http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php?/pso/article/illinois_bowhunters_shoot_64934_deer/ According to very preliminary numbers, Illinois bowhunters shot an estimated 64,934 deer during the archery season that ended Thursday. That’s up slightly from last year, when the kill total was 63,441, but is down from 2006 (65,154) and 2005 (66,538). County by county pdf here: http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/images/uploads/Preliminary_2008_archery_harvest.pdf
Bols, a lot of the talk I heard from bowhunters in IL about the numbers being down came from folks that just couldn't seem to get a buck. For instance, Let's call hypothetical bowhunter #1 'Justin'. Justin hunts all over the place and can't put a buck down. You'd likely hear Justin complain about herd numbers. We'll call hypothetical bowhunter #2 'Christine'. Christine kills four deer including a half-decent buck. She passes on other slightly larger bucks hoping for a bruiser. She doesn't shoot a bigger one, but she's not complaining about the herd numbers either. Bwahahhaahaha!! Bowhunter #2 does feel for #1 tho'. She's been there plenty of times.
Well put Christine!! You could also put it if Bowhunter #1 would have connected on the one he missed he would have thought the the herd #'s were better and team 9 would have been over the top. But since bowhunter #1 missed we lose and bowhunter #2 comes out way head because she helped her team!!! Walt
Sorry ladies - and Christine - I was out of town for a few days. :D And never once did I complain about lack of deer sightings. I may not have put my tag on a buck this year, but I had my chance. Just because I personally suck at shooting doesn't mean that I complained about not seeing deer. I saw more shooters this year in a week of hunting than I've seen in the past three years combined. 'Twas a good year, friends. Oh, and in my favor I do have a real job which prevents me from hunting every day like, hypothetically let's say, someone named Christine. :mad1:
I actually didn't hunt a ton. My spot was just too darn far away. (125 miles round trip) You're right about the real job tho'. My job rules. I'll be sad if/when I ever have to get a 8-5 kind of job again.
I have to agree here that I had one of my best seasons ever. In fact, it would only be second to the 2005 season. However, I have buddies that hunt Calhoun and Pike and every weekend they complained about the number of deer (bucks and does) being way down from last year and dramatically down from the 2006 season. In fact, they hunted the anterless only season and one guy never seen a deer. That is unheard of in Calhoun Co. I did most of my hunting this year in the central part of the state as was very impressed with the numbers that I was seeing.
