 922 984

Stark 186 120 306 361

Stephenson 547 389 936 1088

Tazewell 505 230 735 764

Union 1168 593 1761 1875

Vermilion 472 351 823 966

Wabash 211 99 310 311

Warren 388 222 610 738

Washington 839 333 1172 1180

Wayne 1247 641 1888 1987

White 692 351 1043 1040

Whiteside 501 270 771 830

Will 214 148 362 414

Williamson 1101 524 1625 1789

Winnebago 269 178 447 479

Woodford 662 271 933 1099

Total 66126 33293 99419 105595