Illinois deer research / LaSalle County

LaSalle County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

Central IL region. FDR Deer Herd Index 48.7 — ranked #62 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

C - Above Average
48.7 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#62 of 102
Statewide rank
228
Record-book bucks (deduped)
98,440
Public-land acres
1,466
2024 deer harvest

What drives the LaSalle County index

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

Habitat · 25%74
Herd quality · 30%28
Population · 18%28
Momentum · 12%58
Trophy history · 15%67

Trophy record — counted once

228 unique record-book bucks from 257 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 29 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #12 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only223
In two books5
In all three books0
Unique bucks228

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20247045861,466
20238477011,671
20227706361,592
20217125601,435
20208507091,755
20197187031,534
20187437491,654
20176516691,438
20166877451,581
20157228431,754
20147537941,687
20138447951,803
20129181,2092,393
20111,0201,1472,410
20101,1381,2682,406
20091,2911,1312,422
20081,1711,4342,605
20071,1571,5813,056
20061,1901,2922,482
20051,2291,6102,839

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: LaSalle County runs 4.78 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full LaSalle County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, LaSalle County ran 828 bucks (males) and 638 does (females) — 56.5% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20248286381,46656.5%
20231,0316401,67161.7%
20228807121,59255.3%
20217966391,43555.5%
20209667891,75555%
20198526821,53455.5%
20189237311,65455.8%
20178186201,43856.9%
20168647171,58154.6%
20159428121,75453.7%
20149237641,68754.7%
20138829211,80348.9%
20121,2631,1302,39352.8%
20111,1641,2462,41048.3%
20101,2471,1592,40651.8%
20091,2261,1962,42250.6%
20081,3131,2922,60550.4%
20071,6081,4483,05652.6%
20061,3871,0952,48255.9%
20051,5341,3052,83954%

See full LaSalle County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, LaSalle County ran 62.4% adult, 19.8% yearling, and 17.7% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20249152912601,466
20231,0913572231,671
20221,0543022361,592
20219052882421,435
20201,1013662881,755
20199883112351,534
20189983582981,654
20178383422581,438
20169473243101,581
20159793773981,754
20149074163641,687
20131,0253214571,803
20121,4254455232,393
20111,4614415082,410
20101,4773935362,406
20091,4324275632,422
20081,4724766572,605
20071,8144977453,056
20061,4924125782,482
20051,7444456502,839

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 LaSalle 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: 98,440 acres (13.4% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

Where to hunt public in LaSalle County

Starved Rock State Park · 3,246 acMatthiessen State Park · 1,915 acIllinois and Michigan Canal State Trail · 1,398 acBuffalo Rock State Park · 295 acPecumsaugan Creek/ Blackball Mines State Natural Area · 207 acSandy Ford State Natural Area · 203 acMitchell's Grove State Natural Area · 184 acLower Fox River-Wedron Palisades Nature Preserve · 148 ac

Full list on the Illinois public hunting land directory.

See LaSalle 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 LaSalle County charts

Nearby counties

Putnam · 56.9Grundy · 46.5Kendall · 32.1Marshall · 53.5Livingston · 59.6DeKalb · 38.7Lee · 51.3Woodford · 59
← #61 Gallatin County#63 Kankakee County →

Frequently asked questions

Is LaSalle County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

LaSalle County scores 48.7 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #62 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 LaSalle County?

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

Is there public hunting land in LaSalle County, Illinois?

Yes — about 98,440 acres of public hunting land, roughly 13.4% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in LaSalle County last season?

IDNR records show 1,466 deer harvested in LaSalle County in 2024, the most recent reported season.