2005 firearm deer harvest among best ever        

[DEC. 16, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 114,209 deer during the seven-day firearm deer-hunting season Nov. 18-20 and Dec. 1-4. The preliminary harvest total compares with the record-setting harvest total of 116,675 deer taken during the 2004 firearm season.

"We are very pleased with the results of the firearm deer-hunting season in Illinois this year and congratulate those hunters who were successful in taking a deer," said Joel Brunsvold, Illinois Department of Natural Resources director. "We appreciate the support of hunters in our deer management effort."

Hunters took a preliminary second-season harvest total of 37,158 deer Dec. 1-4, compared with last year's second-season harvest total of 42,856. This year's preliminary first-season deer harvest, Nov. 18-20, was 77,051, compared with a first-season harvest of 73,819 in 2004. The figures include deer harvested in the 98 counties in which firearm hunting is permitted, along with deer harvested on state sites where special permits are issued.

Preliminary harvest reports for the 2005 firearm season show that Pike County led the state with a total harvest of 3,737.

"Rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow and high winds in much of Illinois during the second weekend of firearm season may have been factors in harvest being down compared with last year, but the total harvest is still among the best ever in Illinois," said Paul Shelton, manager of the Forest Wildlife Program for the Department of Natural Resources. "Illinois has a healthy, quality deer herd, and the harvest figures tell us hunters took advantage of some good deer hunting opportunity."

Deer hunters in most downstate counties registered their harvest through the new DNR Direct harvest reporting system by going online or calling a toll-free number to report their harvest.

"The new harvest reporting system has worked very well throughout the archery season, and firearm hunters found it convenient to use too," Shelton said. Hunters in seven northern Illinois counties registered their deer at county check stations where staff provided chronic wasting disease sampling for those hunters interested in voluntarily participating in the surveillance program for the disease.

Illinois' muzzleloader-only deer hunt was Dec. 9-11, and the late-winter firearm antlerless-only season in 51 counties is Jan. 13-15. Permits were issued previously for these seasons. Resident landowners with unfilled "property-only hunting" landowner and tenant permits for the firearm season may use those permits to take antlerless deer on their property during the Jan. 13-15 period if the property is located in one of the 51 counties open for the late-winter season. Other unfilled firearm season permits will not be valid then.

Through Dec. 9, hunters could apply for permits for the CWD antlerless-only deer season scheduled for Jan. 13-15 in Boone, McHenry and Winnebago counties and the portion of DeKalb County north of Interstate 88, the East-West Tollway. This special season will assist in the effort to control the spread of chronic wasting disease in wild deer in the four-county region. Hunters may also use an unfilled 2005 firearm or muzzleloader-only permit valid for Boone, McHenry, Winnebago or DeKalb counties or an unfilled 2005 archery deer permit to participate in this special season. More information is available at http://dnr.state.il.us.

The statewide archery deer-hunting season continues through Jan. 12.

The table at right includes preliminary county harvest totals for the second portion of the 2005 firearm deer season, the preliminary total firearm harvest for 2005 and the comparable county harvest totals for 2004.

County	2005 second season	2005 total	2004 total
Adams	969	3,051	3,106
Alexander	137	445	459
Bond	311	1,078	1,124
Boone	92	281	271
Brown	579	1,585	1,776
Bureau	543	1,628	1,666
Calhoun	523	1,439	1,845
Carroll	337	1,148	1,193
Cass	333	967	1,065
Champaign	99	307	254
Christian	182	634	649
Clark	443	1,357	1,383
Clay	440	1,492	1,504
Clinton	244	1,019	1,073
Coles	213	770	758
Crawford	416	1,283	1,291
Cumberland	243	848	851
DeKalb	115	355	330
DeWitt	139	437	378
Douglas	72	255	225
Edgar	223	719	770
Edwards	185	592	656
Effingham	286	1,143	1,148
Fayette	641	2,181	2,248
Ford	56	174	146
Franklin	522	1,440	1,317
Fulton	973	2,801	2,821
Gallatin	192	623	674
Greene	597	1,804	2,104
Grundy	178	513	478
Hamilton	505	1,457	1,472
Hancock	828	2,250	2,313
Hardin	230	966	954
Henderson	316	836	818
Henry	335	1,002	886
Iroquois	238	737	654
Jackson	692	2,292	2,561
Jasper	345	1,224	1,337
Jefferson	856	2,637	2,534
Jersey	372	1,130	1,290
Jo Daviess	758	2,366	2,541
Johnson	439	1,744	1,867
Kane	35	90	81
Kankakee	105	266	234
Kendall	52	135	130
Knox	583	1,683	1,713
LaSalle	493	1,510	1,353
Lawrence	248	761	854
Lee	313	904	894
Livingston	183	577	531
Logan	150	491	495
Macon	94	312	307
Macoupin	713	2,355	2,484
Madison	339	1,189	1,217
Marion	682	2,096	2,146
Marshall	261	836	785
Mason	255	746	767
Massac	248	654	683
McDonough	473	1,184	1,221
McHenry	176	564	603
McLean	247	802	812
Menard	226	586	670
Mercer	382	1,058	923
Monroe	312	1,219	1,229
Montgomery	474	1,460	1,513
Morgan	453	1,275	1,339
Moultrie	84	305	300
Ogle	522	1,489	1,457
Peoria	505	1,600	1,626
Perry	526	1,596	1,694
Piatt	59	254	175
Pike	1,397	3,737	4,288
Pope	545	2,044	2,155
Pulaski	232	711	753
Putnam	175	572	558
Randolph	755	2,533	2,425
Richland	382	1,083	1,052
Rock Island	312	953	902
Saline	396	1,045	1,008
Sangamon	334	956	987
Schuyler	747	1,889	1,950
Scott	249	728	827
Shelby	414	1,463	1,489
Stark	129	368	320
St. Clair	326	1,176	1,173
Stephenson	456	1,233	980
Tazewell	279	912	889
Union	528	1,881	1,969
Vermilion	354	977	908
Wabash	120	368	422
Warren	317	811	734
Washington	427	1,461	1,517
Wayne	729	2,002	1,974
White	436	1,214	1,164
Whiteside	318	1,036	914
Will	160	426	418
Williamson	698	1,884	1,947
Winnebago	247	691	622
Woodford	306	1,048	1,048
Total	37,158	114,209	116,675

[Illinois Department of Natural Resources news release]

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