Wildlife Illinois

• Resident: defined as a person who in good faith applies for any license or permit and verifies by statement that he/she has maintained his/her permanent abode in Illinois for a period of at least 30 consecutive days immediately preceding the person’s application, and who does not maintain permanent abode or claim residency in another state for the purposes of obtaining any of the same or similar licenses or permits. A person’s permanent abode is his/her fixed and permanent dwelling place, as distinguished from a temporary or transient place of residence. Domiciliary intent is required to establish that the person is maintaining his/her permanent abode in this state. Evidence of domiciliary intent includes, but is not limited to, the location where the person votes, pays personal income tax or obtains a drivers license. Except for the purposes of obtaining a Lifetime License, any person on active duty in the Armed Forces shall be considered a resident of Illinois during his or her period of military duty.
• Non-resident: anyone not fitting the requirements of a resident

Dog training refers to any teaching or exercising activity involving the classification of dogs commonly referred to as sporting dogs in which the primary purpose is to enhance the field performance of the dogs. Sporting dogs are utilized for hunting game birds and game mammals and include such dog breeds as pointers, setters, retrievers, and beagles. Regulations governing the training of sporting dogs varies according to where the training takes place. Details on private land and public land dog training and hunting are below.

Hunting & Tracking with Dogs

• Dogs may be used to aid in hunting and retrieving of upland birds, rabbits, squirrels, waterfowl and select furbearers. Dogs cannot be legally used to hunt, chase, harass or kill deer or turkey
• Dogs may be used to pursue or chase, but not kill, furbearers during the running season. The running season for coyote, gray and red fox, opossum, raccoon and striped skunk is open year-round. Except you cannot legally pursue any furbearer with a dog(s) from 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. Non-residents are prohibited from hunting furbearers or running their dogs in Illinois during any time when Illinois residents would not be allowed to hunt furbearers or run dogs in the non-resident’s state
• Dogs may be used to track wounded deer if the following conditions are met:
  • Any person using a dog for tracking wounded deer must maintain physical control of the dog at all times by means of a maximum 50 foot lead attached to the dog’s collar or harness.
  • Tracking wounded deer is permissible at night, but at no time outside of legal deer hunting hours or seasons shall any person handling or accompanying a dog being used for tracking wounded deer be in possession of any firearm or archery device.
  • Persons tracking wounded deer with a dog during the firearm seasons shall wear blaze orange or blaze pink as required.
  • Dog handlers tracking wounded deer with a dog are exempt from hunting license and deer permit requirements so long as they are accompanied by the licensed deer hunter who wounded the deer. You cannot legally track deer with dogs on any IDNR-owned or –managed site during hours when deer hunting is open on the site
• You cannot legally:
  • Allow a dog to hunt within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without first obtaining permission of the owner or tenant of the dwelling. Except a 100-yard restriction shall apply while trapping, hunting with archery equipment, or hunting with shotgun using shotshells only, or on licensed game breeding and hunting preserve areas, on federally owned and managed lands, on IDNR-owned, -managed, -leased or -controlled lands
  • Hold a field trial, organized night hunt, water race or other competitive event involving sporting dogs without first obtaining a IDNR permit – see training sections above. Applications must be submitted 4 weeks prior to the event
  • Possess any firearm or ammunition other than a pistol loaded with blank cartridges while training dogs during the time when hunting seasons are closed except on an authorized field trial or dog training area

Wild game can only be hunted during times specified for those game species. Use government sources, such as NOAA, to find the sunrise-sunset times for your hunting date and location.

See the Information by Species section for full details on legal hunting times for species and seasons.

• Hunt: act of a person possessing a weapon or being accompanied by a dog or a bird of prey for the purpose of taking species protected by this Act in any location such species may inhabit.
• Hunting: the lawful pursuit, trapping, shooting, capture, collection, or killing of wildlife.
• Hunting License: an electronic or physical license authorizing the person to harvest a certain type of animal during a specified period of time.
• Trap: to capture, or attempt to capture, by setting or placing a leg-hold trap, body-gripping trap, cage or live-trap or other similar device permitted by the Illinois Wildlife Code to capture, hold or kill any protected wildlife.
• Take: to hunt, shoot, pursue, lure, kill, destroy, capture, gig or spear, trap or ensnare, or harass or attempt to do so.
• Possession Limit: maximum number or amount of species that can be lawfully held or possessed by one person at any time.
• Transport or Ship: to convey by means of parcel post, express, freight baggage or shipment by common carrier of any description; or by automobile, motorcycle or other vehicle of any kind; or by water or aircraft of any kind or by any other means of transportation.
• Possession and Daily Limits: you cannot legally possess wild game birds, wild game mammals or wild fur-bearing mammals or any parts thereof in excess of the legally established daily limit or possession limit, whichever applies.
• Maintaining Separate Bag: you cannot legally possess wildlife for which there is a daily or possession limit unless each hunter maintains his/her “bag” of such species separately and distinctly from those of all other hunters.
• Possessing Another’s Wildlife: You cannot legally receive or have in custody any protected game belonging to another person, except in the personal abodes of the donor or donee, unless such protected species are tagged with the hunter’s name and address, the total number of individuals by species and the date such species were harvested. (But see “Gift of Migratory Game Birds”)
• Retrieving Killed/Crippled Wildlife (Wanton Waste): You cannot legally kill or cripple any species protected by the Illinois Wildlife Code for which there is a harvest limit without making a reasonable effort to retrieve such species and include it in the harvest limit. It is also unlawful for any person having control over harvested game mammals, game birds, or migratory game birds for which there is a harvest limit to wantonly waste or destroy the usable meat of the game, except this shall not apply to wildlife harvested by means of a nuisance wildlife removal permit or wildlife harvested by means of a scientific collection permit. “Usable meat” means the breast meat of a game bird or migratory game bird and the hind ham and front shoulders of a game mammal. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, leave, dump, or abandon a wildlife carcass or parts of it along or upon a public right-of-way or highway or on public or private property, including a waterway or stream, without the permission of the owner or tenant. It shall not be unlawful to properly discard game meat that is determined to be unfit for human consumption.
• Possession of Illegally Harvested Wildlife: you cannot legally possess any species of wildlife or wildlife parts harvested unlawfully in Illinois or any other state or country, whether or not the wildlife or wildlife parts is indigenous to Illinois. The statute of limitations for unlawful possession of such wildlife or wildlife parts shall not cease until 2 years after the possession has permanently ended.
• Possession of Freshly Killed Game Out of Season: you cannot legally possess any freshly killed game when the season is closed for taking (see Wildlife Conflicts section for Deer Accidentally Killed).
• Selling Wildlife, Feathers, etc.: you cannot legally buy, sell, or offer to sell or barter game birds or migratory game birds, or parts thereof, including feathers, nests or eggs (including wild turkey parts) or the edible parts of game mammals except as provided by specific permits.

