Photo by R.E. Ilg

By P.J. Perea

The barrage of slugs of the first firearm season has stopped, and for some hunters, the deer season is over. But for an increasing number of hunters, the season begins in December and goes until the middle of January. Second-season firearm hunters, muzzleloader hunters, archers and handgun hunters have plenty of opportunities to kill deer in Illinois. It is far more challenging to harvest deer in this period, but some relish the solitude of pursuing deer in places left behind by fair-weather hunters.

If last season's record deer harvest of 166,479 is any indication of the 2004 hunting season, this year's season has the potential of being another one for the record books. The 2003 record season featured a record firearm season harvest of 103,961 deer and a record archery season kill of more than 57,812 deer. Changes made by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in the permitting process have made available even more opportunities for firearm, pistol and archery hunters to harvest late-season deer during the 2004 season. Following are some of the changes for the 2004 season that affect late-season deer hunting.

Paul Shelton, head of the Department of Natural Resources deer program, commented on the muzzleloader season.

"The muzzleloader season was originally designed for the traditional muzzleloader hunters," said Shelton. "But with the increase in popularity of muzzleloader hunting, we've had to increase the number of permits and change the permitting process to meet the increase in requests for the season. The muzzleloader season amounts to a third season for firearm hunters."

The regulations allow hunters with permits for the firearm deer season to use centerfire revolvers or single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger, with a minimum barrel length of four inches. Legal ammunition includes a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, both of which must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500-foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle.

Non-expanding, military-style full-metal jacket bullets cannot be used. Only soft point or expanding bullets - including copper or copper alloy rounds designed for hunting - are legal ammunition. This year's January doe season, formerly known as the "handgun-only season," has also changed.

This January, a new season will allow hunters participating in the surplus deer hunting season - traditionally known as the "handgun-only season" - to use a handgun, shotgun or muzzleloading rifle. The season dates are to be Jan. 14-16, 2005. The season is open to Illinois residents only, and hunters are permitted to kill antlerless deer only.

Open counties included Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Clark, Crawford, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Jasper, Jefferson, Jo Daviess, Lawrence, Macoupin, McLean, Morgan, Ogle, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Richland, Schuyler, St. Clair, Wayne, White, Whiteside and Williamson.

In recent years, landowners and other residents of Kane County have asked to be able to participate in the state's firearm deer hunting seasons in the more rural, western portion of the county. With attractive deer habitat and a growing deer population in western Kane County, it is expected that this added opportunity in northeast Illinois will be popular. Previous regulations allowed only archery deer hunting in Kane County.

The non-resident permit quota had been 12,843 since the 2001 season. Demand for the permits has exceeded the number available each year. The increase in permits, combined with the state's growing deer population, will provide added opportunities for hunters.

The non-resident archery combination permits - allowing the harvest of one antlered and one antlerless deer - will continue to be issued through a toll-free telephone reservation system. Non-residents buying a combination permit will also be able to purchase additional antlerless-only permits.

While more non-resident archery permits will be available in 2004, resident hunters continue to account for the vast majority of Illinois deer hunters. Last year, Illinois issued approximately 490,000 permits for all deer hunting seasons, and more than 95 percent of them were to Illinois residents.

"With the peak of the rut over, deer are not as interested in breeding as staying warm and finding winter food sources," said Kube. "Deer have learned to utilize waste grain left in fields from the fall harvest. With the loss of vegetation as the winter progresses, deer will be forced into areas that have better cover to get out of the wind and stay warm. So hunters may want to concentrate on deep draws and areas that are thick with brush and are relatively near waste grain or mast sources."

Kube pointed out that Illinois deer also differ from deer in more wintry climates such as northern Wisconsin and Minnesota in that they do not "yard up."

"Our winter climate in Illinois is much milder and far less snowy than up north, so the deer usually do not leave the area they are found in during the regular season unless the food runs out," he said. "In late winter, some does that were bred during the rut may move toward spring birthing areas."