Hunters are prohibited from harvesting antlerless deer during the first 15 days of the Illinois Archery Deer Season in five east-central Illinois counties as part of an effort to grow the deer herd in the region. The counties affected are Douglas, Moultrie, Macon, Champaign and Piatt. Hunters in those counties may only take antlered deer from October 1st through October 15th. Deer population levels in the five counties are below currently-adopted county goals in the region. Similar harvest restrictions for archery deer hunters during the late 1990s and early 2000s were effective in boosting the size of the deer herd in east-central Illinois.
