Most Illinois counties now won’t have a late winter antlerless deer season.

Thirty-two counties were already closed to the season, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is adding an additional 20 counties to that list. DNR spokesman Chris Young says that’s because parts of the state have hit their deer population targets, judging by the decline in car accidents involving deer.

“In the past several years, these numbers have slowly come down,” Young said. “When individual counties reach a particular goal, then we adjust the number of permits that are out there for hunters and other tools at our disposal to keep the numbers around a certain level.”

The number of all deer hunting permits available will be reduced by more than 4 percent this year. Young says the population statistics will be re-assessed next year, and it’s possible the late-winter season could be reinstated in some counties for 2015-16.

The additional counties where the late-winter antlerless deer season will be closed are Adams, Bond, Bureau, Calhoun, Clinton, Cumberland, Fayette, Hancock, Jefferson, Jersey, Logan, Menard, Perry, Randolph, Richland, Sangamon, Scott, St. Clair, Whiteside, and Woodford.

(John Gregory reporting. Copyright 2014 Illinois Radio Network)