A deadly hemorrhagic disease spikes a week before Illinois' archery deer opener

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease spikes in Illinois with 43 counties reporting suspected cases by midday Tuesday, according to Chris Jacques, wildlife disease, large carnivore and invasive species program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Last year only 18 counties had confirmed EHD, a deadly viral disease spread by biting insects.

All that comes with archery deer season opening next Tuesday, Oct. 1, and, for the first time in my memory, without the final data on the previous seasons (2023-24) being released. So we don't know if archery harvest surpassed firearm harvest in 2023-24. Nor do we know the breakdown of how deer were harvested by archery hunters, whether crossbows, compound bows or traditional bows (longbows or recurve bows).

Recent dry weather has allowed for quicker crop harvest. Through Sunday, the Illinois Crop Progress and Condition Report had corn 14 percent harvested statewide. That compares to seven percent a week ago.