Illinois Late-Winter and Special CWD Deer Hunting Seasons Counties Announced for 2016-17

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ Late-Winter Antlerless-only Deer Hunting Season will be open in 24 counties, while the state’s Special CWD Deer Hunting Season will be open in 14 counties for 2016-17, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced.

The Late-Winter season provides additional hunting opportunities in counties with surplus deer, while the Special CWD season allows hunters to help combat the spread of chronic wasting disease in Illinois’ white-tailed deer herd.

Season dates for the split seven-day Late-Winter and Special CWD hunts will be Dec. 29, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017 and Jan. 13-15, 2017.

Counties open previously during the Late-Winter season that will be closed for late-winter hunting in 2016-17 are Edwards, Marshall, Pike and Saline. Perry County, which was not open to Late-Winter hunting last season, will be open for the Late-Winter hunt in 2016-17.

There is no change in the list of counties open for the Special CWD season in 2016-17.

IDNR biologists recommended the changes for the 2016-17 seasons following analyses of deer data including hunting harvest, deer-vehicle accidents, deer disease reports, and other factors.

Hunters in Illinois harvested 4,537 deer in 27 open counties during the Late-Winter season and 1,825 deer during the Special CWD season in 14 open counties in 2015-16. Hunters harvested 155,229 deer during all firearm and archery seasons in Illinois last year.

Open counties for the 2016-17 Late-Winter Antlerless-only Deer Season and Special CWD Deer Season are listed below.

Late-Winter Season Open Counties are:

Brown

Carroll

Clark

Clay

Crawford

Edgar

Fulton

Hamilton

Henderson

Knox

Lee

Madison

Marion

McDonough

McLean

Mercer

Monroe

Perry

Putnam

Rock Island

Schuyler

Shelby

Vermilion

White

CWD Season Open Counties:

Boone

DeKalb

Grundy

Jo Daviess

Kane

Kankakee

Kendall

LaSalle

Livingston

McHenry

Ogle

Stephenson

Will

Winnebago