 The preliminary total for the first three days of the 2007 firearm
season compares with the first weekend harvest of 85,452 during the
2006 deer season. The preliminary first-season figures reported for
each county include those deer taken in special hunt areas within
that county as well as on private land."With great weather
throughout Illinois and a dedicated group of hunters, it appears the
first season in 2007 was a success," said Flood. "We thank those
hunters who participated in the first segment of the firearm deer
season and wish all hunters a safe and successful time in the field
when the season concludes Nov. 29 through Dec. 2."
Illinois has issued more than 378,000 firearm deer hunting
permits for the 2007 season. Most hunters register their deer
harvest
online with the IDNR or by phoning 1-866-ILCHECK
(1-866-452-4325) by 10 p.m. on the day of harvest. Hunters in Boone,
DeKalb, Kane, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties take
their deer to county check stations, where IDNR conducts sampling
for chronic wasting disease (Kane County hunters check in their deer
at the DeKalb County check station).
"Hunting conditions were excellent, with temperatures ranging
from lows in the 20s and 30s to highs in the 40s in northern
Illinois to 50s and 60s in southern Illinois," said Paul Shelton,
manager of the IDNR Forest Wildlife Program. "Traces of rain
occurred to the north on Saturday, but not significant enough to
impact hunter participation. Excellent weather conditions and the
fact that virtually all the corn crop has been harvested were
positive factors for hunting opportunity. Thanks to hunters for
participating in the season, for registering their harvest through
the online and phone systems -- and a special thank you to all the
hunters in the northern counties who allowed us to sample their deer
as part of our CWD surveillance program."
IDNR reminds all hunters in the seven northern Illinois counties
participating in CWD testing that mandatory check stations will be
open during the second season. In addition, because of the discovery
of CWD this past summer in LaSalle County, near the Grundy County
line, a new voluntary check station is open for the firearm season
this year in Seneca for registering and sampling deer taken by
hunters in LaSalle and Grundy counties. While the LaSalle-Grundy
check station is not mandatory (hunters may choose to report harvest
from those counties using the automated system), hunters are
encouraged to bring their LaSalle-Grundy deer to this check station
to allow them to be tested for CWD.
The 2007 Illinois firearm deer season concludes Nov. 29-Dec. 2.
The muzzleloader-only deer season is Dec. 7-9. The late-winter
antlerless-only firearm deer season and the special CWD deer season
are Jan. 18-20, 2008. The state's 2007-08 archery deer season
continues through Jan. 17 (except closed in firearm counties during
the second firearm season Nov. 29-Dec. 2).
The top five counties for the first-season firearm harvest were
Pike, with 2,610; Adams, 2,140; Jo Daviess, 2,055; Fulton, 2,003;
and Jefferson 1,997.
The table at right provides preliminary county harvest totals for
the first segment of the 2007 firearm season and comparable figures
for the first season in 2006.
[to top of second column]
 |
|
County |
2006 |
2007 |
| Adams |
2,359 |
2,140 |
| Alexander |
332 |
339 |
| Bond |
855 |
877 |
| Boone |
154 |
133 |
| Brown |
1,330 |
1,135 |
| Bureau |
1,062 |
1,205 |
| Calhoun |
1,241 |
1,036 |
| Carroll |
821 |
921 |
| Cass |
722 |
665 |
| Champaign |
217 |
272 |
| Christian |
564 |
574 |
| Clark |
1,045 |
1,122 |
| Clay |
1,166 |
1,177 |
| Clinton |
838 |
808 |
| Coles |
613 |
621 |
| Crawford |
947 |
950 |
| Cumberland |
695 |
693 |
| DeKalb |
207 |
213 |
| DeWitt |
340 |
320 |
| Douglas |
211 |
212 |
| Edgar |
558 |
608 |
| Edwards |
446 |
434 |
| Effingham |
929 |
923 |
| Fayette |
1,627 |
1,684 |
| Ford |
116 |
123 |
| Franklin |
1,052 |
979 |
| Fulton |
1,992 |
2,003 |
| Gallatin |
491 |
451 |
| Greene |
1,303 |
1,209 |
| Grundy |
307 |
354 |
| Hamilton |
1,099 |
1,036 |
| Hancock |
1,669 |
1,698 |
| Hardin |
784 |
907 |
| Henderson |
602 |
586 |
| Henry |
649 |
742 |
| Iroquois |
489 |
548 |
| Jackson |
1,838 |
1,824 |
| Jasper |
1,046 |
1,049 |
| Jefferson |
1,889 |
1,997 |
| Jersey |
953 |
790 |
| Jo Daviess |
1,845 |
2,055 |
| Johnson |
1,445 |
1,435 |
| Kane |
68 |
48 |
| Kankakee |
151 |
191 |
| Kendall |
75 |
67 |
| Knox |
1,130 |
1,244 |
| Lake |
|
25 |
| LaSalle |
948 |
1,127 |
| Lawrence |
570 |
497 |
| Lee |
623 |
577 |
| Livingston |
437 |
498 |
| Logan |
357 |
401 |
| Macon |
230 |
252 |
| Macoupin |
1,704 |
1,677 |
| Madison |
952 |
995 |
| Marion |
1,560 |
1,677 |
| Marshall |
663 |
696 |
| Mason |
517 |
489 |
| Massac |
486 |
471 |
| McDonough |
825 |
902 |
| McHenry |
310 |
360 |
| McLean |
537 |
541 |
| Menard |
416 |
392 |
| Mercer |
758 |
828 |
| Monroe |
1,046 |
910 |
| Montgomery |
1,168 |
1,149 |
| Morgan |
963 |
899 |
| Moultrie |
264 |
251 |
| Ogle |
958 |
1,035 |
| Peoria |
1,225 |
1,317 |
| Perry |
1,250 |
1,161 |
| Piatt |
160 |
184 |
| Pike |
2,778 |
2,610 |
| Pope |
1,745 |
1,473 |
| Pulaski |
607 |
547 |
| Putnam |
422 |
454 |
| Randolph |
2,110 |
1,890 |
| Richland |
790 |
745 |
| Rock Island |
739 |
806 |
| Saline |
741 |
734 |
| Sangamon |
722 |
743 |
| Schuyler |
1,426 |
1,346 |
| Scott |
551 |
508 |
| Shelby |
1,194 |
1,193 |
| St. Clair |
923 |
868 |
| Stark |
300 |
258 |
| Stephenson |
699 |
837 |
| Tazewell |
619 |
625 |
| Union |
1,523 |
1,551 |
| Vermilion |
657 |
719 |
| Wabash |
281 |
252 |
| Warren |
587 |
554 |
| Washington |
1,138 |
1,083 |
| Wayne |
1,398 |
1,446 |
| White |
804 |
808 |
| Whiteside |
704 |
806 |
| Will |
289 |
287 |
| Williamson |
1,319 |
1,391 |
| Winnebago |
361 |
410 |
| Woodford |
826 |
837 |
| Total |
85,452 |
85,490 |
[Text from
Illinois
Department of Natural Resources news release received from the
Illinois Office of Communication and Information] |
