Skip to main content

Attention hunters: Visit our FAQ page for information about the use of centerfire, single-shot rifles for deer hunting in Illinois. 

Press Releases

No Data

Illinois hunters harvest more than 53,000 deer first weekend of firearm season

Press Release - Tuesday, November 28, 2023

SPRINGFIELD - Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 53,348 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season between Nov. 17-19. Comparatively, hunters took 52,354 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2022.

Illinois' seven-day firearm deer season will conclude Nov. 30-Dec. 3. Other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include:
  • muzzleloader-only deer season Dec. 8-10;
  • late-winter antlerless-only and chronic wasting disease deer seasons (in select counties only) Dec. 28-31 and Jan. 12-14; and
  • archery deer season through Jan. 14. (Note: archery deer hunting is closed Nov. 30-Dec. 3 in counties open for firearm deer season.)
Go online to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' website for more details about deer hunting, open counties, and other information.

A table of preliminary Illinois firearm deer harvest totals by county for the first weekend of the 2023 season, and comparable totals for 2021 and 2022, can be found below.
 

County

2021

2022

2023

 
 

ADAMS

1311

1437

1423

 
 

ALEXANDER

264

239

199

 
 

BOND

478

537

562

 
 

BOONE

73

71

74

 
 

BROWN

572

655

591

 
 

BUREAU

612

609

695

 
 

CALHOUN

427

465

476

 
 

CARROLL

373

331

389

 
 

CASS

386

423

448

 
 

CHAMPAIGN

143

137

144

 
 

CHRISTIAN

376

403

417

 
 

CLARK

692

721

721

 
 

CLAY

765

889

1007

 
 

CLINTON

493

606

588

 
 

COLES

466

487

415

 
 

CRAWFORD

635

673

729

 
 

CUMBERLAND

531

542

511

 
 

DEKALB

87

73

83

 
 

DEWITT

195

220

220

 
 

DOUGLAS

115

120

121

 
 

EDGAR

370

424

413

 
 

EDWARDS

273

317

283

 
 

EFFINGHAM

637

653

696

 
 

FAYETTE

1106

1184

1166

 
 

FORD

81

86

85

 
 

FRANKLIN

848

956

888

 
 

FULTON

1154

1249

1296

 
 

GALLATIN

253

305

306

 
 

GREENE

612

634

624

 
 

GRUNDY

154

172

217

 
 

HAMILTON

729

741

750

 
 

HANCOCK

1001

1128

992

 
 

HARDIN

515

548

467

 
 

HENDERSON

262

283

320

 
 

HENRY

268

275

321

 
 

IROQUOIS

282

257

344

 
 

JACKSON

1290

1484

1371

 
 

JASPER

715

794

784

 
 

JEFFERSON

1228

1249

1286

 
 

JERSEY

416

425

435

 
 

JO DAVIESS

830

843

967

 
 

JOHNSON

866

874

749

 
 

KANE

27

18

27

 
 

KANKAKEE

140

114

138

 
 

KENDALL

47

43

49

 
 

KNOX

720

737

821

 
 

LAKE

5

5

4

 
 

LASALLE

409

427

499

 
 

LAWRENCE

366

399

426

 
 

LEE

316

314

385

 
 

LIVINGSTON

312

268

310

 
 

LOGAN

217

193

215

 
 

MACON

148

155

135

 
 

MACOUPIN

1003

1120

1077

 
 

MADISON

460

509

484

 
 

MARION

998

1186

1202

 
 

MARSHALL

393

412

429

 
 

MASON

258

249

280

 
 

MASSAC

238

268

247

 
 

MCDONOUGH

488

495

528

 
 

MCHENRY

181

129

204

 
 

MCLEAN

398

349

432

 
 

MENARD

214

215

262

 
 

MERCER

538

509

600

 
 

MONROE

710

856

821

 
 

MONTGOMERY

541

619

592

 
 

MORGAN

364

442

432

 
 

MOULTRIE

146

158

156

 
 

OGLE

394

356

503

 
 

PEORIA

567

576

581

 
 

PERRY

783

969

941

 
 

PIATT

83

89

84

 
 

PIKE

987

1129

1189

 
 

POPE

934

1068

994

 
 

PULASKI

190

222

208

 
 

PUTNAM

236

228

244

 
 

RANDOLPH

1457

1518

1506

 
 

RICHLAND

475

487

480

 
 

ROCK ISLAND

404

408

526

 
 

SALINE

533

628

611

 
 

SANGAMON

354

327

357

 
 

SCHUYLER

833

904

875

 
 

SCOTT

209

190

254

 
 

SHELBY

864

883

895

 
 

ST. CLAIR

529

576

560

 
 

STARK

113

118

150

 
 

STEPHENSON

370

342

375

 
 

TAZEWELL

339

352

377

 
 

UNION

795

812

813

 
 

VERMILION

400

369

419

 
 

WABASH

118

122

126

 
 

WARREN

288

290

337

 
 

WASHINGTON

672

771

747

 
 

WAYNE

935

1015

938

 
 

WHITE

437

553

542

 
 

WHITESIDE

348

335

402

 
 

WILL

123

134

167

 
 

WILLIAMSON

1109

1287

1163

 
 

WINNEBAGO

167

154

181

 
 

WOODFORD

397

434

475

 
 

Total

48964

52354

53348

 
           

Press Releases

No Data