Muzzleloading fans were able to make up a little ground in what has been a disappointing deer season for Illinois gun hunters.
According to DNR’s figures, the Dec.9-11 muzzleloader season produced a harvest of 3,297 deer, up significantly from last year’s total of 2,403. This year’s effort is considered a bounceback, pulling numbers closer to the 2014 harvest of 3,475 and the 2013 harvest of 3,536.