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.
| County | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 |
| Adams | 121 | 155 | 147 |
| Alexander | 8 | 17 | 8 |
| Bond | 47 | 35 | 42 |
| Boone | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Brown | 69 | 73 | 70 |
| Bureau | 18 | 31 | 22 |
| Calhoun | 57 | 46 | 39 |
| Carroll | 24 | 14 | 15 |
| Cass | 41 | 36 | 32 |
| Champaign | 20 | 17 | 13 |
| Christian | 35 | 29 | 42 |
| Clark | 69 | 64 | 50 |
| Clay | 105 | 92 | 73 |
| Clinton | 77 | 74 | 74 |
| Coles | 24 | 44 | 22 |
| Crawford | 88 | 56 | 44 |
| Cumberland | 77 | 71 | 66 |
| DeKalb | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| DeWitt | 19 | 20 | 14 |
| Douglas | 19 | 19 | 12 |
| Edgar | 27 | 36 | 26 |
| Edwards | 18 | 18 | 10 |
| Effingham | 89 | 118 | 98 |
| Fayette | 145 | 122 | 118 |
| Ford | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Franklin | 56 | 49 | 45 |
| Fulton | 95 | 69 | 77 |
| Gallatin | 22 | 20 | 17 |
| Greene | 101 | 87 | 57 |
| Grundy | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| Hamilton | 84 | 54 | 56 |
| Hancock | 84 | 73 | 67 |
| Hardin | 19 | 20 | 19 |
| Henderson | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| Henry | 22 | 30 | 30 |
| Iroquois | 27 | 35 | 32 |
| Jackson | 108 | 94 | 77 |
| Jasper | 82 | 97 | 76 |
| Jefferson | 166 | 155 | 139 |
| Jersey | 41 | 41 | 39 |
| Jo Daviess | 39 | 53 | 46 |
| Johnson | 54 | 42 | 48 |
| Kane | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Kankakee | 11 | 11 | 7 |
| Kendall | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Knox | 37 | 31 | 35 |
| Lake | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| La Salle | 24 | 29 | 24 |
| Lawrence | 30 | 25 | 17 |
| Lee | 32 | 33 | 31 |
| Livingston | 22 | 17 | 13 |
| Logan | 18 | 27 | 29 |
| Macon | 25 | 25 | 21 |
| Macoupin | 101 | 87 | 79 |
| Madison | 48 | 51 | 47 |
| Marion | 125 | 135 | 119 |
| Marshall | 19 | 33 | 18 |
| Mason | 19 | 24 | 26 |
| Massac | 25 | 16 | 24 |
| McDonough | 22 | 35 | 34 |
| McHenry | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| McLean | 32 | 42 | 28 |
| Menard | 25 | 16 | 20 |
| Mercer | 24 | 20 | 18 |
| Monroe | 90 | 79 | 76 |
| Montgomery | 82 | 84 | 88 |
| Morgan | 36 | 37 | 31 |
| Moultrie | 30 | 30 | 36 |
| Ogle | 17 | 26 | 16 |
| Peoria | 28 | 38 | 36 |
| Perry | 91 | 96 | 86 |
| Piatt | 12 | 13 | 6 |
| Pike | 150 | 164 | 147 |
| Pope | 54 | 39 | 31 |
| Pulaski | 29 | 22 | 18 |
| Putnam | 8 | 13 | 6 |
| Randolph | 278 | 259 | 211 |
| Richland | 47 | 38 | 36 |
| Rock Island | 18 | 26 | 16 |
| Saint Clair | 73 | 69 | 52 |
| Saline | 58 | 46 | 51 |
| Sangamon | 40 | 42 | 33 |
| Schuyler | 79 | 70 | 54 |
| Scott | 16 | 18 | 12 |
| Shelby | 113 | 100 | 75 |
| Stark | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Stephenson | 10 | 18 | 6 |
| Tazewell | 56 | 39 | 34 |
| Union | 84 | 64 | 57 |
| Vermilion | 30 | 32 | 29 |
| Wabash | 17 | 17 | 8 |
| Warren | 8 | 14 | 8 |
| Washington | 78 | 91 | 60 |
| Wayne | 114 | 92 | 80 |
| White | 58 | 47 | 43 |
| Whiteside | 33 | 40 | 41 |
| Will | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Williamson | 64 | 57 | 48 |
| Winnebago | 20 | 13 | 11 |
| Woodford | 44 | 55 | 49 |
| Total | 4,852 | 4,714 | 4,097 |
***Courtesy of The Illinois Department of Natural Resources***












