Section 590.20  Permit Controlled Department Sites Only − Duck, Goose and Coot Hunting

a)         Sites covered in this Section, which allow hunting by permit only, are:

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area

Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area

Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

Marshall State Conservation Area – Duck Ranch Unit

Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Walk-in Units

Sangchris Lake State Park subimpoundment

Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area

Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area − Spring Lake Bottoms Unit

Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area

b)         Permit Requirements

1)         Permit reservations shall be accepted starting in September.  Initial acceptance dates and methods for making reservations will be publicly announced.  Only applications for reservations submitted by Illinois residents will be processed during the first 2 weeks of the application period.  Applicants making reservations will be sent confirmation.

2)         Permits shall be issued until the daily quota is filled.  The daily quota is determined by the formula:  one hunter per 10 to 40 huntable acres.  Huntable acres are determined by, but not limited to, the biological studies on the number of the species available; the condition, topography, and configuration of the land at the site; the condition of the roads at the site; the number of employees available to work at the site; and the number of blinds which can be established on a site as set forth in Section 3.8 of the Wildlife Code [520 ILCS 5/3.8].

3)         The permit shall be for the use of the entire blind or staked site/area.  It shall be the responsibility of the permit holder to bring one hunting partner or one non-hunting partner or 2 non-hunting partners (3 persons per blind but not more than 2 hunters per blind) for Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area, Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area; or 2 partners (hunters or non-hunters; 3 persons per stake/area) for Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Walk-in Unit; or 3 partners (hunters or non-hunters; 4 persons per blind or staked site/area) for Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area, Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area, Marshall State Conservation Area – Duck Ranch Unit, Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Spring Lake Bottoms Unit and Sangchris Lake State Park subimpoundment.  Non-hunting partners are defined as persons under 21 years of age accompanying the hunter in the blind.  Unallocated blinds shall be filled by a drawing at the sites.

4)         Permits are not transferrable.

5)         Permits will be issued from the Springfield Permit Office for permit-controlled sites.  For other information write to:

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Permit Office − Waterfowl

P.O. Box 19457

Springfield IL 62794-9457

c)         General regulations

1)         All use other than permit hunting as defined in subsection (b)(3) is prohibited at:

A)        Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area from two weeks before duck season through close of Central Zone Canada goose season.

B)         Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area from October 1 through the close of the Central Zone Duck hunting season.

2)         Hours, Permits and Stamp Charges

A)        Hunting hours are from legal opening time until 1:00 p.m., except at Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area, which close at 12 noon.

B)        At Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area from opening day through November 30, all hunters must register at the check station by 5:00 a.m.  Permits are void after 5:00 a.m.  From December 1 through December 31, all hunters must register at the check station by 5:30 a.m.  Permits are void after 5:30 a.m.  From January 1 through the close of goose season, all hunters must register at the check station by 6:00 a.m.  Permits are void after 6:00 a.m.  At Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area, Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, Rice Lake State Conservation Area – Walk-in Units and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area hunters with permit reservations are required to check in at the check station between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.  Permits are void after 5:00 a.m.  A drawing shall be held to allocate blind sites at all sites.  At Sangchris Lake State Park subimpoundment hunters must be checked in 90 minutes before legal hunting hours (2 hours before sunrise).  Permits are void after this time.  At Marshall State Conservation Area – Duck Ranch Unit and Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Spring Lake Bottoms Unit, hunters are required to check in at the check station no later than one hour before legal shooting time; after that time, permits are void.  At Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area, hunters must check in by 4:30 a.m. at the Rice Lake check station.  Permits are void after 4:30 a.m.  Check out is required at all sites listed in this Section.

C)        A $15 Daily Usage Stamp must be purchased at Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area.  Partners between 16 and 20 years of age must pay daily usage stamp fee.  Partners under 16 are not required to purchase a daily usage stamp.

D)        A $10 Daily Usage Stamp must be purchased at Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area, Marshall State Conservation Area – Duck Ranch Unit, Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area − Spring Lake Bottoms Unit, Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area and Sangchris Lake State Park subimpoundment.  Non-hunting partners between 16 and 20 years of age must pay daily usage stamp fee.  All partners under 16 are not required to purchase a daily usage stamp.

3)         Hunting shall be done from assigned locations (blinds, stakes, areas or pits) only and hunters shall not move from assigned location to another location or leave the assigned location and return.

4)         Guns must be unloaded and encased at all times when not hunting. Except at Union County and Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Areas, all hunting parties shall hunt over a spread of at least 12 decoys during duck season and Canada goose season. The decoys shall be staked, placed or floating, be individually visible, be at least 8 inches long, and not be within a boat, blind or container.

5)         The legal hunting seasons for Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area are the dates of the South Zone duck and goose hunting seasons except that these areas shall be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays (except for the Illinois Youth Waterfowl Hunt) and December 24, 25, 26 and 27.  (These sites shall be open only for the Illinois Youth Goose Hunt on December 27, pursuant to Section 685.110.)

6)         The legal hunting season at Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area is the dates of the Central Zone goose hunting season except that the area shall be closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and December 24, 25 and 26.

7)         The legal hunting season at Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area and Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Walk-in Units is the dates of the Central Zone duck hunting season.

8)         The legal hunting season for the Sangchris Lake Subimpoundment is the opening day of the Central Zone duck hunting season, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and the last day of the Central Zone duck hunting season except during the second firearm deer season when the Subimpoundment will be closed on the first day of the season and hunting hours will close at 10:00 a.m. during the remaining days of the second firearm deer season (on Thursdays blinds will be allocated by a daily drawing at the site pursuant to Section 590.60(b)(41)(B)).

9)          The legal hunting season at Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Spring Lake Bottoms Unit is the opening day of the Central Zone duck hunting season and every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday of the Central Zone duck hunting season, except the second Sunday in November, which is closed due to the Youth Hunt.

10)          The legal permit hunting season at Double T State Conservation Area will be every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday of the Central Zone duck hunting season.

11)          The legal hunting season at Marshall State Conservation Area – Duck Ranch Unit is every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday during the Central Zone duck season.

12)          At Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area, during duck season hunters shall not possess more than 25 shot shells.  When duck season is closed, hunters shall not possess more than 5 shot shells for every Canada goose allowed in the daily bag limit.  At Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area, hunters may not possess more than 5 shot shells for every Canada goose allowed in the daily bag limit.

13)          At Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area hunters may bring up to 3 dozen decoys per party.  No full bodied or supermagnum shell decoys are allowed.  At Sangchris Lake Subimpoundment only Department decoys may be used.

14)          At Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area and Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area, hunters cannot take guns from the blind to retrieve crippled waterfowl.

15)          Hunters must be at least 16 years of age (except for the Illinois Youth Goose/Duck Hunt) to draw for a pit or blind.  Each person under 16 years of age must be accompanied by a supervising adult.

16)         At Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area – Walk-in Units, hunting shall be by walk-in or boats without motors only.

d)         Violation of this Section is a petty offense (see 520 ILCS 5/2.20).

(Source:  Amended at 33 Ill. Reg. 14671, effective October 13, 2009)