Preliminary 2020-21 Illinois Deer Hunting Season Totals
Preliminary 2020-21 Illinois Deer Hunting Season Totals: 162,575
Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 162,575 deer during all 2020-21 archery and firearm seasons, which concluded Jan. 17, 2021. The total preliminary deer harvest for all seasons compares with a total harvest for all seasons of 153,174 deer in 2019-20.
During the 2020-21 deer seasons, hunters took 45.4 percent does and 54.6 percent males.
Archery: Archery deer hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 75,544 deer (new record) during the season which began on Oct. 1, 2020 and concluded on Jan. 17, 2021. The total archery harvest during the 2019-20 season was 67,743 deer.
Youth: Youth deer hunters harvested a preliminary total of 2,321 deer during the three-day Illinois Youth Deer Season (Oct. 10-12, 2020), compared to 3,774 in 2019.
Traditional Firearm Season: Hunters took a preliminary total of 76,579 deer during the Illinois Firearm Deer Season on Nov. 20-22, 2020 and Dec. 3-6, 2020, compared with 75,417 deer taken during the 2019 firearm season.
Muzzleloader: Hunters using muzzleloading rifles harvested a preliminary total of 3,447 deer during the Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season on Dec. 11-13, 2020, compared with harvest of 3,076 deer in the 2019 muzzleloader season.
Late-Winter Seasons: The 2020-21 Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and Special CWD deer seasons concluded on Jan. 17, 2021 with a combined preliminary harvest total for both seasons of 4,684 deer, compared with a harvest of 3,164 deer taken during those seasons in 2019-20. Season dates for the seven-day Late-Winter and CWD seasons were Dec. 31, 2020-Jan. 3, 2021 and Jan. 15-17, 2021.
There were 15 northern Illinois counties open to the Special CWD Season, which is used to assist in slowing the spread of chronic wasting disease in the Illinois deer herd.
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There were 20 counties open for the Late-Winter Antlerless Season in 2020-21. Counties that are at or below their individual deer population goal for two consecutive years may be removed from the Late-Winter season.
For more information on Illinois deer harvest in recent years (prior to 2020-21), check the IDNR website at: https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/hunting/deer/Pages/AnnualDeerHarvestReports.aspx
The table below provides a county-by-county summary of preliminary deer harvest results for 2020-21.
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