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| 1 | AN ACT concerning wildlife.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Section 2.25 as follows:
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| 6 | (520 ILCS 5/2.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.25)
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| 7 | Sec. 2.25. It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | except (i) with
a shotgun, handgun, or muzzleloading rifle or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | (ii) as provided by
administrative rule,
with a bow and arrow, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | during the open season of not more than 14 days which will
be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | set annually by the Director between the dates of
November 1st | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | and December 31st, both inclusive, or a special 3-day, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | youth-only season between the dates of September 1 and October | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | 31.
For the purposes of this Section, legal handguns include | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | any centerfire
handguns of .30
caliber or larger with a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | minimum barrel length of 4 inches. The only legal
ammunition
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| 17 | for a centerfire handgun is a cartridge of .30 caliber or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | larger with a
capability of at least
500 foot pounds of energy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | at the muzzle. Full metal jacket bullets may not be
used to
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| 20 | harvest deer.
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| 21 | The Department shall make administrative rules concerning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | management
restrictions applicable to the firearm and bow and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | arrow season. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | The Department shall make administrative rules providing | ||||||
| 2 | for a muzzleloading rifle season and permit for property-only | ||||||
| 3 | hunting.
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| 4 | It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except | ||||||
| 5 | with a bow and
arrow during the open season for bow and arrow | ||||||
| 6 | set annually by the Director
between the dates of September | ||||||
| 7 | 1st and January 31st, both inclusive.
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| 8 | It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except | ||||||
| 9 | with (i) a
muzzleloading rifle or (ii) bow and arrow during the | ||||||
| 10 | open season for
muzzleloading rifles set annually by the | ||||||
| 11 | Director.
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| 12 | The Director shall cause an administrative rule setting | ||||||
| 13 | forth the
prescribed rules and regulations, including bag and | ||||||
| 14 | possession limits and
those counties of the State where open | ||||||
| 15 | seasons are established, to be
published in accordance with | ||||||
| 16 | Sections 1.3 and 1.13 of this Act.
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| 17 | The Department may establish separate harvest periods for | ||||||
| 18 | the purpose of
managing or eradicating disease that has been | ||||||
| 19 | found in the deer herd. This
season shall be restricted to gun | ||||||
| 20 | or bow and arrow hunting only. The Department
shall publicly | ||||||
| 21 | announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and
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| 22 | shooting hours, the counties and sites open to hunting, permit | ||||||
| 23 | requirements,
application dates, hunting rules, legal weapons, | ||||||
| 24 | and reporting requirements.
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| 25 | The Department is authorized to establish a separate | ||||||
| 26 | harvest period at
specific sites within the State for the | ||||||
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| 1 | purpose of harvesting
surplus deer that cannot be taken during | ||||||
| 2 | the regular season provided for
the taking of deer. This | ||||||
| 3 | season shall be restricted to gun or bow and
arrow hunting only | ||||||
| 4 | and shall be established during the period of September 1st
to | ||||||
| 5 | February 15th, both inclusive. The Department shall publish | ||||||
| 6 | suitable
prescribed rules and regulations established by | ||||||
| 7 | administrative rule pertaining
to management restrictions | ||||||
| 8 | applicable to this special harvest program. The Department | ||||||
| 9 | shall allow unused gun deer permits that are left over from a | ||||||
| 10 | regular season for the taking of deer to be rolled over and | ||||||
| 11 | used during any separate harvest period held within 6 months | ||||||
| 12 | of the season for which those tags were issued at no additional | ||||||
| 13 | cost to the permit holder subject to the management | ||||||
| 14 | restrictions applicable to the special harvest program.
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| 15 | Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter, | ||||||
| 16 | the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly | ||||||
| 17 | providing information regarding deer management programs | ||||||
| 18 | established by the Code or by administrative rule that | ||||||
| 19 | includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each | ||||||
| 20 | separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a | ||||||
| 21 | communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what | ||||||
| 22 | happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season.
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| 23 | (Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19.)
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