The DNR is probably adding up the numbers and using a big multiplier. I'll wager the numbers released are 75,000 plus for the first three days of firearm season. But I really would be suprised if 40,000 deer were actually taken. The state has too much money on the line to admit the herd has been decimated.
Wow, way down SPRINGFIELD, IL – Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 55,708 deer during the opening weekend of the 2013 Illinois Firearm Deer Season on Nov. 22-24, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced today. The second portion of the firearm season will be Dec. 5-8. The preliminary harvest total of 55,708 for the first three days of the 2013 firearm season compares with the first weekend harvest of 72,111 deer during the 2012 deer season. For the entire seven-day firearm season in 2012, hunters harvested 99,546 deer in Illinois. Counties with the highest reported preliminary harvest totals last weekend were Pike (1,535), Jackson (1,526), Randolph (1,436), Fulton (1,409), and Adams (1,393). 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. "Weather conditions were difficult throughout most of the season, with some parts of the state seeing rain or snow, and virtually everywhere getting a taste of high winds and frigid temperatures,” said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton. “Southern Illinois counties appear to have been the least impacted." Approximately 59 percent of the deer taken during the first weekend of firearm hunting were bucks, compared with 60 percent bucks taken during the first weekend of the firearm season in 2012. The IDNR has issued more than 340,000 firearm deer hunting permits so far for the 2013 season. For information on remaining permits, check the IDNR website at this link: Deer : Deer Hunting. Remaining firearm deer hunting opportunities in Illinois include the second segment of the firearm season on Dec. 5-8, 2013, the three-day Muzzleloader-only Deer Season on Dec. 13-15, 2013, and the seven-day split Late Winter Firearm Antlerless-only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season on Dec. 26-29, 2013 and Jan. 17-19, 2014. For more information on Illinois deer hunting regulations, check the IDNR website at this link: Deer : Deer Hunting For a table with preliminary county first-season deer harvest totals for 2013 and comparable totals for 2012, check this link: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Documents/deer-firstfirearm-2013.pdf
over 16,000 less deer taken this year...wow. I know the the bad weather had a lot to do with it, but it can't explain all that. That's crazy.
Dont worry guys. They will keep having all the late seasons to try and get the numbers up.... and drive the population down.
And somewhere a statistician with the insurance companies is feverishly manipulating numbers and writing an objective as to why the reduced numbers are still not low enough. Then the puppets(with pockets lined) will relay that information to the public and justify while deer vehicle collisions are down they still need reduced lower and no changes are needed to be made as the herd while smaller is still in good shape and Illinois will continue to offer prime whitetail hunting through their excellent management practices. And the sheeple rejoice
Heartland Outdoors :: Scattershooting :: Deer hunting scatter shots And probably the first of many. Good read. As much as I cut and paste off their website, they should put me on the payroll.
Great read............and I couldn't agree more. We are fortunate on our property that we are still seeing a good population of deer. I truly wish everyone could say the same. I hope and pray the herd recovers.........and I hope and pray that the IDNR does the right thing in helping the deer herd recover. We need a strong voice in Springfield, and I look forward to someone starting a group to do just that. I know I will support it, without hesitation.
Starting to look like a big storm brewing for second season, whether the storm itself directly affects IL or not high winds and cold should once again become a factor across most of the state.
I wish my county was closed for late season antlerless firearm, but its not although the county directly south and one directly southwest are.
I thought the numbers would be low but wow! It will be interesting to see what IL does next year as far as the number of tags they issue.
The best part of that entire thing was the very end. Seems to me like IL hunters are going the same path as the folks in WI have been on for years. DNR issues a bunch of permits, they buy them up, shoot every deer that moves, then the following year when they don't see any deer they complain that it's the DNR's fault.
I'm not sure what to think about numbers to be honest. I don't think harvest reports accurately reflect the population really. Nor does the sell of tags. I know a a lot of people that get several tags every year and don't hunt. Also around this area I haven't seen the people out hunting this year that have seen in past, especially during shotgun season. I don't think any of that is a explanation for the down numbers, but its like Justin said you can't be goin like we have for the past several years and expect things not to go down. With all the outfitters and out of state people that flood this state its not surprising at all to see a decline eventually. I don't blame the DNR, if anythinv its the people running the state. Think about how much money deer hunting brings in, they're gonna milk it as long as they can and put little back into it. I mean this is Illinois.
