
It Was a Record Harvest for Illinois Deer Hunters This Season
The 2024-2025 hunting season in Illinois wrapped up with a bang, with early harvest numbers showing a big jump over last season.
Illinois Deer Hunters Harvest Record Numbers in 2024-2025 Season
According to a press release from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), hunters harvested a preliminary total of 170,758 deer across all archery and firearm seasons in the Land of Lincoln.
That’s a significant increase over the 160,313 deer taken during the previous year’s hunting season.
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Whether it was more hunters, better weather conditions, or a more successful year, one thing’s clear. Illinois hunters made their mark in the 24-25 season.
Archery, Firearm, and Muzzleloader Contributions
Archery hunters led the charge, with a preliminary total of 73,598 deer taken between October 1 and January 19, compared to 71,226 last year.

Firearm hunters weren’t far behind, bagging 82,496 deer during the November and December firearm seasons, a notable jump from the 76,494 harvested in 2023.
Muzzleloader hunters, participating in the specialized season in mid-December, brought in 2,832 deer. While this was a bit lower than last year’s 3,378, the muzzleloader season is still a highlight for those seeking a more traditional hunting experience in Illinois.
Youth and Late-Winter Seasons See Steady Success
The Illinois youth deer season also had solid results, with 4,057 deer harvested, though slightly down from last year’s 4,576.
Meanwhile, the late-winter antlerless-only and CWD seasons saw a big jump, with a combined harvest of 7,775 deer, which was nearly double the 4,639 taken during the same seasons in 2023, according to the IDNR report.
This increase shows a positive result from the state's effort to manage deer populations, especially in northern Illinois counties that are dealing with chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Looking Ahead: More Data Coming Soon
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will release the final harvest totals by season and county in the annual deer harvest report this spring, and we'll share those details with you when the information is provided.
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Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger
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