Illinois deer research / Brown County

Brown County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

West-Central (Golden Triangle) region. FDR Deer Herd Index 58.9 — ranked #28 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

B - Strong
58.9 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#28 of 102
Statewide rank
238
Record-book bucks (deduped)
111,282
Public-land acres
1,794
2024 deer harvest

What drives the Brown County index

Five weighted components, each scored 0–100 against all Illinois counties.

Habitat · 25%31
Herd quality · 30%93
Population · 18%65
Momentum · 12%23
Trophy history · 15%61

Trophy record — counted once

238 unique record-book bucks from 265 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 27 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #10 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only230
In two books8
In all three books0
Unique bucks238

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20248029921,794
20237578701,627
20228279951,822
20218628121,674
20208639501,813
20198769701,846
20189381,0702,008
20178571,0181,875
20168229671,789
20157561,0891,845
20147279971,724
20137551,0081,763
20129201,4092,329
20119291,2242,153
20109611,3102,271
20098881,4802,368
20089901,4772,467
20079681,6202,588
20069251,6592,584
20059241,7492,673

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: Brown County runs 6.31 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full Brown County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, Brown County ran 971 bucks (males) and 823 does (females) — 54.1% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20249718231,79454.1%
20239796481,62760.2%
20221,0537691,82257.8%
20219796951,67458.5%
20201,0697441,81359%
20191,0477991,84656.7%
20181,1478612,00857.1%
20171,0817941,87557.7%
20161,0287611,78957.5%
20151,0268191,84555.6%
20149507741,72455.1%
20139018621,76351.1%
20121,2611,0682,32954.1%
20111,1939602,15355.4%
20101,2171,0542,27153.6%
20091,2311,1372,36852%
20081,2651,2022,46751.3%
20071,4321,1562,58855.3%
20061,4031,1812,58454.3%
20051,4421,2312,67353.9%

See full Brown County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, Brown County ran 74.2% adult, 13.1% yearling, and 12.7% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20241,3322352271,794
20231,2241822211,627
20221,3742182301,822
20211,2471972301,674
20201,3432332371,813
20191,3152462851,846
20181,4432533122,008
20171,3212612931,875
20161,2842462591,789
20151,2192563701,845
20141,1272593381,724
20131,1342463831,763
20121,5612415272,329
20111,4102954482,153
20101,5143054522,271
20091,5382825482,368
20081,6522905252,467
20071,7143135612,588
20061,6872946032,584
20051,7153436152,673

Age class is IDNR's field classification at check-in, not a lab-aged tooth-wear cohort; treat it as a directional maturity signal.

See full Brown County composition charts →

Seasons & access

SeasonMethodDatesTags
Archery — Oct 1 to mid-Janarchery2025-10-01 → 2026-01-18otc
Firearm — 1st + 2nd Shotgun Seasonfirearm2025-11-21 → 2025-12-07otc
Muzzleloader — Decembermuzzleloader2025-12-12 → 2025-12-14otc

Public hunting land: 111,282 acres (56.6% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

See Brown County on the map

Parcels with owner & acreage, public hunting land with regs, access points, leaf-off imagery, and this research — together on one hunting map.

Open Fully Drawn Scout — freeSee all Brown County charts

Nearby counties

Schuyler · 62.1Pike · 59.2Scott · 52.5Adams · 54McDonough · 56.9Cass · 61.3Morgan · 63.5Hancock · 67.8
← #27 Woodford County#29 Sangamon County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Brown County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

Brown County scores 58.9 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (B - Strong), ranked #28 of 102 Illinois counties. The index is built from IDNR public harvest records, habitat, herd quality, momentum, and record-book history deduplicated across the major whitetail record books.

How many record-book bucks have come from Brown County?

238 record-book whitetails are attributed to Brown County across the major record books, with each buck counted once after cross-book deduplication.

Is there public hunting land in Brown County, Illinois?

Yes — about 111,282 acres of public hunting land, roughly 56.6% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in Brown County last season?

IDNR records show 1,794 deer harvested in Brown County in 2024, the most recent reported season.