Illinois deer hunting: harvest by county and IDNR hunting sites

Illinois hunters took 174,006 deer in the 2025-26 season, by IDNR's county summaries, the most of the five seasons shown. Public land is scarce: IDNR says Illinois ranks 46th in the nation for publicly owned land, with more than 97% of the state in private hands.

Data updated October 2026. Seasons: IDNR's deer pages, read October 2026. Harvest: IDNR's white-tailed deer county summaries. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's land records.

When are Illinois's 2026 hunting seasons?

Illinois's 2026 to 2027 deer seasons, from IDNR's deer hunting pages.

Sources: IDNR archery, IDNR youth hunt, IDNR firearm and muzzleloader and IDNR deer hunting (read October 2026).

How many deer do Illinois hunters take?

Deer taken statewide, all seasons, by IDNR's county summaries added together. IDNR's statewide reports give the same totals for 2022-23 on.

Source: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons).

How many deer are taken in each Illinois county?

All 102 counties, with IDNR's harvest for the 2025-26 season and the public land in each.

Harvest: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons). Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and IDNR's hunting area records.

How much of Illinois is public hunting land?

1,364,323 acres of Illinois, 3.8% of the state, are public land open to the public, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records: IDNR sites open to hunting 400,591 acres, national forest 304,631 acres, land trusts and other open land 230,252 acres, forest preserves, county and city land 220,965 acres, national wildlife refuges 89,563 acres and other IDNR and state land 81,330 acres.

Most of Illinois's public hunting ground is in the south: the Shawnee National Forest, the refuges and fish and wildlife areas around Crab Orchard, Rend and Carlyle lakes, and the Mississippi and Illinois river bottoms. IDNR's Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP) adds leased private land; IDNR says more than 27,000 acres in 52 counties have been leased since 2011. IRAP hunters are assigned sites by drawing or reservation, so IRAP land is not mapped here (IDNR: IRAP).

Which IDNR hunting sites are the largest?

IDNR sites with a deer season, by the acres IDNR's records mark open to hunting, largest first:

• Pyramid State Park: 17,982 acres
• Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area: 16,256 acres
• Cache River State Natural Area: 15,651 acres
• Lost Mound Unit: 12,341 acres
• Fort Kaskaskia OWR: 11,943 acres
• Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area: 10,701 acres
• Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area: 10,399 acres
• Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 9,373 acres
• Mississippi River Pool #21: 9,297 acres
• Carlyle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 7,354 acres
• Sand Ridge State Forest: 7,276 acres
• Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area: 6,979 acres
• Clinton Lake State Recreation Area: 6,953 acres
• Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area: 6,095 acres
• Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area: 6,041 acres
• Siloam Springs State Park: 5,566 acres
• Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area: 5,460 acres
• Pere Marquette State Park: 5,360 acres
• Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 5,197 acres
• Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 5,104 acres
• Trail of Tears State Forest: 4,628 acres
• Sangchris Lake State Park: 4,577 acres
• Chain O' Lakes State Park: 4,437 acres
• Burning Star No. 5: 4,413 acres
• Mississippi River Pool #22: 4,099 acres

140 IDNR hunting sites have a page of their own; each county page lists the rest.

Questions hunters ask

When is Illinois's 2026 firearm deer season?

The first firearm season is November 20 to 22, 2026, and the second is December 3 to 6, 2026. The muzzleloader-only season follows on December 11 to 13 (IDNR).

How many deer were harvested in Illinois last season?

Hunters took 174,006 deer in the 2025-26 season, all seasons together, by IDNR's county summaries.

How much public hunting land does Illinois have?

Little. IDNR says Illinois ranks 46th in the nation for publicly owned land, with more than 97% of the state privately owned, which is why IDNR leases private land through IRAP.

Do Illinois public sites need a permit to deer hunt?

Some do. IDNR's records list each site's deer seasons as open at the site, by county permit, by Springfield special hunt permit, by lottery or for youth; the site pages here show each one.

Where these numbers come from

• Seasons: IDNR deer hunting and its season pages (read October 2026).
• Deer harvest: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons).
• Hunting sites: IDNR land records: sites and hunting areas (OMLP, Prairie Research Institute). IRAP: IDNR.
• Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and IDNR's hunting area records.

FilledTag is not part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. IDNR's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.

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