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| Public Act 097-0019 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning wildlife.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing | ||||
Sections 2.30 and 2.33a as follows:
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(520 ILCS 5/2.30) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.30)
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Sec. 2.30. It shall be unlawful for any person to trap or | ||||
to hunt
with gun, dog, dog and gun, or bow and arrow, gray fox, | ||||
red fox,
raccoon, weasel, mink, muskrat, badger, and opossum | ||||
except during
the open season which will be set annually by the | ||||
Director between 12:01
a.m., November 1 to 12:00 midnight, | ||||
February 15, both inclusive.
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It is unlawful for any person to take bobcat or river otter
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in this State at any time.
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It is unlawful to pursue any fur-bearing mammal with a dog | ||||
or dogs
between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the 10 | ||||
day period
preceding the opening date of the raccoon hunting | ||||
season and the 10 day
period following the closing date of the | ||||
raccoon hunting season except
that the Department may issue | ||||
field trial permits in accordance with Section
2.34 of this | ||||
Act. A non-resident from a state with more restrictive
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fur-bearer pursuit regulations for any particular species than | ||||
provided for
that species in this Act may not pursue that | ||||
species in Illinois except
during the period of time that | ||
Illinois residents are allowed to pursue
that species in the | ||
non-resident's state of residence. Hound running areas | ||
approved by the Department shall be exempt from the
provisions | ||
of this Section.
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It shall be unlawful to take beaver, weasel, mink or | ||
muskrat except during
the open season set annually by the | ||
Director, and then, only with traps.
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It shall be unlawful for any person to trap beaver with | ||
traps except during
the open season which will be set annually | ||
by the Director between 12:01
a.m., November 1st and 12:00 | ||
midnight, March 31.
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Coyote may be taken by trapping methods only during the | ||
period from
September 1 to March 1, both inclusive, and by | ||
hunting methods at any time.
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Striped skunk may be taken by trapping methods only during | ||
the period
from September 1 to March 1, both inclusive, and by | ||
hunting methods at
any time.
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Muskrat may be taken by trapping methods during an open | ||
season set annually by the Director. | ||
For the purpose of taking fur-bearing mammals, the State | ||
may be
divided into management zones by administrative rule.
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The provisions of this Section are subject to modification | ||
by
administrative rule.
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(Source: P.A. 95-196, eff. 1-1-08.)
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(520 ILCS 5/2.33a) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.33a)
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Sec. 2.33a. Trapping. | ||
(a) It is unlawful to fail to visit and remove all animals
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from traps staked out, set, used, tended, placed or maintained | ||
at least
once each calendar day.
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(b) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use, or | ||
maintain a
leghold trap or one of similar construction on land, | ||
that has a jaw spread
of larger than 6 1/2 inches (16.6 CM), or | ||
a body-gripping trap or one of
similar construction having a | ||
jaw spread larger than 7 inches (17.8 CM) on
a side if square | ||
and 8 inches (20.4 CM) if round;
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(c) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use, or | ||
maintain a
leghold trap or one of similar construction in | ||
water, that has a jaw spread
of larger than 7 1/2 inches (19.1 | ||
CM), or a body-gripping trap or one of
similar construction | ||
having a jaw spread larger than 10 inches (25.4 CM) on
a side | ||
if square and 12 inches (30.5 CM) if round;
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(d) It is unlawful to use any trap with saw-toothed, | ||
spiked, or toothed jaws;
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(e) It is unlawful to destroy, disturb or in any manner | ||
interfere with
dams, lodges, burrows or feed beds of beaver | ||
while trapping for beaver or
to set a trap inside a muskrat | ||
house or beaver lodge, except that this shall
not apply to | ||
Drainage Districts who are acting pursuant to the provisions
of | ||
Section 2.37;
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(f) It is unlawful to trap beaver with: (1) a leghold trap | ||
or one of similar
construction having a jaw spread of less than | ||
5 1/2 inches (13.9 CM) or
more than 7 1/2 inches (19.1 CM), or | ||
(2) a body-gripping trap or one of
similar construction having | ||
a jaw spread of less than 7 inches (17.7 CM) or
more than 10 | ||
inches (25.4 CM) on a side if square and 12 inches (30.5 CM) if
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round, except that these restrictions shall not apply during
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the open season for trapping raccoons muskrats;
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(g) It is unlawful to set traps closer than 10 feet (3.05 | ||
M) from any
hole or den which may be occupied by a game mammal | ||
or fur-bearing mammal
except that this restriction shall not | ||
apply to water sets.
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(h) It is unlawful to trap or attempt to trap any | ||
fur-bearing mammal
with any colony, cage, box, or stove-pipe | ||
trap designed to take more than one
mammal at a single setting.
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(i) It is unlawful for any person to set or place any trap | ||
designed to
take any fur-bearing mammal protected by this Act | ||
during the closed
trapping season. Proof that any trap was | ||
placed during the closed trapping
season shall be deemed prima | ||
facie evidence of a violation of this provision.
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(j) It is unlawful to place, set, or maintain any leghold | ||
trap or one of
similar construction within thirty (30) feet | ||
(9.14 m) of bait placed in
such a manner or position that it is | ||
not completely covered and concealed
from sight, except that | ||
this shall not apply to underwater sets. Bait shall
mean and | ||
include any bait composed of mammal, bird, or fish flesh, fur,
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hide, entrails or feathers.
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(k) It shall be unlawful for hunters or trappers to have | ||
the green hides
of fur-bearing mammals, protected by this Act, | ||
in their possession except
during the open season and for an | ||
additional period of 10 days succeeding
such open season.
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(l) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use or | ||
maintain a
snare trap or one of similar construction in water, | ||
that has a loop
diameter exceeding 15 inches (38.1 CM) or a | ||
cable or wire diameter of more
than 1/8 inch (3.2 MM) or less | ||
than 5/64 inch (2.0 MM), that is constructed
of stainless steel | ||
metal cable or wire, and that does not have a mechanical
lock, | ||
anchor swivel and stop device to prevent the mechanical lock | ||
from
closing the noose loop to a diameter of less than 2 1/2 | ||
inches (6.4 CM).
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(m) It is unlawful to trap muskrat or mink with (1) a | ||
leghold trap or one of similar construction or (2) a | ||
body-gripping trap or one of similar construction unless the | ||
body-gripping trap or similar trap is completely submerged | ||
underwater when set. These restrictions shall not apply during | ||
the open season for trapping raccoons. | ||
(Source: P.A. 85-152; 86-1354.)
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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