Peoria-area hunters bagged slightly more deer during the 2019 firearm season.
Preliminary figures from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources puts the total from Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties at 1,945. That is 60 more deer than in 2018.
A preliminary statewide total of 75,349 deer were taken by hunters during the seven-day season that concluded Dec. 8. The 2019 preliminary harvest total compares to the final total of 80,957 deer harvested during the firearm season in 2018. The most deer(2,253) were taken in Randolph County.
The preliminary harvest for the second segment of the firearm season, held Dec. 5-8, was 25,176, compared with 22,060 during the second season in 2018. The preliminary harvest for the first segment of firearm season, held Nov. 22-24, was 50,173 deer.
Remaining 2019-20 deer season hunting opportunities in Illinois in the weeks ahead include:
• The Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season this weekend (Dec. 13-15);
• The Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Season and CWD Deer Season (in designated counties
only) will be on two upcoming weekends – Dec. 26-29, 2019 and Jan. 17-19, 2020;
• The Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 19, 2020.
