For Release – October 16, 2026
Illinois sets new harvest record for youth deer hunting season
SPRINGFIELD – 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 |
About IDNR
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources was established in 1925 as the Illinois Department of Conservation, bringing under one umbrella oversight of fish and game, forestry, public works, and lakes. Today, IDNR’s work encompasses management of about 400 sites across Illinois, including state parks and historic sites; wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and natural heritage; Lake Michigan water allocation and coastal management; conservation police; mines and minerals; oil and gas; issuance of licenses, permits, and numerous grants; the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta; and the Illinois State Museum. Visit https://dnr.illinois.gov and follow us on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
