In an effort intended to grow the deer herd in Champaign, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt counties in east-central Illinois, hunters are prohibited from harvesting antlerless deer during the first 15 days of the Illinois Archery Deer Season.
Hunters in those counties may only take antlered deer from Oct. 1 through Oct. 15. Antlerless deer are defined as deer without antlers, or deer having antlers less than three inches long.
The regulation implemented for the 2018-19 archery deer season establishes a Restricted Archery Zone for Champaign, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt counties.
The Restricted Archery Zone, through an amendment to the Illinois archery deer hunting regulations, was recently approved by the Illinois General Assembly Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
Deer population levels in the five east-central Illinois counties are below currently adopted county goals in the region. Similar harvest restrictions for archery deer hunters during the late 1990s and early 2000s were effective in boosting the size of the deer herd in east-central Illinois.
In addition to the Restricted Archery Zone requirements, public land hunters in Piatt County should note the Piatt County Unit of Weldon Springs State Park also will be closed to all archery deer hunting from Oct. 1-15.
The Weldon Springs Piatt County Unit will open for archery deer hunting Oct. 16.
Illinois Archery Deer Season dates are Oct. 1, 2018 to January 20, 2019. More information on deer hunting in Illinois is available online.