Illinois deer research / Ogle County

Ogle County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

Northern IL region. FDR Deer Herd Index 40.2 — ranked #75 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

C - Above Average
40.2 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#75 of 102
Statewide rank
144
Record-book bucks (deduped)
93,856
Public-land acres
1,511
2024 deer harvest

What drives the Ogle County index

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

Habitat · 25%65
Herd quality · 30%40
Population · 18%17
Momentum · 12%10
Trophy history · 15%50

Trophy record — counted once

144 unique record-book bucks from 165 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 21 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #18 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only140
In two books3
In all three books1
Unique bucks144

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20246686741,511
20236416621,420
20226455301,323
20215415461,282
20207596891,630
20196386301,386
20186267371,533
20175908071,529
20166917931,724
20157409371,914
20146688371,731
20137138681,802
20126861,1262,021
20117071,0341,939
20107251,0801,805
20098311,0961,927
20087301,1811,911
20077331,3902,349
20067611,3522,395
20057521,5462,298

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: Ogle County runs 4.71 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full Ogle County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, Ogle County ran 851 bucks (males) and 660 does (females) — 56.3% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20248516601,51156.3%
20238615591,42060.6%
20227725511,32358.4%
20217465361,28258.2%
20208647661,63053%
20197945921,38657.3%
20188666671,53356.5%
20178736561,52957.1%
20169627621,72455.8%
20151,0049101,91452.5%
20148988331,73151.9%
20139608421,80253.3%
20121,1159062,02155.2%
20111,0498901,93954.1%
20109528531,80552.7%
20091,0338941,92753.6%
20089569551,91150%
20071,2801,0692,34954.5%
20061,3081,0872,39554.6%
20051,2371,0612,29853.8%

See full Ogle County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, Ogle County ran 66.1% adult, 18.5% yearling, and 15.4% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20249992802321,511
20239522642041,420
20228732621881,323
20218622401801,282
20201,0842852611,630
20198992901971,386
20189813202321,533
20171,0032802461,529
20161,0892993361,724
20151,2003463681,914
20141,0243303771,731
20131,0113224691,802
20121,1903424892,021
20111,1403514481,939
20101,0283314461,805
20091,0813285181,927
20081,0933344841,911
20071,2814236452,349
20061,3164366432,395
20051,2954095942,298

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 Ogle 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: 93,856 acres (19.2% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

Where to hunt public in Ogle County

Lowden-Miller State Forest · 2,347 acCastle Rock State Park · 2,008 acWhite Pines Forest State Park · 389 acJarrett Prairie Nature Preserve · 312 acHoward Colman Hall Creek Preserve · 280 acLowden State Park · 204 acCommonwealth Edison Prairie · 147 acHoward D. Colman Dells Preserve · 91 ac

Full list on the Illinois public hunting land directory.

See Ogle 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 Ogle County charts

Nearby counties

Lee · 51.3Winnebago · 37.8Stephenson · 40.5DeKalb · 38.7Boone · 40.5Carroll · 37Whiteside · 36.7Bureau · 57.2
← #74 Boone County#76 White County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Ogle County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

Ogle County scores 40.2 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #75 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 Ogle County?

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

Is there public hunting land in Ogle County, Illinois?

Yes — about 93,856 acres of public hunting land, roughly 19.2% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in Ogle County last season?

IDNR records show 1,511 deer harvested in Ogle County in 2024, the most recent reported season.