First deer season had increased harvest
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) reports hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 72,111 deer during the opening weekend of the 2012 Illinois Firearm Deer Season, Nov. 16-18.
Randolph County's deer harvest for 2011 was 1,406 and for 2012 was 1,665. State totals were 66,501 for 2011 and were 72,111 for 2012.
The second portion of the firearm season is Nov. 29-Dec. 2. The preliminary harvest total of 72,111 for the first three days of the 2012 firearm season compares with the first weekend harvest of 66,501 deer during the 2011 deer season. The top county harvest total last
weekend was in Pike with 2,108 deer, followed by Fulton (2,048), Adams (1,938), Jo Daviess (1,877) and Randolph (1,665). For the entire seven-day firearm season in 2011, hunters harvested 98,820 deer. The preliminary first-season figures reported for each county include those deer taken on special hunt areas within that county as well as on private land. "Hunters enjoyed near perfect conditions during our first firearm weekend," said Paul Shelton, IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager.
"Temperatures were cool, winds were calm, crops were out of the fields, and rutting activity was ongoing. We hope hunters enjoyed their time in the field."
Approximately 60 percent of the deer taken during the first weekend of firearm hunting were bucks, compared with 61 percent bucks taken during the first weekend of the firearm season in 2011. The IDNR has issued more than 334,000 firearm deer hunting permits so far for the 2012 season. For information on remaining permits, check the IDNR website at the link: www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer.
Remaining firearm deer hunting opportunities in Illinois include the second segment of the firearm season on Nov. 29-Dec.2, the three-day Muzzleloader-only Deer Season on Dec. 7-9, and the seven-day split Late-Winter Firearm Antlerless-only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season on Dec. 27-30, 2012 and Jan. 18-20, 2013.
For more information on Illinois deer hunting regulations, check the IDNR web site at the link: www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer