Firearm deer hunting season set Nov. 19-21

Illinois’ most popular hunting season begins on Friday through Sunday, Nov. 19-21.

Hunters throughout the state, including in Union County, will head to the field for the opening weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season. 

The seven-day firearm hunt will conclude on Dec. 2-5.

“Illinois has a great hunting heritage and the firearm deer season is anticipated anxiously by hunters each fall. We want to encourage hunters to make safety a priority and enjoy their time afield,” said Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, director Marc Miller.

Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 99,493 deer during the seven-day firearm deer hunting season in 2009. 

More than 370,000 permits have been issued for this year’s firearm deer season so far. 

For information on remaining permits, check the IDNR website at this link:  <a href="http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/Deer.aspx">http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/Deer.aspx</a>.

The legal hunting hours for the firearm deer season are from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Hunters successful in taking a deer during the firearm season in most counties must register the deer they harvest.

Registration can be done online through the IDNR website at <a href="http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/HarvestReporting.aspx">http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/HarvestReporting.aspx</a> or by phoning 1-866-IL-CHECK (1-866-452-4325). 

Hunters using the online or phone-in system must register their harvest by 10 p.m. on the day they take the deer. 

IDNR recommends that hunters who use cellular phones to register their harvest wait until they are out of the field and have a clear cell phone signal before attempting to make the harvest report phone call.

For more information on Illinois deer hunting regulations, check the IDNR web site at this link:  <a href="http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/Deer.aspx">http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/Deer.aspx</a>.