SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 81,225 deer during the seven-day 2025 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded Dec. 7. Comparatively, hunters harvested 82,496 deer during the 2024 firearm season.
The preliminary harvest for the second weekend of the firearm season Dec. 4-7 was 29,816 compared with 27,835 deer harvested during the same period in 2024. The preliminary harvest for the first weekend of this year’s firearm season Nov. 21-23 was 51,409 deer.
Randolph County: First 2025: 1363; Second 2025: 820; Total 2025: 2183; Total 2024: 2299,
Remaining 2025-2026 deer hunting opportunities in Illinois include:
- Late-winter antlerless-only and chronic wasting disease (CWD) season, in designated counties only, Jan. 1-4 and Jan. 16-18.
- Archery deer season continues through Jan. 18.
More information about deer hunting in Illinois can be found online. A table of preliminary 2025 firearm deer season totals by county and comparable totals for 2024 follows.
About IDNR
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is celebrating 100 years of conservation and service to the people of Illinois throughout 2025. The department was established July 1, 1925, as the Illinois Department of Conservation, bringing under one umbrella oversight of fish and game, forestry, public works, and lakes.
Today, IDNR’s work encompasses management of about 400 sites across Illinois, including state parks and historic sites; wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and natural heritage; Lake Michigan water allocation and coastal management; conservation police; mines and minerals; oil and gas; issuance of licenses, permits, and numerous grants; the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta; and the Illinois State Museum. Visit https://dnr.illinois.gov for more information.