Section 715.10  Hunting Season, Open Counties and Permit Quotas

 

a)         Season:  The 9 days beginning on Saturday of the second complete 2-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday) after October 10.

 

b)         Open Counties

 

OPEN COUNTIES

 

Adams

Alexander

Brown

Calhoun

Carroll

Cass

Clark

Clay

Crawford

Edwards

Franklin

Fulton

Gallatin

Greene

Hamilton

Hancock

Hardin

Henderson

Jackson

Jasper

Jefferson

Jersey

Jo Daviess

Johnson

Knox

Lawrence

Macoupin

Madison

Marion

Mason

Massac

McDonough

Menard

Mercer

Monroe

Morgan

Perry

Pike

Pope

Pulaski

Randolph

Richland

Rock Island

Saline

Schuyler

Scott

Stephenson

Union

Wabash

Warren

Washington

Wayne

White

Whiteside

Williamson

Winnebago

 

c)         Permit quotas shall be set by the Department of Natural Resources on a county or special hunt area basis.

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 11871, effective September 2, 2025)

 

Section 715.20  Statewide Turkey Permit Requirements

 

a)         All turkey hunters must have a current, valid Fall Shotgun Wild Turkey Hunting Permit.  Lifetime licenses issued after August 15, 2006 shall not qualify a nonresident of Illinois for a resident turkey permit.  All hunters, except those exempted by Section 3.1 of the Wildlife Code [520 ILCS 5] are also required to obtain a hunting license before hunting wild turkey.  Fees for fall shotgun turkey permits are as follows:

 

1)         Permits issued via lottery by Permit Office:

Illinois Resident Lottery Permit − $15

Nonresident Lottery Permit − $125

 

2)         Over-the-Counter (OTC) Permits sold by license vendors pursuant to subsection (f); all prices include vendor's issuing fee:

Illinois Resident OTC Permit − $15.50

Nonresident OTC Permit − $125.50

 

b)         Permits are issued for a specific county or area and are valid only in the county or area designated on the permit.  Applications for wild turkey permits shall be completed and submitted by visiting one of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' license vendors, by applying on-line at www.dnr.illinois.gov, or by writing to:

 

Department of Natural Resources – Fall Shotgun Turkey

One Natural Resources Way

P.O. Box 19446

Springfield IL  62794-9446

 

c)         Applicants must supply all information necessary to complete the application. Incomplete applications shall be rejected and fees returned.  Each applicant must submit payment for the individual's application at the time of application.  Permits are allocated via computerized lottery drawings held in Springfield, Illinois.  Permits are not transferable.  For the purpose of this Section, "transfer" means the modification or changing, by the Department or any other person, individual or group, of the name or location of an issued permit to another person or location.  Not more than 6 applications may be submitted for group hunters.

 

d)         Applications shall be accepted from residents only from the date on which the application became available through the first Monday in July for the First Lottery.  Applications received in the permit office after the first Monday in July shall be included in the next computerized drawing.

 

e)         Permits not issued during the first computerized drawing shall be available in a second computerized lottery drawing.  Applications for this drawing will be accepted through the seventh Monday after the initial First Lottery Drawing. Applications received after this date will be rejected and all fees for that application will be refunded. All hunters not receiving a permit in the first computerized drawing and non-residents may apply at this time for the available permits.  Illinois residents will be given preference for permits allocated in the Second Lottery Drawing.

 

f)         Permits not issued during the second computerized drawing shall be available OTC from agents designated by the Department (pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 2520) beginning the fourth Monday after the second lottery deadline on a first-come, first-served basis.  Permits will be sold until quotas are exhausted, or until the close of the season.  Persons may purchase one or more permits during this period, subject to availability, except that no one may exceed the limit of two permits in total, including landowner permits.

 

g)         A $3 service fee shall be charged for replacement permits issued by the Department, except when permits are lost in the mail, no charge will be made.

 

h)         It shall be unlawful to:

 

1)         Submit applications before the second computerized lottery drawing for more than one permit for the same person;

 

2)         Apply for or receive more than two permits for the fall gun turkey season; or

 

3)         Provide false and/or deceptive information on a permit application form.  In addition to criminal charges, individuals found guilty of violating this Section shall have their application rejected, permit revoked, and fees forfeited.

 

i)          Refunds and Cancellations

 

1)         A refund shall be issued by the Department for a permit that has been granted, or for an application that has been submitted, under the following circumstances:

 

A)        The State managed, -owned, or -leased site for which the permit was issued was closed due to a national or State issued emergency or disaster declaration or any other emergency circumstance that resulted in the Department closing access to the hunting site, park or area.  Issued permits shall be cancelled by the Department.  This subsection (i) shall include, but is not limited to, closure of State parks, fish and wildlife areas, and recreation areas by the Department as a response to a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation or executive order;

 

B)        The applicant for a permit was unsuccessful in obtaining a permit in the lottery for which the applicant applied; or

 

C)        Upon the request of the permit holder, a permit was issued due to an error of the Department, the OTC point-of-sale vendor or the applicant.  The permit that was issued in error and the request for a refund must be delivered to the Department before the first day of the season listed on the permit.  Permits shall be considered delivered to the Department if the permit is received or postmarked before the first day of the season listed on the permit; or

 

D)        Upon the return of an issued permit to the Department before the first day of the season listed on the issued permit.  Permits shall be considered delivered to the Department if the permit is received or postmarked before the first day of the season listed on the permit.  No refund shall be issued under this subsection (i)(1)(D) if the permit is returned or postmarked after the first day of the season listed on the permit.

 

2)         A permit shall be cancelled if a refund is approved pursuant to subsection (i)(1)(A), (C) or (D).  Once a permit has been cancelled, the cancelled permit shall not count towards the total number of permits that an applicant may obtain for the hinting season that the cancelled permit was so issued.

 

3)         Upon the request of a permit holder, a refund may be issued by the Department for a permit that has been granted under the following circumstances:

 

A)        A medical condition or death of the permit holder that prevented the permit holder from hunting.  A death certificate or medical documentation showing that the permit holder was unable to or advised not to hunt may be required by the Department before any refund is issued.  Requests must be made within 90 days after the start of the season that the permit was issued for and must accompany the return of the permit to the Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois.  No refunds shall be issued under this subsection if the request or permit is delivered or postmarked to the Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois 90 days after the first day of the season listed on the permit; or

 

B)        The permit holder was unable to travel or use the permit that was issued due to a national or State issued emergency or disaster declaration that resulted in a danger to the health or safety of the permit holder had they attempted to use the issued permit.  Requests must be made within 60 days after the start of the season for which the permit was issued and must accompany the return of the permit to the Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois.  No refund shall be issued under this subsection (i)(3)(B) if the request or permit is delivered or postmarked 60 days after the first day of the season listed on the permit.

 

C)        A permit that was issued due to an error of the Department, the OTC point-of-sale vendor, or the applicant, if the permit is returned to the Department before the last day of the season for which the permit was issued.

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 11871, effective September 2, 2025)

 

Section 715.21  Turkey Permit Requirements – Special Hunts (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 48 Ill. Reg. 15627, effective October 17, 2024)

 

Section 715.25  Turkey Permit Requirements – Landowner/Tenant Permits

 

Requirements and procedures for obtaining landowner/tenant permits are provided in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 528.

 

(Source:  Amended at 41 Ill. Reg. 8754, effective June 28, 2017)

 

Section 715.30  Turkey Hunting Regulations

 

a)         It is unlawful:

 

1)         to use live or electronic turkey decoys, recorded calls, dogs or bait.  An area is considered as baited during the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of bait;

 

2)         to take, or attempt to take, more than one wild turkey per valid permit (either sex may be harvested);

 

3)         to use any weapon except a shotgun.  #4 shot is the largest size shot that may be legally used;

 

4)         to hunt except from ½ hour before sunrise to sunset during each day of the season;

 

5)         to hunt wild turkeys without having a signed Wild Turkey Hunting Permit in possession, except that a person without a weapon may accompany a turkey hunter as a caller or observer;

 

6)         to transport or leave a wild turkey without first affixing the turkey permit securely around the leg in the manner prescribed on the permit.  Immediately upon kill and before the turkey is moved, transported or field dressed, the hunter must invalidate the leg tag and the tag must be affixed to the turkey (for OTC permits, the leg tag is invalidated by detaching it from the permit; for permits issued by the Permit Office, the leg tag is invalidated by cutting out the designated notch on the tag);

 

7)         to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree before 7:00 a.m.; and

 

8)         to possess while in the field, during turkey season, any turkey permit issued to another person.  (Permits are non-transferrable.)

