Herd assessment numbers are in. How will your fall deer season stack up? Here's Part 3 of OL.com's exclusive state-by-state report.
Aug 19, 2008
ILLINOIS
Tag fees: $15 resident, $30 nonresident
Estimated deer population: 800,000
2007 harvest: 198,670
Hunters: 380,000
Forecast: The Illinois deer herd has had its share of obstacles. Last year there were serious outbreaks of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease in the southern tip of the state and this spring heavy rain and an overflowing Mississippi River delayed crop planting and misplaced some deer. Despite the setbacks, Prairie State hunters should have a pretty successful season, deer manager Tom Micetich says. The herd health has improved and big bucks can be found in all regions of the state Micetich said. The population has mostly recovered in the EHD areas, and Ogle County, LaSalle County and Grundy County are being moved out of the Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance zone if no more CWD cases are reported.
Where to hunt: Hunting public land can be pretty tough in Illinois. Access is limited and the public lands that are available get hit pretty hard. With that in mind, if you want to hunt public land, consider hunting the Shawnee National Forest, which encompasses almost the entire southern tip of Illinois. The oak-hickory covered terrain is more rugged than the rest of Illinois as the Shawnee hills give way to the Mississippi River and Ohio River flood plains. Another public land gem is Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie located in the northeastern part of the state. When compared with Shawnee, Midewin is relatively small—6,409 acres are open to hunting—but there is no drive-in access, so if you're willing to walk you should be able to find pockets that receive less hunting pressure. The gun hunt is setup on a quota, but bowhunters can walk in without having to draw a permit.
Estimated deer population: NA (no population models)
2007 harvest: 124,427
Hunters: 152,000
Success rate: 82 percent
Forecast: Even though Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease hit parts of southwest and central Indiana last year, deer biologist Chad Stewart is optimistic about the 2008 season. Stewart says the herd has recovered quickly from the EHD outbreak and he wouldn't be surprised if there was a record harvest this season. There are deer scattered all across the state, but Stewart says hunters should consider targeting urban areas this season. The urban season starts on September 15th and bowhunters can kill up to four deer, but only one of them can be a buck. It's not uncommon for quality bucks to be killed during the urban season, Stewart says. The state is trying to attract more hunters to the sport by allowing new hunters who haven't passed hunters safety to shoot a deer if they are accompanied by a mentor. Anyone who has a valid hunting license and is 18 or older qualifies as a mentor.
Forecast: Last gun season, hunters in the Hawkeye State were plagued by blizzards and ice storms. The extreme weather made hunting tough, but hunters rallied toward the end of the season and ended up having a productive year. If the weather holds out this year, Iowa hunters should have an even better deer season, says deer biologist Tom Litchfield. The herd has a good sex composition and should be healthy going into the season. The state is trying to lower deer densities across most of the state Litchfield said. There were floods early in the summer, which contributed in some fawn loss, but the biggest flood damage was crop loss. Some of the fields were not replanted and won't hold as many deer this fall, Litchfield says. This have the most dramatic affect in the December season when deer need to search harder for food. Many of the deer be forced out of the river bottoms areas and up into higher elevations to find food Litchfield said.
Where to hunt: Traditionally the biggest bucks come from northeast Iowa, especially Allamakee County, but these days you can pop a bruiser almost anywhere in the state if you put the time in and luck is on your side. Saylorville WMA in north-central Iowa is a good spot to go if you want to see a lot of deer and maybe even get a chance at a good buck. The WMA has 11,000 acres and is mostly forested land with hayfields scattered throughout. Hawkeye WMA is another well-known big buck producer. This WMA encompasses 13,000 acres of floodplain and upland timber. When hunting eastern Iowa, get out to the oxbows in a boat and escape the hunting pressure to increase your odds of killing a big buck, Litchfield says. Another option is trying to gain permission from landowners in western Iowa. Litchfield says if you go about it in the right way, it's easier to get access than you think.
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Where to hunt: Hunting public land can be pretty tough in Illinois. Access is limited and the public lands that are available get hit pretty hard. With that in mind, if you want to hunt public land, consider hunting the Shawnee National Forest, which encompasses almost the entire southern tip of Illinois. The oak-hickory covered terrain is more rugged than the rest of Illinois as the Shawnee hills give way to the Mississippi River and Ohio River flood plains. Another public land gem is Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie located in the northeastern part of the state. When compared with Shawnee, Midewin is relatively small—6,409 acres are open to hunting—but there is no drive-in access, so if you're willing to walk you should be able to find pockets that receive less hunting pressure. The gun hunt is setup on a quota, but bowhunters can walk in without having to draw a permit. 
