First firearm season: Hunters harvest 1,281 deer in Union County
<p class="p1">Hunters in Union County harvested a preliminary total of 1,281 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois firearm deer season, which was Nov. 20-22.</p><p class="p1">The harvest total for Union County was up from the first weekend of the 2014 firearm season, when 1,143 deer were killed.</p><p class="p1">The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IDNR, last week reported preliminary harvest totals for the first firearm season.</p><p class="p1">IDNR reported that hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 57,968 deer during the first weekend of the firearm deer season.</p><p class="p1">Hunters took 51,830 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2014. </p><p class="p1">Here’s a look at harvest totals for area counties, as reported by IDNR:</p><p class="p1">Alexander County: 335 in 2015, compared to 256 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">Jackson County: 1,586 in 2015, compared to 1,534 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">Johnson County: 1,211 in 2015, compared to 1,096 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">Massac County: 418 in 2015, compared to 344 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">Pulaski County: 358 in 2015, compared to 350 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">Williamson County: 1,202 in 2015, compared to 1,090 in 2014.</p><p class="p1">The second segment of the Illinois firearm deer season is scheduled Dec. 3-6.</p><p class="p1">IDNR noted that other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead in the state include: </p><p class="p1">Muzzleloader-only deer season, Dec. 11-13. </p><p class="p1">Late-winter antlerless-only and CWD deer seasons (first segment) in select counties, Dec. 31 through Jan. 3, 2016. </p><p class="p1">Late-winter antlerless-only and CWD deer seasons (second segment) in select counties only, Jan. 15-17, 2016. </p><p class="p1">Archery deer season continues through Jan. 17, 2016, (closed Dec. 3-6 in counties open for firearm deer season).</p>