Illinois deer harvest totals 181,411 during 2011-12 seasons

Illinois deer harvest totals 181,411 during 2011-12 seasons

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 181,411 deer during all 2011-12 seasons.  Illinois deer seasons closed last weekend as hunters concluded the Archery Deer Season and the last segments of the Late-Winter and Special Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) deer hunting seasons on Jan. 15.

The total preliminary deer harvest for all seasons of 181,411 compares with a total harvest for all seasons of 182,270 in 2010-11.  During this year’s deer seasons, hunters took 49.2 percent does and 50.8 percent males.  Illinois’ record deer harvest occurred in the 2005-06 season, when 201,209 deer were taken.  For a historical perspective (in ten-year increments), the 2001-02 total Illinois deer harvest was 152,768; 1991-92 was 101,418; and, 1981-82 was 22,570.

“Hunters experienced harvests this year that were almost identical to last year,” said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton.  “Slight declines in the archery and firearm seasons were virtually offset by increases in the Youth, Muzzleloader, and Late Winter/Special CWD seasons.  Deer populations in many parts of the state have been brought down to levels that are more in keeping with population goals, and in the coming months biologists will be studying available data to determine changes to implement for the 2012-13 seasons.”

During the just-concluded 2011-12 Archery Deer Season, hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 61,852 deer (Oct. 1, 2011-Jan. 15, 2012), compared with the archery deer harvest of 63,570 in the 2010-11 season.

The total Mercer County harvest for all seasons was 1,601.