Section 1590.110  Hunting Seasons for Falconers

a)         Falconers shall possess a valid hunting license and appropriate State and federal stamps and shall abide by all Wildlife Code regulations.

b)         The statewide seasons for harvesting the following game birds, game mammals and fur-bearing mammals by falconry methods shall be:

1)         Cock and hen pheasant, bobwhite quail, Hungarian (gray) partridge, cottontail and swamp rabbits, raccoon, opossum, skunk, gray fox and red fox:  October 1-March 31.

2)         Fox and gray squirrels:  August 1-March 31.

c)         No bag or possession limits shall be in effect for fur-bearing mammals. Bag and possession limits for fox and gray squirrels shall be the same as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 690.20.  Bag and possession limits for pheasant, bobwhite quail, Hungarian (gray) partridge, cottontail and swamp rabbits shall be the same as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 530.20, except that hen pheasants may be included as part of bag and possession limits in accordance with 520 ILCS 5/2.6.  Blaze orange clothing is not required to take pheasant, bobwhite quail, Hungarian (gray) partridge, cottontail and swamp rabbits by falconry during the upland game season except as may be required by local rules and in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 530.  Blaze orange clothing consisting of a cap and upper outer garment, with those articles of clothing displaying a minimum of 400 square inches of blaze orange material, is required to take any protected species, except migratory waterfowl, by any means, including falconry, during the gun deer hunting season in counties open to gun deer hunting.

d)         Seasons, bag limits and possession limits for harvesting the following migratory birds by falconry methods shall be in accordance with federal regulations (50 CFR 20.109:   snipe, rails (sora and Virginia), ducks, geese, coots, woodcock, doves and crows.

(Source:  Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 9659, effective August 23, 2019)