Area Bowhunters Head to the Outdoors Oct. 1

Southern Illinois bow hunters head to the great outdoors beginning Monday, Oct. 1.

The Illinois Archery Deer Season will be Oct. 1, 2012 - Jan. 20, 2013 (between firearm weekends). The Youth Firearm Deer Season will be Oct. 6-7, 2012, while the regular seven-day Illinois Firearm Deer Season will be Nov. 16 - 18 and Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2012. The Muzzle loader-only Deer Season will be Dec. 7 - 9, 2012. The seven-day Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season dates will be Dec. 27 - 30, 2012 and Jan. 18 - 20, 2013.

Late-Winter Deer Season Changes

The IDNR revised the list of counties open for the Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Season based on an annual review of antlerless deer harvest and deer management needs in individual counties. Ten counties that were open previously to the Late-Winter season will be closed for the 2012-13 season.

The 10 formerly-open counties that have met the harvest goal established by the Joint Task Force on Deer Population Control in 2008 are: Cass, Christian, Henry, Johnson, Lawrence, Mason, Morgan, Tazewell, Union and Wabash. Firearm hunters in those counties should plan on taking their antlerless deer during the regular firearm or muzzle loader seasons, as the Late Winter Antlerless-Only Season will not be an option during 2012-13.

For more information on deer seasons and deer permit information, check the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer.