Section 710.30  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 the bait);

2)         to take any wild turkey except a hen with a visible beard or a gobbler (male);

3)         to take, or attempt to take, more than three wild turkeys during the spring season, one must have a valid permit for each turkey that is taken;

4)         to use any weapon except a shotgun or bow and arrow. #4 shot is the largest size shot that may be legally used or possessed while turkey hunting;

5)         to hunt except from ½ hour before sunrise to 1:00 p.m. during each day of the season;

6)         for any person having taken the legal limit of wild turkeys to further participate with a weapon in any hunting party for the purpose of taking additional wild turkeys;

7)         for any person to possess while in the field during wild turkey season any turkey permit issued to another person (permits are non-transferable);

8)         to transport or leave a wild turkey without first attaching the temporary harvest tag to 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 properly attach the temporary harvest tag to the leg. Successful hunters must register their harvest by 10:00 p.m. on the same calendar day as 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 on 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;

9)         for any person to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree before 7:00 a.m.;

10)       for any person to hunt wild turkeys without possessing a Wild Turkey Hunting Permit which shall include the hunter's signature recorded on the permit and carried on the person while hunting, except that a person without a weapon may accompany a turkey hunter as a caller or observer;

11)       for any person to use a turkey call that imitates sounds made by a turkey or to attempt to call a turkey by making these sounds while in the field in the Southern Zone from March 15 through the day before the 1^st turkey season and in the Northern Zone from March 22 through the day before the 1^st turkey season. This prohibition only applies in counties open to spring turkey hunting. This prohibition does not apply to participants in the Youth Turkey Hunt with a valid permit, or their accompanying adult, during that season as prescribed by Section 710.70.

b)         Archers may use:

1)         Longbows, recurve bows or compound bows with minimum pull of 30 pounds at some point within a 28-inch draw. Minimum arrow length is 20 inches.

2)         Crossbows and bolts as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 670.30.

c)         Broadheads must be used. Broadheads may have fixed or expandable cutting surfaces, but they must have a minimum ⅞ inch diameter when fully opened. Broadheads with fixed cutting surfaces must be metal or flint-, chert-, or obsidian knapped; broadheads with expandable cutting surfaces must be metal. All other bows and arrows, including electronic arrow tracking systems using radio telemetry, are illegal.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 18760, effective November 2, 2022)