Deer hunting numbers up in La Salle, Bureau, Putnam counties

Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 76,854 deer during the seven-day 2022 Illinois Firearm Deer Season that concluded Dec. 4, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Comparatively, hunters netted 70,411 deer during the firearm season in 2021.

In La Salle County, hunters took a total of 654 deer, and in Bureau County, 904. Rounding up the region, Woodford County hunters took 631, Marshall County 578, Lee County 491, Livingston County 368, Putnam County 327 and Grundy County 272.

La Salle County’s totals are up 91 from last year and Bureau County’s were up by nine. Woodford, Putnam, Marshall, Lee and Grundy counties numbers each were up from the previous year. However, Livingston County saw a decline of 13 less deer taken.

The preliminary numbers for the second segment alone of the 2022 firearm season, Dec. 1-4, was 24,500, compared with 21,477 during the second season in 2021. The preliminary harvest for the first segment of this year’s firearm season Nov. 18-20 was 52,354 deer.

First weekend firearm deer hunting totals from Nov. 18-20 are up in La Salle, Woodford and Marshall counties from 2021. Totals were down in Bureau, Putnam and Livingston counties. In that first weekend, there were 609 deer taken in Bureau County (down three from 2021), 434 in Woodford County (up 37), 427 in La Salle County (up 18), 412 in Marshall County (up 19), 268 in Livingston County (down 44) and 228 in Putnam County (down eight).

Other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include:

• Muzzleloader-only deer season Dec. 9-11
• Late-winter antlerless-only and Chronic Wasting Disease deer seasons (select counties only) Dec. 29-Jan. 1 and Jan. 13-15
• Archery deer season continues through Jan. 15. (Note: Archery deer hunting is closed Dec. 1-4 in counties open for firearm deer season.)

For details about deer hunting, open counties and other information, visit www2.illinois.gov/dnr/hunting/Pages/DeerHunting.aspx.