Section 685.30  Statewide Firearm Requirements for Hunting the Youth Deer Season

a)         Specifications of legal firearms and their respective legal ammunition for the Youth Deer Hunt are:

1)         Shotgun, loaded with slugs only, of not larger than 10 nor smaller than 20 gauge, not capable of firing more than 3 consecutive slugs;

2)         A single or double barreled muzzleloading firearm of at least .45 caliber shooting a single projectile through a barrel of at least sixteen inches in length;

3)         The minimum size of the firearm projectile shall be .44 caliber.  A wad or sleeve is not considered a projectile or part of the projectile.  Non-expanding, military-style full metal jacket bullets cannot be used to harvest white-tailed deer; only soft point or expanding bullets (including copper/copper alloy rounds designed for hunting) are legal ammunition.

b)         The standards and specifications for use of such muzzleloading firearms are as follows:

1)         A muzzleloading firearm is defined as a firearm that is incapable of being loaded from the breech end.

2)         Only black powder or a black powder substitute such as Pyrodex may be used.  Modern smokeless powders (nitrocellulose-based) are an approved blackpowder substitute only in muzzleloading firearms that are specifically designed for their use.

3)         Percussion caps, wheellock, matchlock or flint type ignition only may be used, except the Connecticut Valley Arms (CVA) electronic ignition shall be legal to use.

4)         Removal of percussion cap, or removal of prime powder from frizzen pan with frizzen open and hammer all the way down, or removal of prime powder from flashpan and wheel un-wound, or removal of prime powder and match with match not lit, or removal of the battery from the CVA electronic ignition muzzleloader, shall constitute an unloaded muzzleloading firearm.

c)         It shall be a Class B misdemeanor (see 520 ILCS 5/2.24) to use or possess any type of firearm or ammunition in the field other than those specifically authorized by this rule while hunting white-tailed deer during the Youth Deer Hunting Season, but archery deer hunters in possession of a valid archery deer permit may hunt during this season provided that, in county or counties open to youth deer hunting, they wear the orange garments required of gun deer hunters.  The otherwise lawful possession of firearms to take furbearing mammals and game mammals other than deer by persons other than youth deer hunters or their supervisors shall not be prohibited during the Youth Deer Hunting Season as set in Section 685.10.

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 10115, effective June 30, 2008)