Illinois Sets New Harvest Record for Youth Deer Hunting Season

Photo Courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

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Young hunters in Illinois set a new youth deer season harvest record with a preliminary total of 4,852 deer taken Oct. 10-12. The total surpasses the previous record of 4,714 deer harvested in 2025.

The top harvest counties were Randolph with 278 deer; Jefferson, 166; Pike, 150; Fayette, 145; and Marion, 125.

Youth hunters with unfilled, valid youth deer permits may use those permits during the upcoming firearm deer seasons Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 3-6. This is the first year youth deer hunting permits were sold as a combination that includes one either-sex permit and one antlerless-only permit.

Preliminary county harvest totals for the 2026 youth deer hunting season, with comparable totals for 2025 and 2024, are listed below.

County202620252024
Adams121155147
Alexander8178
Bond473542
Boone576
Brown697370
Bureau183122
Calhoun574639
Carroll241415
Cass413632
Champaign201713
Christian352942
Clark696450
Clay1059273
Clinton777474
Coles244422
Crawford885644
Cumberland777166
DeKalb342
DeWitt192014
Douglas191912
Edgar273626
Edwards181810
Effingham8911898
Fayette145122118
Ford142
Franklin564945
Fulton956977
Gallatin222017
Greene1018757
Grundy1288
Hamilton845456
Hancock847367
Hardin192019
Henderson12189
Henry223030
Iroquois273532
Jackson1089477
Jasper829776
Jefferson166155139
Jersey414139
Jo Daviess395346
Johnson544248
Kane131
Kankakee11117
Kendall222
Knox373135
Lake001
La Salle242924
Lawrence302517
Lee323331
Livingston221713
Logan182729
Macon252521
Macoupin1018779
Madison485147
Marion125135119
Marshall193318
Mason192426
Massac251624
McDonough223534
McHenry545
McLean324228
Menard251620
Mercer242018
Monroe907976
Montgomery828488
Morgan363731
Moultrie303036
Ogle172616
Peoria283836
Perry919686
Piatt12136
Pike150164147
Pope543931
Pulaski292218
Putnam8136
Randolph278259211
Richland473836
Rock Island182616
Saint Clair736952
Saline584651
Sangamon404233
Schuyler797054
Scott161812
Shelby11310075
Stark2511
Stephenson10186
Tazewell563934
Union846457
Vermilion303229
Wabash17178
Warren8148
Washington789160
Wayne1149280
White584743
Whiteside334041
Will887
Williamson645748
Winnebago201311
Woodford445549
Total4,8524,7144,097

***Courtesy of The Illinois Department of Natural Resources***

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