Illinois Deer Hunting, County by County
All 102 Illinois counties ranked by the FDR Deer Herd Index, a 0–100 score built from IDNR public harvest records, habitat, herd quality, momentum, and the Buck Index. Click any county for the full free report: 20-year harvest trend, Buck Index, public land, and season dates.
Other states: Missouri · Wisconsin
| Rank | County | FDR Index | Tier | Buck Index | Huntable % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Vermilion | 77.8 | A - Elite | 89→ | 15.4% |
| #2 | Edgar | 75.8 | A - Elite | 92→ | 14.7% |
| #3 | Logan | 68.1 | B - Strong | 86→ | 8.9% |
| #4 | Hancock | 67.9 | B - Strong | 89→ | 29.6% |
| #5 | Macoupin | 67.3 | B - Strong | 88→ | 30.2% |
| #6 | Crawford | 66.7 | B - Strong | 87→ | 32.4% |
| #7 | Menard | 66.4 | B - Strong | 89→ | 20.9% |
| #8 | De Witt | 65.4 | B - Strong | 86→ | 13.2% |
| #9 | Coles | 64.9 | B - Strong | 91→ | 19.1% |
| #10 | Schuyler | 64.4 | B - Strong | 94→ | 51.6% |
| #11 | Clark | 64.3 | B - Strong | 95→ | 34.0% |
| #12 | Piatt | 64.1 | B - Strong | 85→ | 6.7% |
| #13 | White | 63.6 | B - Strong | 83→ | 25.4% |
| #14 | Cass | 63.5 | B - Strong | 91→ | 31.9% |
| #15 | Iroquois | 63.2 | B - Strong | 81→ | 7.5% |
| #16 | Morgan | 62.1 | B - Strong | 87→ | 22.6% |
| #17 | Hamilton | 61.3 | B - Strong | 86→ | 35.6% |
| #18 | Fulton | 60.8 | B - Strong | 93→ | 43.4% |
| #19 | Woodford | 60.3 | B - Strong | 87→ | 18.0% |
| #20 | Champaign | 59.8 | B - Strong | 85→ | 5.7% |
| #21 | Pike | 59.6 | B - Strong | 95→ | 41.0% |
| #22 | Shelby | 59.2 | B - Strong | 82→ | 22.9% |
| #23 | McLean | 59.2 | B - Strong | 86→ | 7.4% |
| #24 | Marion | 59.1 | B - Strong | 89→ | 41.7% |
| #25 | Brown | 59 | B - Strong | 92→ | 56.6% |
| #26 | Macon | 58.7 | B - Strong | 85→ | 9.5% |
| #27 | Henderson | 58.7 | B - Strong | 88→ | 27.1% |
| #28 | Warren | 58.5 | B - Strong | 88→ | 16.2% |
| #29 | Sangamon | 58.1 | B - Strong | 88→ | 16.5% |
| #30 | Putnam | 58 | B - Strong | 89→ | 29.5% |
| #31 | McDonough | 57.9 | B - Strong | 89→ | 24.6% |
| #32 | Lawrence | 57.3 | B - Strong | 88→ | 25.8% |
| #33 | Cumberland | 57 | B - Strong | 83→ | 30.1% |
| #34 | Clay | 56.6 | B - Strong | 83→ | 33.2% |
| #35 | Perry | 56.5 | B - Strong | 87→ | 41.1% |
| #36 | Moultrie | 56.3 | B - Strong | 84→ | 13.0% |
| #37 | Jersey | 56.2 | B - Strong | 86→ | 43.1% |
| #38 | Jasper | 55.9 | B - Strong | 86→ | 26.1% |
| #39 | Ford | 55.9 | B - Strong | 81→ | 4.7% |
| #40 | Washington | 55.4 | B - Strong | 83→ | 23.3% |
| #41 | Adams | 54.9 | C - Above Average | 90→ | 37.5% |
| #42 | Mercer | 54.8 | C - Above Average | 89→ | 23.5% |
| #43 | Richland | 54.6 | C - Above Average | 88→ | 25.1% |
| #44 | Knox | 54.6 | C - Above Average | 89→ | 28.2% |
| #45 | Christian | 54 | C - Above Average | 88→ | 11.7% |
| #46 | Marshall | 54 | C - Above Average | 90→ | 19.8% |
| #47 | Montgomery | 53.1 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 22.0% |
| #48 | Livingston | 52.9 | C - Above Average | 82→ | 5.4% |
| #49 | Randolph | 52.9 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 42.0% |
| #50 | Douglas | 52.8 | C - Above Average | 90→ | 7.3% |
| #51 | Bureau | 51.7 | C - Above Average | 87→ | 15.4% |
| #52 | Scott | 51.7 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 29.9% |
| #53 | Mason | 51 | C - Above Average | 80→ | 19.7% |
| #54 | Wayne | 50.9 | C - Above Average | 80→ | 31.7% |
| #55 | Fayette | 50.8 | C - Above Average | 81→ | 36.2% |
| #56 | Tazewell | 50.7 | C - Above Average | 89→ | 18.5% |
| #57 | Gallatin | 50.7 | C - Above Average | 86→ | 30.6% |
| #58 | Wabash | 50.6 | C - Above Average | 86→ | 20.1% |
