|
IllinoisHunter Home:
Your guide to useful information about hunting in Illinois...........
The Midwestern state of Illinois is well known as one of the best states in the USA for trophy whitetail deer and eastern-strain wild turkeys. However, Illinois offers more than just great deer and turkey hunting. In addition to having big bucks and trophy gobblers, Illinois also boasts excellent hunting for a wide variety of other wild game species. Illinois upland game choices include great hunting for pheasant, bobwhite quail, rabbit, and squirrel hunters. Coyote and fox are popular predator hunting species. Excellent migratory waterfowl hunting opportunities for both ducks and geese are also found throughout Illinois. Great dove hunting is also available in Illinois every September. View 2007-2008 Seasons Guide (Page 2 of this document includes "rule of thumb" planning help for upcoming season dates.)
Special Notices
Photo Gallery Upgrade: The IllinoisHunter.com photo gallery of hunting and wildlife pictures has been recently upgraded. View New Photo Gallery
Wingshooting Clinics : IDNR-sponsored shotgunning clinics designed for a wide range of shooting skill levels are available throughout Illinois in 2008. Learn More
 |
DNR Pheasant Program Under Attack:
Budget Directive Unfairly Targets Released Pheasant Program
Learn More |
Digests: The Illinois 2007-2008 Hunting & Trapping Digest and the 2007-2008 Waterfowl Digest are the primary public source of official information about Illinois hunting laws and related regulations The Digests can be accessed either online, or as printed pamphlets available at hunting license vendors or ILDNR offices statewide. The current publications should be used as general guides until the 2008-2009 issues are released later in the year.
Public Hunting Areas : Need a place to hunt? Many public hunting opportunities are available at sites owned or managed by the state of Illinois, but regulations are often hard to find and vary widely. Search Site-Specific Hunting Regulations
Landowner Property Tax Relief: The Conservation Stewardship Program offers the incentive of reduced valuation for property taxes to Illinois landowners who are willing to commit to maintaining and managing unimproved land. Learn More
 |
Second Firearm Deer Season Success Story:
10-year-old Gavyn Gosha of Herrin Shoots Giant Buck Learn More |
Nearly 200,000 deer taken in 2007-2008 Deer Seasons: Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 116,708 deer during the 2007 IL Firearm Deer Season (Nov. 17-19 and Nov. 29-Dec. 2), 4,333 deer during the 2007 IL Muzzleloader-only Deer Season (Dec. 7-9), 897 deer during the 2007 Illinois Youth Deer Season (Oct. 6-7), 64,217 deer during the 2007-08 IL Archery Deer Season (Oct. 1, 2007-Jan. 17, 2008), 11,506 deer during the IL Late-Winter Antlerless-only Deer Season (Jan. 18-20), and 883 deer during the Special CWD Deer Season held in specific Northern Illinois counties (Jan. 18-20.) Learn More
CWD and the Special Northern CWD Season: Read the latest CWD Information and Updates
Senior Crossbow Hunting: Hunters 62 years of age and older are now permitted to hunt using a crossbow without a special permit. Prior to the change, only persons with a disability or persons who had obtained a special use permit were allowed to use the devices. Eligible hunters using a crossbow need an archery deer permit and must carry proof of age in the form of an official ID. Hunters who are under 62 years old and wish to use a crossbow are still required to qualify for the disability exemption and must obtain a special permit from the Department of Natural Resources. Equipment restrictions apply. Learn More
Firearm Deer Hunting Hours Extended: Public Act 95-0289 was amended to extend Illinois firearm deer hunting hours to 1/2 hour after sunset. ( the act also included muzzleloader season, Late-Winter Season, and the Special CWD Season.) Hunting hours previously ended at sunset for the firearm seasons. Click Here to read the official details.
Deer Season Anniversary: 2007 marked the 50th Anniversary of deer hunting seasons in Illinois. More than 85,000 deer were harvested during the first weekend of the 2007 Illinois firearm deer season alone. Bad weather impacted second season results, but archery, muzzleloader, and the late seasons brought the total to almost 200,000 deer for the season - a significant increase over the 1,735 deer harvested in the 33 counties that were open for deer hunting during the 1957 season.
