Illinois deer research / Bureau County

Bureau County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

Central IL region. FDR Deer Herd Index 57.2 — ranked #35 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

B - Strong
57.2 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#35 of 102
Statewide rank
110
Record-book bucks (deduped)
85,916
Public-land acres
1,849
2024 deer harvest

What drives the Bureau County index

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

Habitat · 25%74
Herd quality · 30%51
Population · 18%47
Momentum · 12%34
Trophy history · 15%72

Trophy record — counted once

110 unique record-book bucks from 125 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 15 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #31 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only104
In two books6
In all three books0
Unique bucks110

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20247239701,849
20238479821,829
20228069101,716
20217118951,606
20208281,0121,840
20197199641,683
20186891,0821,771
20176521,0061,658
20166341,0011,635
20156271,1291,756
20146221,0291,651
20136599861,645
20127591,4022,161
20117421,2802,022
20108001,4212,221
20098921,2862,178
20088421,6232,465
20078861,6622,548
20068221,3232,145
20058391,7412,580

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: Bureau County runs 6.19 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full Bureau County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, Bureau County ran 1,007 bucks (males) and 842 does (females) — 54.5% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20241,0078421,84954.5%
20231,0547751,82957.6%
20229567601,71655.7%
20219096971,60656.6%
20201,0068341,84054.7%
20199397441,68355.8%
20189907811,77155.9%
20179307281,65856.1%
20169287071,63556.8%
20159697871,75655.2%
20148987531,65154.4%
20138517941,64551.7%
20121,1789832,16154.5%
20111,0849382,02253.6%
20101,1681,0532,22152.6%
20091,1631,0152,17853.4%
20081,2251,2402,46549.7%
20071,4171,1312,54855.6%
20061,2059402,14556.2%
20051,4441,1362,58056%

See full Bureau County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, Bureau County ran 66.1% adult, 19.5% yearling, and 14.4% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20241,2233602661,849
20231,2793312191,829
20221,1773052341,716
20211,0473122471,606
20201,1823762821,840
20191,0773342721,683
20181,1403303011,771
20171,0943002641,658
20161,0663002691,635
20151,1603112851,756
20141,0283093141,651
20139792654011,645
20121,3783494342,161
20111,2513833882,022
20101,4163334722,221
20091,3323345122,178
20081,5593625442,465
20071,6183755552,548
20061,3203414842,145
20051,5524156132,580

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 Bureau 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: 85,916 acres (15.4% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

Where to hunt public in Bureau County

Hennepin Canal · 4,322 acLake DePue State Fish and Wildlife Area · 2,231 acMautino State Fish and Wildlife Area · 913 acMiller-Anderson Woods State Natural Area · 507 acPutnam County Conservation Area · 222 ac

Full list on the Illinois public hunting land directory.

See Bureau 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 Bureau County charts

Nearby counties

Putnam · 56.9Lee · 51.3Stark · 57Marshall · 53.5Whiteside · 36.7Henry · 47.2LaSalle · 48.7Peoria · 37.6
← #34 Mercer County#36 Christian County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Bureau County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

Bureau County scores 57.2 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (B - Strong), ranked #35 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 Bureau County?

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

Is there public hunting land in Bureau County, Illinois?

Yes — about 85,916 acres of public hunting land, roughly 15.4% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in Bureau County last season?

IDNR records show 1,849 deer harvested in Bureau County in 2024, the most recent reported season.