| #59 | Greene | 50.3 | C - Above Average | 86→ | 33.1% |
| #60 | Kankakee | 49.8 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 11.4% |
| #61 | Jefferson | 49.5 | C - Above Average | 83→ | 47.4% |
| #62 | Stark | 49.4 | C - Above Average | 84→ | 10.4% |
| #63 | Henry | 48.5 | C - Above Average | 82→ | 13.6% |
| #64 | Lee | 48.1 | C - Above Average | 83→ | 11.2% |
| #65 | Calhoun | 48.1 | C - Above Average | 91→ | 63.8% |
| #66 | Edwards | 48.1 | C - Above Average | 84→ | 27.9% |
| #67 | Effingham | 47.4 | C - Above Average | 82→ | 31.3% |
| #68 | Grundy | 46.8 | C - Above Average | 89→ | 15.9% |
| #69 | Monroe | 46.6 | C - Above Average | 87→ | 36.6% |
| #70 | LaSalle | 45.8 | C - Above Average | 81→ | 13.4% |
| #71 | Clinton | 43.6 | C - Above Average | 84→ | 22.8% |
| #72 | Peoria | 43.2 | C - Above Average | 93→ | 32.3% |
| #73 | Madison | 43 | C - Above Average | 87→ | 27.6% |
| #74 | Franklin | 42.8 | C - Above Average | 83→ | 41.2% |
| #75 | Saline | 42.7 | C - Above Average | 79→ | 45.7% |
| #76 | Jo Daviess | 42.2 | C - Above Average | 95→ | 54.7% |
| #77 | Bond | 40.8 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 30.9% |
| #78 | Boone | 40.5 | C - Above Average | 85→ | 16.1% |
| #79 | St. Clair | 40 | C - Above Average | 84→ | 26.4% |
| #80 | Cook | 39.8 | D - Average | Urban N/A | 12.2% |
| #81 | Will | 38.9 | D - Average | 94→ | 21.9% |
| #82 | Kane | 38.8 | D - Average | 91→ | 18.8% |
| #83 | Lake | 38.3 | D - Average | 94→ | 29.8% |
| #84 | Carroll | 38 | D - Average | 93→ | 27.7% |
| #85 | DeKalb | 38 | D - Average | 87→ | 7.4% |
| #86 | Ogle | 37.9 | D - Average | 81→ | 19.2% |
| #87 | Winnebago | 37.7 | D - Average | 87→ | 25.0% |
| #88 | Stephenson | 37.4 | D - Average | 83→ | 20.8% |
| #89 | DuPage | 36.6 | D - Average | Urban N/A | 13.4% |
| #90 | Williamson | 36.6 | D - Average | 81→ | 62.6% |
| #91 | Rock Island | 36.5 | D - Average | 90→ | 33.0% |
| #92 | McHenry | 35.2 | D - Average | 96→ | 30.7% |
| #93 | Whiteside | 34.9 | D - Average | 77→ | 15.7% |
| #94 | Massac | 34.4 | D - Average | 81→ | 52.2% |
| #95 | Kendall | 31.8 | D - Average | 85→ | 12.7% |
| #96 | Union | 30.9 | D - Average | 77→ | 74.0% |
| #97 | Jackson | 30.4 | D - Average | 79→ | 56.5% |
| #98 | Johnson | 28 | D - Average | 78→ | 80.0% |
| #99 | Pulaski | 27 | D - Average | 82→ | 45.7% |
| #100 | Pope | 26.4 | D - Average | 86→ | 86.1% |
| #101 | Alexander | 26.3 | D - Average | 79→ | 53.7% |
| #102 | Hardin | 26.1 | D - Average | 81→ | 85.0% |
Hunt it on the map
The same research, live on an onX-class hunting map: statewide parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land with regs and access points, leaf-off imagery, waypoints, and onX import.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best deer hunting county in Illinois?
Vermilion County ranks #1 of 102 Illinois counties on the FDR Deer Herd Index at 77.8 of 100 (A - Elite), followed by Edgar County (75.8) and Logan County (68.1). Rankings are built from IDNR public harvest records, habitat, herd quality, momentum, and the Buck Index.
Which Illinois county has the highest Buck Index?
McHenry County has the highest Buck Index at 96 out of 100. How this county ranks on the Buck Index against every county we cover. 100 is the top. Land is measured as what a hunter can actually hunt (10 m estimate).
What is the FDR Deer Herd Index?
A 0–100 county score built from public records: IDNR harvest data, habitat, herd quality, momentum, and the Buck Index. Every county is measured the same way before it is ranked, and the full methodology is published on the FDR Index page.