Waterfowl Seasons: Download the 07-08 waterfowl digest for guidance in planning upcoming hunts, as the new waterfowl digest will not be out for several months. For reference purposes only, the old digest shows the season dates and regulations for all locations during the past year. Earlier in 2007, the USFWS Service Regulations Committee endorsed the Illinois proposal for the 2007-2008 duck and goose hunting seasons. Last year's proposal called for 60-day Duck Seasons with a six duck daily bag limit. The goose season proposal specified an 85-day Goose Season in the Northern and Central Zones, and a 66-day Season in the Southern Zone. A two Canada goose daily bag limit was imposed throughout the state. Illinois Waterfowl Zone boundaries also changed. Learn More
Special Coupon Offer From Sierra Trading Post:
 
SierraTradingPost.com offers savings of 35-70% on
quality name brand outdoor clothing and gear.
Click on the above banner and save!
|
Photo by Jim Mordacq
Illinois Deer Permit Applications:
Second Lottery Deadline August 14th
The second firearm and muzzleloader lottery drawings will be available to new resident applicants, applicants rejected in the first lottery, and non-residents. Non-resident firearm and muzzleloader applications will be available during mid-July in time for inclusion in the second lottery drawing. IllinoisHunter recommends that you wait until the list of remaining permits is published before applying in the second lottery.
2008 Resident archery deer permits will be available "over-the-counter" late August; Non-Resident archery deer applications are scheduled to be accepted online starting June 1st.
Licenses, Permits, & Applications!
2008 Illinois Licenses: The new IDNR license year began April 1st. The 2008 fishing, hunting and sportsman combination licenses are available from local license and permit vendors, online through the IDNR web site at DNR Direct Online License Sales, or by calling 1-888-6PERMIT. Online license buyers can use American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa or E-Check and print the license or receipt. The system is available 24 hours a day. The 2008 licenses will be valid through Mar. 31, 2009. Note: Dove and waterfowl hunters should remember to register with the HIP program when they obtain their licenses. View the old 2007-2008 IDNR price schedule for Illinois Hunting Fees/Permits/Stamps. (Note that fee increases are currently being considered in the State Legislature.)
Find a Hunter Safety Class in your County: (Certification is generally required for anyone anyone born on or after January 1, 1980.) Most counties in Illinois will be running late-winter classes prior to Youth Spring Turkey seasons. Note: Many older adults are finding that they need hunter safety certification in order to hunt out-of-state regardless of age. Learn More
Spring Turkey Seasons: The Illinois Spring Wild Turkey Seasons have already ended in the Southern Zone. The Northern Zone 5th Season ends May 15th. View More 2008 Turkey Hunting Information
2007-2008 Pheasant and Quail Hunting: The controlled peasant hunting seasons have ended for all state and public/private sites. The only "after-season" opportunities are now at commercial hunting preserves. The future of the controlled pheasant program on state sites is uncertain. Learn More
Apprentice Hunting License: Illinois now has a special apprentice resident hunting license, which allows youngsters ages 10 to 17 to go hunting with a parent, grandparent or guardian who has a valid Illinois resident hunting license. Individuals 18 and older will also be able to buy an apprentice license, then hunt with any family member or friend who is a licensed Illinois resident hunter. Read the 7/20/06 press release. Apprentice hunting licenses are available through vendors with online licensing terminals, and do not require completion of an IDNR Hunter Safety course. Illinois Apprentice hunting licenses are valid for only one year, and cannot be renewed.
Lifetime Hunting Licenses: Illinoishunter recommends that hunters who are residents of Illinois take a serious look at applying for a $210.00 lifetime hunting license. Buying a lifetime hunting or sportsmen's license financially supports statewide conservation initiatives, and may also protect you from any hunting license price increases or other future administrative changes. Early (before 8/15/06) lifetime license holders will still be considered Illinois residents for all hunting license privileges, even if they later move to another state. However, any person who receives a lifetime license issued after August 15, 2006 and is no longer a resident of Illinois, will no longer be eligible to apply for resident deer and turkey hunting permits. Some non-residents had attempted to cheat the system; 70 cases of fraudulent lifetime license applications were prosecuted in 2005 alone.
Returning Military Veterans: Learn about the Armed Forces Special Pass for Illinois Residents. The Armed Forces Special Pass is available to military members who live in Illinois and who have served abroad, including guard or reserve members called to active duty. The special pass provides camping, fishing and hunting fee exemptions for qualified military members, guard and reserve members who can apply within two years of their return from abroad or release from mobilization.
IDNR Contacts: The State of Illinois Telephone Directory is useful for contacting specific departments of State Agencies such as Natural Resources. For example, the IDNR hunting permit office telephone number in Springfield is 217-782-7305. (The IDNR permit office email address is permit1@dnrmail.state.il.us.) We feel that IDNR is greatly understaffed; you should first try to answer your questions by researching online through IllinoisHunter.com and other Internet sites, or reading the latest issue of the Illinois Digest of Hunting & Trapping Regulations publication.
