Deer totals up in Bureau, La Salle, Putnam counties the 1st weekend of firearm season

Hunters took almost 1,000 more deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season between Nov. 17 and 19 than they did in 2022, including in Bureau, La Salle and Putnam counties.

Hunters harvested 695 deer in Bureau County the first weekend, which is up 86 deer from the previous year. It was a similar story in La Salle County, where hunters took 499 deer compared with 427 the previous year, and in Putnam County, where hunters took 244 deer compared with 228 the previous year.

Deer hunting totals were up from the previous year in DeKalb, Kendall, Grundy, Livingston, Lee and Marshall counties, as well.

Statewide, hunters took a preliminary total of 53,348 deer during the first weekend of the firearm deer season compared with 52,354 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2022.

Illinois’ seven-day firearm deer season will conclude Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.

Other deer-hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include Muzzleloader-only deer season from Dec. 8 to 10, late-winter antlerless-only and chronic wasting disease deer seasons (in select counties) Dec. 28 to 31 and Jan. 12 to 14, and archery deer season through Jan. 14.

Archery deer hunting is closed Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 in counties open for firearm deer season.

For information about deer hunting and open counties, visit dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deerhunting.html.