• Download an IDNR form to record written permission for hunting from a landowner.
• You cannot legally hunt or allow a dog to hunt within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without first obtaining permission of the owner or tenant of the dwelling. Exception: a 100-yard restriction shall apply while trapping, hunting with bow and arrow, or hunting with shotgun using shotshells only, or on licensed game breeding and hunting preserve areas, on federally owned and managed lands, on IDNR-owned, -managed, -leased or -controlled lands
• You cannot legally damage or destroy another person’s property while hunting or trapping on his/her land.
• Landowners or lessees can mark trees or posts on private land with purple paint as a “no trespassing” notice.

• It is unlawful for any person to take (see definition of “take”) or attempt to take any species of wildlife or parts thereof or intentionally or wantonly allow a dog to hunt, within or upon the land of another, or upon waters flowing over or standing on the land of another, or to knowingly shoot a gun or bow and arrow device at any wildlife physically on or flying over the property of another without first obtaining permission from the owner or the owner’s designee. For the purposes of this law, the owner’s designee means anyone whom the owner designates in a written authorization and the authorization must contain (i) the legal or common description of property, (ii) the extent that the owner’s designee is authorized to make decisions regarding who is allowed to take or attempt to take any species of wildlife or parts thereof, and (iii) the owner’s notarized signature. Private land owners may grant permission for hunting, fishing or other recreational activities on their property, and in most instances, shall not be held liable for injuries to those accessing the property. Limitations exist. Illinois law does not grant the right of trespass for the purpose of retrieving wounded or crippled wildlife or hunting dogs. Secure permission from the landowner or tenant before entering any property. Your conduct while hunting and trapping can influence the landowner’s decision to allow future hunting or trapping. Note: Railroad rights-of-way are private property and permission from the owner is needed before hunting or trapping

• You cannot legally hunt or allow a dog to hunt within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without first obtaining permission of the owner or tenant of the dwelling
  • Exception: a 100-yard restriction shall apply while trapping, hunting with bow and arrow, or hunting with shotgun using shotshells only, or on licensed game breeding and hunting preserve areas, on federally owned and managed lands, on IDNR-owned, -managed, -leased or -controlled lands
• You cannot legally hunt, disturb, harass or take any protected bird or mammal by the use or aid of an automobile, vehicle or conveyance, any type of watercraft, aircraft or any machine propelled by mechanical power. Exception: Paraplegics or other disabled persons, with a permit from the Office of Law Enforcement, may hunt from any stationary motor vehicle or stationary motor-driven land conveyance. Note: It is legal to hunt game birds and game mammals (except deer and furbearing mammals) from a boat not camouflaged or disguised to alter its identity or further provide a place of concealment and not propelled by sail or mechanical power. A boat merely painted in a camouflage pattern is not considered camouflaged and may be used to hunt under conditions specified above. See exceptions to boat use in the Waterfowl Hunting section of the digest.
• You cannot legally hunt, trap or discharge a gun or bow and arrow device along, upon, across or from a public roadway, highway or right-of-way. Highway (right-of-way) means the entire width between the boundary lines of every public road. Roadway means the portion of the public road that is improved or ordinarily used for vehicle travel, excluding the berm or shoulder.
• You cannot legally hunt adjacent to or near any peat, grass, brush or other flammable substance when it is burning.

• You cannot legally make available food, salt, mineral blocks or other products for ingestion by wild deer or other wildlife. An area is considered as baited during the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of the bait
• Exceptions:
  • Elevated bird/squirrel feeders providing seed, grain, fruit, worms or suet for birds or squirrels located within 100 feet of a dwelling devoted to human occupancy
  • Incidental feeding of wildlife within active livestock operations.
  • Feeding of wild animals, other than wild deer, by hand as long as a reasonable attempt is made to clean up unconsumed food.
  • Feeders for wildlife other than deer so long as deer are excluded from the feed in and around the feeder by fencing or other barriers
  • Grain or other feed scattered or distributed solely as a result of normal agricultural, gardening or soil stabilization practices
  • Standing, flooded or manipulated natural vegetation or food/seed deposited by natural vegetation. • grain or other feed distributed or scattered solely as the result of manipulation of an agricultural crop or other feed on the land where grown, for purposes of dove hunting
  • Food material placed for capturing or killing wildlife pursuant to 520 ILCS 5/2.37, 2.30, and 1.3
  • Scientific permits issued pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 520 that allow food to attract wildlife
  • Any other permits issued by IDNR that require the attraction of wildlife for purposes of management, research or control