If i recall, back in the 70s when i started hunting, Illinois only issued one permit (buck only??) per person per year, and it was on a lottery system. People picked the county that they wanted to hunt in as well as alternate counties. Some people didn't even get permits or they got them for counties where they did't really have places to hunt. In my opinion, the state was very slow in allowing larger deer harvests to the point that many places are crawling with deer and it is a problem.