HB0128eng 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0128 Engrossed LRB099 00221 MGM 20224 b

AN ACT concerning wildlife.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing Section 2.11 as follows:

(520 ILCS 5/2.11) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.11)

Sec. 2.11. Before any person may lawfully hunt wild turkey, he shall first obtain a "Wild Turkey Hunting Permit" in accordance with the prescribed regulations set forth in an administrative rule of the Department. The fee for a Resident Wild Turkey Hunting Permit shall not exceed $15.

Upon submitting suitable evidence of legal residence in any other state, non-residents shall be charged a fee not to exceed $125 for wild turkey hunting permits, except as provided below for non-resident land owners.

Permits shall be issued without charge to:

(a) Illinois landowners residing in Illinois who own at least 40 acres of Illinois land and wish to hunt on their land only,

(b) resident tenants of at least 40 acres of commercial agricultural land, and

(c) bona fide equity shareholders of a corporation, bona fide equity members of a limited liability company, or bona fide equity partners of a general or limited partnership which owns at least 40 acres of land in a county in Illinois who wish to hunt on the corporation's, company's, or partnership's land only. One permit shall be issued without charge to one bona fide equity shareholder, one bona fide equity member, or one bona fide equity partner for each 40 acres of land owned by the corporation, company, or partnership in a county; however, the number of permits issued without charge to bona fide equity shareholders of any corporation or bona fide equity members of a limited liability company in any county shall not exceed 15, and shall not exceed 3 in the case of bona fide equity partners of a partnership.

In addition to the wild turkey hunting permits issued without charge, the Department shall make one additional permit available per parcel of land for the standard fee to a resident landowner who is a co-owner of a parcel of Illinois land of at least 40 acres but no more than 79 acres and, under Department rules, is unable to receive a permit without charge for a specific period of the wild turkey hunting season. These additional wild turkey hunting permits shall be valid for the entire wild turkey hunting season.

The turkey hunting permit issued without fee shall be valid on all lands upon which the person to whom it is issued owns, leases or rents, except that in the case of a permit issued without charge to a shareholder of a corporation, the permit shall be valid on all lands owned by the corporation in the county.

The Department may by administrative rule allocate and issue non-resident Wild Turkey Permits and establish fees for such permits.

It shall be unlawful to take wild turkey except by use of a bow and arrow or a shotgun of not larger than 10 nor smaller than 20 gauge with shot size not larger than No. 4, and no person while attempting to so take wild turkey may have in his possession any other gun.

It shall be unlawful to take, or attempt to take wild turkey except during the time from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset or during such lesser period of time as may be specified by administrative rule, during those days for which an open season is established.

It shall be unlawful for any person to take, or attempt to take, wild turkey by use of dogs, horses, automobiles, aircraft or other vehicles, or conveyances, or by the use or aid of bait or baiting of any kind. For the purposes of this Section, "bait" means any material, whether liquid or solid, including food, salt, minerals, and other products, except pure water, that can be ingested, placed, or scattered in such a manner as to attract or lure wild turkeys. "Baiting" means the placement or scattering of bait to attract wild turkeys. An area is considered as baited during the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of the bait.

It is unlawful for any person to take in Illinois or have in his possession more than one wild turkey per valid permit.

For purposes of this Section "bona fide equity shareholder", "bona fide equity member", and "bona fide equity partner" shall have the same meaning as provided in Section 2.26 of this Act.

For the purposes of calculating acreage under this Section, the Department shall, after determining the total acreage of the applicable tract or tracts of land, round remaining fractional portions of an acre greater than or equal to half of an acre up to the next whole acre.

For the purposes of taking wild turkey, nothing in this Section shall be construed to prevent the manipulation, including mowing or cutting, of standing crops as a normal agricultural or soil stabilization practice, food plots, or normal agricultural practices, including planting, harvesting, and maintenance such as cultivating. Such manipulation for the purpose of taking wild turkey may be further modified by administrative rule.

(Source: P.A. 97-564, eff. 8-25-11; 98-180, eff. 8-5-13.)