2004 was a record breaking year for deer harvest numbers and this season, the numbers came up just short of that record.
Illinois runs two seasons for firearms on deer. The first season ran from November 18 – 20 with a total of 77,051 deer killed. The later season ran from December 1 – 4 and registered 37,158 deer. Add those two together and you come up with a grand total of 114,209. The 2004 total was 116,675.
While the overall total was down slightly, some counties throughout the state saw increases in deer harvest numbers. You can get a list of those numbers by county here.
Officials say that during the second season, bad weathered hampered the efforts of hunters in most parts of the state.
Tom Remington
