Hunters took 52,354 deer in the first weekend of firearms hunting

ILLINOIS (WHBF) — Illinois hunters harvested a preliminary 52,354 deer during the first weekend of the Nov. 18-20 Illinois deer hunting season, according to a news release.

By comparison, hunters harvested 48,964 deer in the first weekend of 2021.

Illinois’ seven-day firearms season will conclude Dec. 1-4. Other deer hunting opportunities in the coming weeks include:
• Muzzleload only deer season Dec. 9-11

• Late winter antlerless and chronic deficiency disease season (some counties only) Dec. 29-Jan. January 1 and 13-15

• The deer hunting season will continue until January 15. (Note: Bow hunting for deer is closed from December 1st through December 4th in counties with an open firearms deer season.)

For more information on deer hunting, open counties and other information, visit here.

Below is a table of preliminary total firearms recoveries in Illinois by county for the opening weekend of the 2022 season and comparable results for 2020 and 2021.