Illinois hunters bagged more than 97,000 whitetail deer during the state’s seven-day firearm season this fall, but the one Richard Lomas bagged near Mount Erie, Ill., was one of the most unusual.
Lomas, a resident of West Salem, Ill., was hunting along the Little Wabash River when he bagged what he believed was a trophy buck — a 30 pointer.
When he dropped the carcass off at a local meat processing plant in Albion, he made a surprising discovery — it was a doe, not a buck. According to a local wildlife biologist, antlers on does are quite uncommon — perhaps one in 4,500 will have a rack. Finding one that is a 30 pointer is even more unusual.
Lomas says he has been offered thousands of dollars for the atypical mount from outdoor outfitters like Bass Pro and Cabela’s. He hasn’t made up his mind yet on what to do with the strange doe.
Illinois’ split firearm hunting season ended Dec. 4. The first season total came in at 66,501. Hunters killed 31,259 more during the second season.
The archery season in Illinois continues through Jan. 15, 2012. The seven-day split late-winter firearm antlerless only season is Dec. 29 — Jan. 1 and Jan. 13 — 15, 2012.