Illinois deer research / Wayne County

Wayne County, Illinois — Deer Hunting Research

Southern IL region. FDR Deer Herd Index 52.4 — ranked #55 of 102 Illinois counties. Built from IDNR public harvest records and three record books deduplicated so every buck counts once.

C - Above Average
52.4 / 100
FDR Herd Index
#55 of 102
Statewide rank
70
Record-book bucks (deduped)
145,021
Public-land acres
3,130
2024 deer harvest

What drives the Wayne County index

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

Habitat · 25%32
Herd quality · 30%64
Population · 18%36
Momentum · 12%95
Trophy history · 15%47

Trophy record — counted once

70 unique record-book bucks from 77 total listings across the major whitetail record books — 7 cross-book duplicates removed. Trophy rank #58 in Illinois.

BookBucks
Listed in one book only68
In two books2
In all three books0
Unique bucks70

2005–2024 harvest trend

SeasonArcheryFirearmTotal
20241,3871,7433,130
20231,2901,4132,703
20221,1301,5212,651
20211,1021,3702,472
20201,2451,4462,691
20191,0921,4162,508
20188521,4852,337
20179211,5462,467
20168361,5762,412
20158881,6082,496
20148411,4042,245
20138061,2692,075
20128971,7192,616
20119391,8712,810
20109461,8052,751
20091,0071,8922,899
20089571,9892,946
20079782,1063,084
20069122,0212,933
20059412,1933,134

IDNR reports harvest by archery / firearm / CWD; muzzleloader is not broken out separately. Success proxy: Wayne County runs 5.15 record-book bucks per 1,000 hunter-trips.

See full Wayne County harvest charts →

Harvest by sex

IDNR records each harvested deer by sex. In 2024, Wayne County ran 1,699 bucks (males) and 1,431 does (females) — 54.3% bucks.

SeasonBucks (M)Does (F)Total% bucks
20241,6991,4313,13054.3%
20231,5071,1962,70355.8%
20221,4261,2252,65153.8%
20211,3901,0822,47256.2%
20201,4721,2192,69154.7%
20191,3561,1522,50854.1%
20181,2401,0972,33753.1%
20171,3341,1332,46754.1%
20161,3581,0542,41256.3%
20151,3361,1602,49653.5%
20141,1851,0602,24552.8%
20131,0869892,07552.3%
20121,3951,2212,61653.3%
20111,4771,3332,81052.6%
20101,5111,2402,75154.9%
20091,5021,3972,89951.8%
20081,5451,4012,94652.4%
20071,7321,3523,08456.2%
20061,6101,3232,93354.9%
20051,7241,4103,13455%

See full Wayne County sex-composition chart →

Age structure

IDNR classifies each deer as adult, yearling (1.5-yr), or fawn. In 2024, Wayne County ran 70.1% adult, 15% yearling, and 14.9% fawn — a higher adult share points to a more mature age structure.

SeasonAdultYearlingFawnTotal
20242,1944694673,130
20231,9083954002,703
20221,8433964122,651
20211,6403944382,472
20201,8474174272,691
20191,6794343952,508
20181,4963914502,337
20171,6113984582,467
20161,5484004642,412
20151,5954254762,496
20141,4483454522,245
20131,3343523892,075
20121,5603926642,616
20111,7554516042,810
20101,7344265912,751
20091,8394506102,899
20081,8424756292,946
20071,8045017793,084
20061,7344797202,933
20051,8385357613,134

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 Wayne 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: 145,021 acres (31.7% of the county). Verify current season dates, permits, and site-specific rules with IDNR before hunting.

Where to hunt public in Wayne County

Sam Dale Lake State Conservation Area · 1,324 acSam And Florence Atkinson Forest · 324 acAlvah Borah State Habitat Area · 88 ac

Full list on the Illinois public hunting land directory.

See Wayne 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 Wayne County charts

Nearby counties

Clay · 56.1Hamilton · 63.1Edwards · 52.6White · 39.8Richland · 58.3Jefferson · 46Marion · 56.1Wabash · 55.6
← #54 Scott County#56 Lee County →

Frequently asked questions

Is Wayne County, Illinois good for deer hunting?

Wayne County scores 52.4 of 100 on the FDR Deer Herd Index (C - Above Average), ranked #55 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 Wayne County?

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

Is there public hunting land in Wayne County, Illinois?

Yes — about 145,021 acres of public hunting land, roughly 31.7% of the county. Always verify current site regulations and permit requirements before hunting.

How many deer were harvested in Wayne County last season?

IDNR records show 3,130 deer harvested in Wayne County in 2024, the most recent reported season.