The Illinois Deer Harvest from the first firearm season saw a dramatic drop this year. Illinois hunters harvested 8,663 less this year during the first week of the Illinois firearm deer season. Totals for the state overall was 50,173, down from the 58,836 harvested at the same time last year.
Morgan County totals are down nearly 22.5% from last year with just 401 total deer harvested during this first week. In Pike County, one of the world’s foremost white tail deer hunting spots, 1,174 deer were harvested while 1,361 were harvested last year.
Numbers for other west-central Illinois counties are: Brown County, 604; Cass County, 380; Greene County, 632; Macoupin County, 1025; Sangamon County, 329; Schuyler County, 800; and Scott County, 197.
Illinois’ seven-day Firearm Deer Season will conclude December 5-8. Other hunting opportunities will continue throughout the end of the year including Muzzle-loader season December 13-15, and the archery season which will continue through January 19th.