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Illinois Deer Permits by County, 2026-27 Leftovers for All 102 Counties

Firearm and muzzleloader permits left after Lottery 3 in 99 counties, the three closed counties and Kane's Route 47 line, with CWD and turkey flags.

All seasons

Species

Deer gear

99Open counties

Cook, DuPage, LakeClosed

67,080Leftover firearm either-sex

Photo: Courtney Celley (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

Leftover deer permits in all 102 Illinois counties

Illinois has no deer management units: firearm and muzzleloader permits are issued by county, so the county is the unit. The original 2026-27 county quotas were never published, only what was left after Lottery 3, and those leftovers went on sale over the counter on October 20, 2026. Across the 99 open counties the pool was 67,080 firearm either-sex, 42,327 firearm antlerless, 9,532 muzzleloader either-sex and 6,530 muzzleloader antlerless permits. Cook, DuPage and Lake are closed to firearm deer and Kane is open only west of State Route 47, so the table shows those counties with dashes. Every county name links to its own page, which carries the county's deer harvest for the last ten seasons.

99Open counties

3Closed counties

67,080Firearm either-sex left

42,327Firearm antlerless left

9,532Muzzleloader either-sex left

1Counties with none left

From IDNR deer permit inquiry system (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.

Every county, permits left and rule flags

One row for each of the 102 counties, filterable.

County	Firearm deer	Firearm either-sex left	Firearm antlerless left	Muzzleloader either-sex left	Muzzleloader antlerless left	Spring turkey	Flags
Adams	Open	2,272	901	72	65	North	CWD / Special CWD
Alexander	Open	287	–	133	–	South	–
Bond	Open	526	322	18	26	South	–
Boone	Open	788	472	187	98	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Brown	Open	693	695	41	75	North	Late winter
Bureau	Open	2,340	1,133	182	101	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Calhoun	Open	287	0	50	7	North	–
Carroll	Open	1,483	1,198	206	143	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Cass	Open	574	239	56	51	North	–
Champaign	Open	69	–	32	–	North	Archery zone
Christian	Open	321	263	72	29	North	–
Clark	Open	392	324	59	66	North	–
Clay	Open	929	827	83	138	South	Late winter
Clinton	Open	330	349	21	73	South	Late winter
Coles	Open	390	431	74	53	North	Late winter
Cook	Closed	–	–	–	–	Closed	CWD
Crawford	Open	290	705	54	101	South	Late winter
Cumberland	Open	69	173	9	23	North	–
DeWitt	Open	372	321	99	39	North	–
DeKalb	Open	828	569	165	98	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Douglas	Open	139	–	27	–	North	Archery zone
DuPage	Closed	–	–	–	–	Closed	CWD
Edgar	Open	21	0	38	1	North	–
Edwards	Open	101	–	15	–	South	–
Effingham	Open	553	695	122	59	South	CWD / Special CWD
Fayette	Open	138	117	26	57	South	Late winter
Ford	Open	207	144	48	–	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Franklin	Open	981	380	79	74	South	Late winter
Fulton	Open	2,034	1,569	269	247	North	Late winter
Gallatin	Open	569	382	11	22	South	–
Greene	Open	140	–	0	–	North	–
Grundy	Open	879	718	256	166	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Hamilton	Open	152	283	54	25	South	Late winter
Hancock	Open	997	1,339	68	164	North	Late winter
Hardin	Open	731	359	121	40	South	–
Henderson	Open	160	367	22	45	North	Late winter
Henry	Open	176	0	23	5	North	–
Iroquois	Open	247	0	77	–	North	–
Jackson	Open	2,227	1,045	127	142	South	–
Jasper	Open	76	65	39	70	South	Late winter
Jefferson	Open	91	19	83	56	South	Late winter
Jersey	Open	271	149	30	50	North	–
Jo Daviess	Open	3,000	2,804	658	436	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Johnson	Open	451	98	81	74	South	–
Kane	West of Route 47	290	187	123	74	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Kankakee	Open	920	286	169	28	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Kendall	Open	390	184	139	73	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Knox	Open	1,546	1,255	185	213	North	Late winter
LaSalle	Open	1,919	1,621	516	232	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Lake	Closed	–	–	–	–	North	CWD
Lawrence	Open	379	526	56	105	South	–
Lee	Open	1,368	857	206	134	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Livingston	Open	1,080	592	177	102	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Logan	Open	192	–	21	–	North	–
Macon	Open	244	–	100	–	North	Archery zone
Macoupin	Open	1,857	1,367	110	117	North	Late winter
Madison	Open	346	392	51	63	South	Late winter
Marion	Open	358	844	75	109	South	Late winter
Marshall	Open	907	372	77	66	North	CWD / Special CWD
Mason	Open	16	–	12	–	North	–
Massac	Open	200	–	15	–	South	–
McDonough	Open	833	587	153	73	North	Late winter
McHenry	Open	2,029	1,105	371	136	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
McLean	Open	1,187	571	139	83	North	–
Menard	Open	208	117	40	7	North	–
Mercer	Open	801	1,011	109	124	North	Late winter
Monroe	Open	543	627	46	73	South	Late winter
Montgomery	Open	139	24	55	18	North	–
Morgan	Open	71	–	20	–	North	–
Moultrie	Open	76	–	29	–	North	–
Ogle	Open	1,614	761	359	178	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Peoria	Open	890	324	24	29	North	CWD / Special CWD
Perry	Open	299	501	24	70	South	Late winter
Piatt	Open	130	–	52	–	North	Archery zone
Pike	Open	591	40	56	88	North	Late winter
Pope	Open	2,324	–	231	–	South	–
Pulaski	Open	0	–	4	–	South	–
Putnam	Open	517	220	52	32	North	CWD / Special CWD
Randolph	Open	322	337	66	86	South	Late winter
Richland	Open	73	0	20	23	South	–
Rock Island	Open	1,368	628	188	203	North	Late winter
Saline	Open	1,231	699	117	44	South	Late winter
Sangamon	Open	121	0	34	0	North	–
Schuyler	Open	1,467	1,180	57	134	North	Late winter
Scott	Open	187	–	78	–	North	CWD / Special CWD
Shelby	Open	459	480	0	110	North	Late winter
St. Clair	Open	26	0	2	24	South	–
Stark	Open	242	106	56	28	North	CWD / Special CWD
Stephenson	Open	1,505	1,351	275	186	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Tazewell	Open	454	71	48	–	North	–
Union	Open	120	0	39	22	South	–
Vermilion	Open	691	335	82	26	North	–
Wabash	Open	28	–	21	–	South	–
Warren	Open	713	328	111	32	North	Late winter
Washington	Open	218	92	56	5	South	Late winter
Wayne	Open	28	0	0	16	South	–
White	Open	219	5	7	14	South	–
Whiteside	Open	975	446	42	46	North	–
Will	Open	793	418	161	104	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Williamson	Open	1,655	812	60	90	South	Late winter
Winnebago	Open	1,758	1,022	266	143	North	CWD / Special CWD / Check station
Woodford	Open	582	191	63	48	North	Late winter

