Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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520 ILCS 5/2.25

(520 ILCS 5/2.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.25)

Sec. 2.25.

It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except (i) with
a shotgun, handgun, single shot centerfire rifle, or muzzleloading rifle or (ii) as provided by
administrative rule,
with a bow and arrow, during the open season of not more than 14 days which will
be set annually by the Director between the dates of
November 1st and December 31st, both inclusive, or a special 3-day, youth-only season between the dates of September 1 and October 31.
For the purposes of this Section, legal handguns and rifles are limited to centerfire
handguns that are either a single shot or revolver and centerfire rifles that are single shot.  The only legal
ammunition
for a centerfire handgun or rifle is a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding one and two-fifths inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, both of which must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a
capability of at least
500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. The barrel of a handgun shall be at least 4 inches.  Full metal jacket bullets may not be
used to
harvest deer.

The Department shall make administrative rules concerning management
restrictions applicable to the firearm and bow and arrow season.

It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except with a bow and
arrow during the open season for bow and arrow set annually by the Director
between the dates of September 1st and January 31st, both inclusive.

It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except with (i) a
muzzleloading rifle or (ii) bow and arrow during the open season for
muzzleloading rifles set annually by the Director.

The Director shall cause an administrative rule setting forth the
prescribed rules and regulations, including bag and possession limits and
those counties of the State where open seasons are established, to be
published in accordance with Sections 1.3 and 1.13 of this Act.

The Department may establish separate harvest periods for the purpose of
managing or eradicating disease that has been found in the deer herd. This
season shall be restricted to gun or bow and arrow hunting only. The Department
shall publicly announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and
shooting hours, the counties and sites open to hunting.

The Department is authorized to establish a separate harvest period at
specific sites within the State for the purpose of harvesting
surplus deer that cannot be taken during the regular season provided for
the taking of deer. This season shall be restricted to gun or bow and
arrow hunting only and shall be established during the period of September 1st
to February 15th, both inclusive. The Department shall publicly announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and shooting hours, and the counties and sites open to hunting. The Department shall publish suitable
prescribed rules and regulations established by administrative rule pertaining
to management restrictions applicable to this special harvest program. The Department shall allow unused gun deer permits that are left over from a regular season for the taking of deer to be rolled over and used during any separate harvest period held within 6 months of the season for which those tags were issued at no additional cost to the permit holder subject to the management restrictions applicable to the special harvest program.

Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter, the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly providing information regarding deer management programs established by the Code or by administrative rule that includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season.

(Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19; 102-314, eff. 1-1-22; 102-932, eff. 1-1-23.)