Illinois hunters bag 181,000 deer

CHICAGO (AP) – Hunters in Illinois killed more than 181,000 deer during the bow-hunting and firearms seasons that ended this month.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said Thursday that the total was a slight dip from the previous hunting season, when just more than 182,000 deer were killed.

The state’s record deer harvest, during the 2005-2006 season, totaled more than 200,000.

In the coming months, biologists will study data to determine any changes for the next hunting seasons.