Permits remaining after Lottery 3, starting quotas for over-the-counter sales from October 20, 2026. A dash means the county is closed to firearm deer or has none of that type left. Flags: CWD confirmed, Special CWD season, firearm check station, late-winter antlerless counties and the Restricted Archery Zone.

From IDNR deer permit inquiry system, CWD annual report and IDNR late-winter hunting information (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.

How to read the leftover numbers

The ten counties with the most firearm either-sex permits left were Jo Daviess County (3,000), Bureau County (2,340), Pope County (2,324), Adams County (2,272), Jackson County (2,227), Fulton County (2,034), McHenry County (2,029), LaSalle County (1,919), Macoupin County (1,857) and Winnebago County (1,758). 1 open counties had none left, and 96 still had muzzleloader either-sex permits.

A large leftover pool does not prove good hunting, only that the county drew fewer applicants than permits; use the harvest numbers on each county page, and read the CWD rules for the northern counties before planning a trip.

CWD zones and rules

Late-winter hunts

Permit lotteries

Permit sale calendar for Illinois deer

Lottery	Window opens	Window closes
Lottery 1 (residents only)	March 3, 2026	April 30, 2026
Lottery 2	May 11, 2026	June 30, 2026
Lottery 3	July 13, 2026	August 21, 2026
Over-the-counter county permits (leftover quotas)	October 20, 2026	as available

Youth permits: Sold beginning 4 August through the last day of the youth deer season (October 12, 2026). Nonresident archery lottery: June 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026. Resident single either-sex archery paper application: August 1, 2026 to September 1, 2026.

From Digest deer permit pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.

White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a fieldPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)

White-tailed deer buckPhoto: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain)

White-tailed deer fawn in tall grassPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)

Questions on the deer permits by county

How are Illinois deer permits issued?

By county in three lotteries and then over the counter; see the lotteries page for the rounds, and the table above for what was left.

Are the original county quotas published?

County-specific firearm and muzzleloader permits remaining after Lottery 3 (starting quotas for over-the-counter sales beginning Tuesday, October 20, 2026). Counties with no remaining permit of a type have null. Original 2026-27 quotas are not published.

Which counties are closed to firearm deer?

Cook County, DuPage County and Lake County; Kane is open only west of State Route 47, and Chain O Lakes State Park is the one firearm exception in Lake County.

Which counties have the most permits left?

Jo Daviess County with 3,000, Bureau County with 2,340 and Pope County with 2,324 firearm either-sex permits left after Lottery 3.

How many counties had no firearm either-sex permits left?

1 of the 99 open counties: Pulaski.

When did leftover permits go on sale?

Over the counter from Tuesday, October 20, 2026, through license vendors and the IDNR site, until each county sold out.

Which counties make up the Restricted Archery Zone?

During October 1-31 only antlered deer may be harvested in the Restricted Archery Zone, regardless of permits in possession (Allerton Park in Piatt County excepted). The zone takes in Champaign, Douglas, Macon and Piatt.

Do these numbers include archery permits?

No. They cover county firearm and muzzleloader permits only; archery permits are not county quotas.

Is the permit count the same as the harvest?

No: permits left say nothing about deer taken. The statewide harvest was 174,006 in 2025-26 and each county page lists its own series.

Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).