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Public Act 102-0314
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| SB1245 Enrolled | LRB102 05055 CMG 15074 b |
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AN ACT concerning wildlife.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing |
Section 2.25 as follows:
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(520 ILCS 5/2.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.25)
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Sec. 2.25. It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer |
except (i) with
a shotgun, handgun, or muzzleloading rifle or |
(ii) as provided by
administrative rule,
with a bow and arrow, |
during the open season of not more than 14 days which will
be |
set annually by the Director between the dates of
November 1st |
and December 31st, both inclusive, or a special 3-day, |
youth-only season between the dates of September 1 and October |
31.
For the purposes of this Section, legal handguns include |
any centerfire
handguns of .30
caliber or larger with a |
minimum barrel length of 4 inches. The only legal
ammunition
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for a centerfire handgun is a cartridge of .30 caliber or |
larger with a
capability of at least
500 foot pounds of energy |
at the muzzle. Full metal jacket bullets may not be
used to
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harvest deer.
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The Department shall make administrative rules concerning |
management
restrictions applicable to the firearm and bow and |
arrow season.
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It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except |
with a bow and
arrow during the open season for bow and arrow |
set annually by the Director
between the dates of September |
1st and January 31st, both inclusive.
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It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except |
with (i) a
muzzleloading rifle or (ii) bow and arrow during the |
open season for
muzzleloading rifles set annually by the |
Director.
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The Director shall cause an administrative rule setting |
forth the
prescribed rules and regulations, including bag and |
possession limits and
those counties of the State where open |
seasons are established, to be
published in accordance with |
Sections 1.3 and 1.13 of this Act.
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The Department may establish separate harvest periods for |
the purpose of
managing or eradicating disease that has been |
found in the deer herd. This
season shall be restricted to gun |
or bow and arrow hunting only. The Department
shall publicly |
announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and
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shooting hours, the counties and sites open to hunting, permit |
requirements,
application dates, hunting rules, legal weapons, |
and reporting requirements.
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The Department is authorized to establish a separate |
harvest period at
specific sites within the State for the |
purpose of harvesting
surplus deer that cannot be taken during |
the regular season provided for
the taking of deer. This |
season shall be restricted to gun or bow and
arrow hunting only |
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and shall be established during the period of September 1st
to |
February 15th, both inclusive. The Department shall publicly |
announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and |
shooting hours, and the counties and sites open to hunting. |
The Department shall publish suitable
prescribed rules and |
regulations established by administrative rule pertaining
to |
management restrictions applicable to this special harvest |
program. The Department shall allow unused gun deer permits |
that are left over from a regular season for the taking of deer |
to be rolled over and used during any separate harvest period |
held within 6 months of the season for which those tags were |
issued at no additional cost to the permit holder subject to |
the management restrictions applicable to the special harvest |
program.
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Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter, |
the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly |
providing information regarding deer management programs |
established by the Code or by administrative rule that |
includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each |
separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a |
communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what |
happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season.
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(Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19.)
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