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Illinois archers anticipating another good deer season; is a harvest record within reach?

Last season’s total archery harvest of 73,605 is expected to be in range for hunters, as the deer population remains steady. (Photo by Eric Morken)

Bow season opens on a Wednesday, making it fairly easy to predict a Day 1 harvest of 650 to 750 deer – give or take a hundred or so.
It’s a simple forecast to make based on hunter activity in past seasons. When Oct. 1 falls midweek, as it did in 2024 (a Tuesday), the harvest tends to be well below 1,000, while openers that hit on a weekend usually have hunters taking well over the 1,000 mark. Last season’s total archery harvest of 73,605 is expected to be in range for hunters, as the deer population remains steady. The record harvest of 75,106 set in 2020 is possible.

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