Need High-Speed Internet, But Live In The Country?
High-Speed Satellite Internet is now a great solution! HughesNet is the leading provider of satellite-based Internet services, and the prices are now affordable. Click on the banner and save! |
Feature Section
The 2008 feature section is being revised to a series of "special reports" instead of comprehensive looks at specialized topics. The First Special Report of 2008 takes a look at the hunting opportunities offered by a variety of upland hunting preserves located throughout Illinois. The Second Special Report of 2008 takes a look at the precarious status of the Controlled Pheasant Program on state sites.
In 2007, the IllinoisHunter.com feature section went undeveloped as other aspects of our site were enhanced. (and personal priorities were attended to...) Please keep in mind that IllinoisHunter.com is a small semi-commercial web publishing project, but we are honored that 5,000+ unique visitors each month come to our site for "useful information about hunting in Illinois." We know that our home page has become too "wordy" over time, and a new visual interface is being designed to help you cut through the links and go straight through to the information that you need. Please keep the questions and suggestions rolling....................
The 2006 feature section covered the process of applying for 2006 Illinois firearm and muzzleloader deer permits, and took a special look at public deer hunting opportunities in Illinois.
The 2005 Illinois Heritage Youth Turkey Season was the topic of our first IllinoisHunter feature section. Here you will find some facts about a special youth turkey hunt, learn about a related outreach project by a local NWTF chapter in Central Illinois, and read an exciting first-person hunt narrative written by a 13-year-old female hunter from Auburn, Illinois.
Our Mission
IllinoisHunter.com is designed to provide a friendly user interface to access useful information about hunting and outdoor conservation in Illinois. Many of our links will take you to other sites, especially selected portions of the IL Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) web site. Please note that IllinoisHunter.com is not officially associated with the IDNR or other organizations whose sites open in a new browser window, and that we are not responsible for the accuracy of information found on these external pages.
IllinoisHunter.com provides access to a wide variety of resources, including:
State Of Illinois Links - where you can go directly to useful State of Illinois information without having to search through multiple levels of state sites to reach the basic information that you need. Our focus is on the ILDNR (Illinois Department of Natural Resources) for Ilinois hunting information, and also includes the Illinois State Police web site for FOID (Firearm Owner Identification) Card information. However, you can also check here for a list of useful IDNR departmental Email links, and an online Master Contact Listing covering all governmental agencies in the great State of Illinois, including full DNR agency-wide listings and departmental phone numbers.
Local Club and Chapter Sites - a clearinghouse where local sporting clubs and organizations in Illinois can get a free link to their current web site, or arrange to publish an inexpensive site through our domain name and web hosting partner SportingDomains.com!
Sporting Organizations - here are handy links to national and state organizations supporting hunting and shooting, such as the NWTF (National Wild turkey Federation,) DU (Ducks Unlimited,) NRA (National Rifle Association,) ISRA (Illinois State Rifle Association,) and IFOR (Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources.)
Illinois Sporting Publications - a guide to sporting publications and videos featuring hunting, fishing, and shooting sports throughout the state.
Hunter Tools - links to useful tools related to hunting such as Illinois FOID card information, weather forecasts, sunrise/sunset tables, and more. Send us an email about what topics you would like to see in this section. Do you want topics like hunting dog resources, wing shooting clinics, local upland hunting preserves, rifled slugs vs sabots, shed antler collecting, taxidermy, etc?
Hunting Facts - a collection of resources that will help to educate Illinois hunters and non-hunters alike regarding the importance of hunting in our culture and our environment.
Feature Article Section - IllinoisHunter.com feature articles are created with a focus on informational and educational topics that will be of interest to Illinois sportsmen and sportswomen.
IllinoisHunter.com is being developed to become a premier source of useful web links and general information about sport hunting and wildlife conservation in Illinois. Our site is being designed for use by sportsmen of all ages and skill levels, as well as by non-hunters who simply want to learn more about hunting and related activities. We intend to accomplish our goals without bothering you with annoying commercial interruptions and distractions like popups and unrelated advertising. Whether you are a resident or non-resident hunter, you will especially appreciate our upcoming "County by County" search for local resources in Illinois counties. In addition, we will also be featuring innovative online ways to buy hunting products, services, or properties - such as turkeypro.com and aspenauctionsonline.com!
  |
