Illinois deer research / Clark County

Clark County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

Southern IL region. FDR Deer Herd Index 64.6 — ranked #12 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

B - Strong
64.6 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#12 of 102
Statewide rank
237
Record-book bucks (deduped)
109,898
Public-land acres
2,140
2024 deer harvest

What drives the Clark County index

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

Habitat · 25%47
Herd quality · 30%92
Population · 18%42
Momentum · 12%75
Trophy history · 15%59

Trophy record — counted once

237 unique record-book bucks from 280 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 43 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #11 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only229
In two books8
In all three books0
Unique bucks237

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20249331,2072,140
20239161,0051,921
20228981,0841,982
20218121,0191,831
20209581,0832,041
20198461,0421,888
20188751,1872,062
20178211,1481,969
20167559981,753
20157041,0701,774
20147089271,635
20137821,0041,786
20128421,3232,165
20118021,3302,132
20108251,3302,155
20098121,3282,140
20087871,3042,091
20077851,5192,304
20067571,4022,159
20057561,4802,236

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: Clark County runs 6.14 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full Clark County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, Clark County ran 1,221 bucks (males) and 919 does (females) — 57.1% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20241,2219192,14057.1%
20231,1517701,92159.9%
20221,1328501,98257.1%
20211,0767551,83158.8%
20201,1988432,04158.7%
20191,0318571,88854.6%
20181,1948682,06257.9%
20171,1138561,96956.5%
20161,0217321,75358.2%
20159887861,77455.7%
20149237121,63556.5%
20138908961,78649.8%
20121,1729932,16554.1%
20111,1379952,13253.3%
20101,1291,0262,15552.4%
20091,1569842,14054%
20081,1369552,09154.3%
20071,3309742,30457.7%
20061,2229372,15956.6%
20051,2889482,23657.6%

See full Clark County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, Clark County ran 71.5% adult, 13.5% yearling, and 15% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20241,5312893202,140
20231,4242682291,921
20221,4252692881,982
20211,2782682851,831
20201,4792912712,041
20191,2882843161,888
20181,4223253152,062
20171,3622783291,969
20161,2032782721,753
20151,1952643151,774
20141,0842443071,635
20131,1542623701,786
20121,4343024292,165
20111,4453003872,132
20101,4822454282,155
20091,4602784022,140
20081,3992604322,091
20071,5153154742,304
20061,4163064372,159
20051,4963104302,236

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 Clark 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: 109,898 acres (34.0% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

Where to hunt public in Clark County

Lincoln Trail State Park · 1,031 acRocky Branch Nature Preserve · 157 ac

Full list on the Illinois public hunting land directory.

See Clark 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 Clark County charts

Nearby counties

Crawford · 67.2Edgar · 80.5Cumberland · 56.5Coles · 63.8Jasper · 56.9Douglas · 56.7Lawrence · 61.4Richland · 58.3
← #11 Champaign County#13 Coles County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Clark County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

Clark County scores 64.6 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (B - Strong), ranked #12 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 Clark County?

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

Is there public hunting land in Clark County, Illinois?

Yes — about 109,898 acres of public hunting land, roughly 34.0% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in Clark County last season?

IDNR records show 2,140 deer harvested in Clark County in 2024, the most recent reported season.