Hunters in Illinois Harvest More Than 85,000 Deer During First Weekend of Firearm Deer Season

John Stabley — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:02:13 +0000

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Hunters in Illinois Harvest More Than 85,000 Deer During First Weekend of Firearm Deer Season

2007 first season preliminary totals nearly identical to last year’s first season numbers SPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 85,490 deer during the opening weekend of the state’s 2007 firearm deer season, Nov. 16-18, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Acting Director Sam Flood announced today. The second portion of the firearm season is Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

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 on special hunt areas within that county as well as on private land.

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 through the IDNR web site 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 Co. hunters check in their deer at the DeKalb Co. 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. Traces of rain occurred to the north on Saturday, but not significant enough to impact hunter participation, said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton. “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,” said Shelton .

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 in LaSalle County near the Grundy County line this past summer, 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 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 first season firearm harvest were Pike (2,610), Adams (2,140), JoDaviess (2,055), Fulton (2,003), and Jefferson (1,997)

The table below provides preliminary county harvest totals for the first segment of the 2007 firearm season and comparable figures for the first season in 2006.

County 2006 2007

Adams 2359 2140

Alexander 332 339

Bond 855 877

Boone 154 133

Brown 1330 1135

Bureau 1062 1205

Calhoun 1241 1036

Carroll 821 921

Cass 722 665

Champaign 217 272

Christian 564 574

Clark 1045 1122

Clay 1166 1177

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 1627 1684

Ford 116 123

Franklin 1052 979

Fulton 1992 2003

Gallatin 491 451

Greene 1303 1209

Grundy 307 354

Hamilton 1099 1036

Hancock 1669 1698

Hardin 784 907

Henderson 602 586

Henry 649 742

Iroquois 489 548

Jackson 1838 1824

Jasper 1046 1049

Jefferson 1889 1997

Jersey 953 790

JoDaviess 1845 2055

Johnson 1445 1435

Kane 68 48

Kankakee 151 191

Kendall 75 67

Knox 1130 1244

Lake 25

LaSalle 948 1127

Lawrence 570 497

Lee 623 577

Livingston 437 498

Logan 357 401

Macon 230 252

Macoupin 1704 1677

Madison 952 995

Marion 1560 1677

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 1046 910

Montgomery 1168 1149

Morgan 963 899

Moultrie 264 251

Ogle 958 1035

Peoria 1225 1317

Perry 1250 1161

Piatt 160 184

Pike 2778 2610

Pope 1745 1473

Pulaski 607 547

Putnam 422 454

Randolph 2110 1890

Richland 790 745

Rock Island 739 806

Saline 741 734

Sangamon 722 743

Schuyler 1426 1346

Scott 551 508

Shelby 1194 1193

St. Clair 923 868

Stark 300 258

Stephenson 699 837

Tazewell 619 625

Union 1523 1551

Vermilion 657 719

Wabash 281 252

Warren 587 554

Washington 1138 1083

Wayne 1398 1446

White 804 808

Whiteside 704 806

Will 289 287

Williamson 1319 1391

Winnebago 361 410

Woodford 826 837

Total 85452 85490

Stabley Outdoors » 2007 IL firearm deer season

Hunters in Illinois Harvest More Than 85,000 Deer During First Weekend of Firearm Deer Season

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