SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — State officials say hunters in Illinois took a total of 50,173 deer during the first weekend of the firearm season Nov. 22-24.
The preliminary total reflects a 15% drop in the number of deer harvested compared with the first weekend in 2018.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources says that the seven-day firearm season will conclude Dec. 5-8.
But IDNR notes that there are other hunting opportunities under way or approaching. They include archery hunting and hunting with muzzleloaders, late-winter antlerless-only deer hunting and Chronic Wasting Disease hunting in certain counties.