 

b)         Successful hunters must register their harvest by 10:00 p.m. on the same calendar day the turkey was taken by calling the toll-free telephone check-in system at 1‑866-ILCHECK or by accessing the on-line check-in system at www.dnr.illinois.gov.  Hunters must provide all information requested by the check-in system, and will be provided with a confirmation number to verify that they checked in their harvest.  The confirmation number must be written by the hunter onto the leg tag.  The leg tag must remain attached to the leg of the turkey until it is at the legal residence of the person who legally took or possessed the turkey and the turkey has been checked in.  The turkey must remain whole (or field dressed) until it has been checked in.

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 11871, effective September 2, 2025)

 

Section 715.40  Regulations at Various Department-Owned, -Managed, or -Leased Sites

 

a)         Statewide regulations shall apply for the following sites:

 

Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County) − Gabaret, Mosenthein and Chouteau Island Unit

 

Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area (except that area north of Hwy. 154, east of the Kaskaskia River and south of Risdon School Road and Beck's Landing access road)

 

Mississippi River State Fish and Waterfowl Management Area (Pools 25 and 26)

 

Mississippi River Pools 16, 17, 18

 

Mississippi River Pools 21, 22, 24

 

Rend Lake Project Lands – Corps of Engineers Managed Lands

 

Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Wise Ridge State Natural Area

 

b)         Statewide regulations shall apply except that all hunters must check in, check out, and report harvest at those sites listed below.  Quotas, where listed, shall be on a first come-first served basis.  Hunters shall not be allowed to sign in prior to 4 a.m. each day of the season.

 

Cache River State Natural Area

 

Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Cypress Pond State Natural Area

 

Deer Pond State Natural Area

 

Devil's Island State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Dixon Springs State Park

 

Ferne Clyffe State Park – Cedar Draper Bluffs Hunting Area

 

Ferne Clyffe State Park – Ferne Clyffe Hunting Area

 

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site (muzzleloading shotguns only)

 

Giant City State Park

 

Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (Public Hunting Area only)

 

Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Rauchfuss Hills State Recreation Area

 

Skinner Farm State Habitat Area

 

Trail of Tears State Forest

 

Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area – Firing Line Management Unit Only

 

c)         Statewide regulations shall apply except that all hunting is allowed by site‑specific permit only.  The Department of Natural Resources allocates permits for these areas through the lottery process set forth in Section 715.20.  This permit is only valid for the specific site indicated on the permit.

 

Apple River Canyon State Park – Salem and Thompson Units (windshield card required)

 

Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

Embarras River Bottoms State Habitat Area

 

Flag Pond State Natural Area

 

Hamilton County State Conservation Area (windshield card required)

 

Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

Meeker State Habitat Area (windshield card required)

 

Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

Sam Parr State Fish and Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

Sand Ridge State Forest (windshield card required)

 

Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

Witkowsky State Wildlife Area (windshield card required)

 

d)         Statewide regulations shall apply except hunters shall register and report their harvest through the use of windshield cards as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 510.10.

 

Argyle Lake State Park

 

Big Grand Pierre Glade State Natural Area

 

Big River State Forest

 

Cave-In-Rock State Park – Kaegi Tract

 

Copperhead Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Cretaceous Hills State Natural Area

 

Dog Island State Wildlife Management Area

 

Fort Massac State Park

 

Hanover Bluff State Natural Area

 

Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Nauvoo State Park (Max Rowe Unit only)

 

Pere Marquette State Park

 

Rall Woods State Natural Area

 

Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area – Dutch Creek Unit

 

Sahara Woods State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Saline County State Conservation Area

 

Sielbeck Forest State Natural Area

 

Siloam Springs State Park (sign in/sign out required)

 

Siloam Springs State Park – Buckhorn Unit (sign in/sign out required; resident hunters only)

 

Spoon River State Forest

 

Tapley Woods State Natural Area

 

Weinberg-King State Park

 

Weinberg-King State Park – Cecil White Unit

 

Weinberg-King State Park – Scripps Unit

 

Weinberg-King State Park – Spunky Bottoms Unit

 

Winston Tunnel State Natural Area

 

e)         Special program for hunters with disabilities.  Statewide regulations shall apply unless designated otherwise by site regulations.  Only disabled persons participating in the site's firearm deer hunt are eligible to participate.  This hunt will run concurrent with the site's firearm deer hunt (refer to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 650.67 for hunt dates).  Permits will be $15 each; site specific for Rock Cut; issued at the site during check in for firearm deer hunting.  Any additional availability will be publicly announced.

 

Rock Cut State Park

 

(Source:  Amended at 49 Ill. Reg. 11871, effective September 2, 2025)