Late-winter hunting in Illinois has been so lucrative in recent years, more counties have been opened for the state's late-winter season; muzzleloader hunting permit applications are increasing; and more and more archers are hitting their stands in late December and January. Photo courtesy of Ron Sinfelt.

Illinois' proverbial whitetail cup has been overflowing.

In fact, late-winter hunting in Illinois has been so lucrative in recent years, more counties have been opened up for the state's late-winter season; muzzleloader hunting permit applications are increasing; and more and more archers are hitting their stands in late December and January.

Late Winter 2006
Every deer hunter who had the chance to go afield the second shotgun season last December will probably remember the frigid, blustery weather conditions that accompanied them in the Illinois deer woods. The cold weather stretched into the muzzleloader deer season a week later, and, as a result, the late harvest numbers reflected a lower outcome -- 29,117 deer statewide -- than the previous season.

However, Illinois muzzleloader hunters enjoyed the best year in recorded history, bringing in 20,881 whitetails with an overall hunter success rate of 28 percent. Moreover, hunters who took advantage of the antlerless late-winter season added 9,700 deer to the total, marking an outstanding success rate of 78 percent!

2006 Second Shotgun Season The "second shotgun season" in the Prairie State is a true misnomer for deer hunters. Some years, it can be a balmy affair, as bucks capitalize on late does still in estrus. Other years, this season can be a frigid set of circumstances, with deer behaving more indicative of the traditional solstice.

Across the duration of the second shotgun season the last two years, arctic weather grasped the entire state. Near-record lows were tabbed north to south across the Prairie State, and whitetail activity was significantly reduced. Still, Illinois hunters rose to the occasion and bagged plenty of deer through the waning hours of the 2005 and 2006 deer-hunting seasons.

Hunters in Pike County campaigned a commanding lead on the rest of the state, with 1,002 deer taken during the four days' duration of the northern chill. Deer hunters in Jo Daviess County tallied 861 deer kills to rate second. Jefferson County hunters, located in the southern third of the state, brought in 812 deer. Jackson County hunters, in the Shawnee Forest, brought down 812 deer. Adams County hunters took the fifth spot last season, with 680 whitetails. And the top 10 deer harvest ratings for the 2006 second shotgun season rounded out with Williamson County (678 deer), Randolph County (645), Marion County (642), Wayne County (626) and Union County (596).

Further harvest numbers for the 2006 second shotgun season included: Fayette County (593), Hancock County (571), Clay County (467), Pope County (462), Greene County (456), Johnson County (455), Hamilton County (446), White County (436), Macoupin County (423), Stephenson County (413), Calhoun County (389), Schuyler County (373) and Ogle County (371).

Late Winter, January 2007
Last season, 72 counties in Illinois were open for the late-winter deer hunting. The antlerless-only regulations provide a last hurrah for hunters who are allotted a tag for a specific county from the regular lottery, and hunters who hold an unfilled firearm tag from a specific county permit or an unfilled archery permit.

Handguns, too, are allowed during this time for deer hunters. Bowhunters can hunt all open areas of the state, but hunters with specific late-winter season tags or unfilled county-specific tags must hunt in the county -- and with the firearm or bow -- for which they were issued.

Hunters in Pike County again led the pack in the deer harvest numbers in the late-winter season, with 559 whitetails tallied. Jefferson County hunters fell into second place, tagging 328 deer. Ogle County hunters in northwest Illinois surprised hunters elsewhere when they placed third in the county-by-count harvest numbers, with 289 deer. The top 10 counties rounded out with Randolph County hunters tallying 287 deer; Fulton County hunters bagged 278 deer; Wayne County hunters logged 271 deer kills; Jo Daviess County hunters scratched out 267 deer; hunters in Fayette County bagged 245 deer; Adams County hunters notched 236 deer kills; and Perry County hunters tagged 212 deer.

Further harvest numbers for the late-winter deer season (January 2007) included: Bureau County (203), Jackson and Hancock counties (202), Macoupin and Marion counties (191), Peoria County (188), Schuyler and La Salle counties (183), White County (177), Brown County (175), Union County (166), Knox County (148), Williamson County (144) and Jasper and Greene counties (139).