HB3623 EnrolledLRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1    AN ACT concerning wildlife.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing
5Sections 2.26 and 3.1-5 as follows:
 
6    (520 ILCS 5/2.26)  (from Ch. 61, par. 2.26)
7    Sec. 2.26. Deer hunting permits. Any person attempting to
8take deer shall first obtain a "Deer Hunting Permit" issued by
9the Department in accordance with its administrative rules.
10Those rules must provide for the issuance of the following
11types of resident deer archery permits: (i) a combination
12permit, consisting of one either-sex permit and one
13antlerless-only permit, (ii) a single antlerless-only permit,
14and (iii) a single either-sex permit. The fee for a Deer
15Hunting Permit to take deer with either bow and arrow or gun
16shall not exceed $25.00 for residents of the State. The
17Department may by administrative rule provide for non-resident
18deer hunting permits for which the fee will not exceed $300 in
192005, $350 in 2006, and $400 in 2007 and thereafter except as
20provided below for non-resident landowners and non-resident
21archery hunters. The Department may by administrative rule
22provide for a non-resident archery deer permit consisting of
23not more than 2 harvest tags at a total cost not to exceed $325

 

 

HB3623 Enrolled- 2 -LRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1in 2005, $375 in 2006, and $425 in 2007 and thereafter. The
2fees for a youth resident and non-resident archery deer permit
3shall be the same.
4    The Department shall create a pilot program during the
5special 3-day, youth-only deer hunting season to allow for
6youth deer hunting permits that are valid statewide, excluding
7those counties or portions of counties closed to firearm deer
8hunting. The Department shall adopt rules to implement the
9pilot program. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to
10prohibit the Department from issuing Special Hunt Area Permits
11for the youth-only deer hunting season or establishing, through
12administrative rule, additional requirements pertaining to the
13youth-only deer hunting season on Department-owned or
14Department-managed sites, including site-specific quotas or
15drawings. The provisions of this paragraph are inoperative on
16and after January 1, 2023.
17    The standards and specifications for use of guns and bow
18and arrow for deer hunting shall be established by
19administrative rule.
20    No person may have in his or her possession any firearm not
21authorized by administrative rule for a specific hunting season
22when taking deer.
23    Persons having a firearm deer hunting permit shall be
24permitted to take deer only during the period from 1/2 hour
25before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, and only during those
26days for which an open season is established for the taking of

 

 

HB3623 Enrolled- 3 -LRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1deer by use of shotgun, handgun, or muzzle loading rifle.
2    Persons having an archery deer hunting permit shall be
3permitted to take deer only during the period from 1/2 hour
4before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, and only during those
5days for which an open season is established for the taking of
6deer by use of bow and arrow.
7    It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer by use of
8dogs, horses, automobiles, aircraft or other vehicles, or by
9the use or aid of bait or baiting of any kind. For the purposes
10of this Section, "bait" means any material, whether liquid or
11solid, including food, salt, minerals, and other products,
12except pure water, that can be ingested, placed, or scattered
13in such a manner as to attract or lure white-tailed deer.
14"Baiting" means the placement or scattering of bait to attract
15deer. An area is considered as baited during the presence of
16and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of bait.
17Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the use of a dog to
18track wounded deer. Any person using a dog for tracking wounded
19deer must maintain physical control of the dog at all times by
20means of a maximum 50 foot lead attached to the dog's collar or
21harness. Tracking wounded deer is permissible at night, but at
22no time outside of legal deer hunting hours or seasons shall
23any person handling or accompanying a dog being used for
24tracking wounded deer be in possession of any firearm or
25archery device. Persons tracking wounded deer with a dog during
26the firearm deer seasons shall wear blaze orange or solid blaze

 

 

HB3623 Enrolled- 4 -LRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1pink color as required. Dog handlers tracking wounded deer with
2a dog are exempt from hunting license and deer permit
3requirements so long as they are accompanied by the licensed
4deer hunter who wounded the deer.
5    It shall be unlawful to possess or transport any wild deer
6which has been injured or killed in any manner upon a public
7highway or public right-of-way of this State unless exempted by
8administrative rule.
9    Persons hunting deer must have gun unloaded and no bow and
10arrow device shall be carried with the arrow in the nocked
11position during hours when deer hunting is unlawful.
12    It shall be unlawful for any person, having taken the legal
13limit of deer by gun, to further participate with gun in any
14deer hunting party.
15    It shall be unlawful for any person, having taken the legal
16limit of deer by bow and arrow, to further participate with bow
17and arrow in any deer hunting party.
18    The Department may prohibit upland game hunting during the
19gun deer season by administrative rule.
20    The Department shall not limit the number of non-resident,
21either-sex archery deer hunting permits to less than 20,000.
22    Any person who violates any of the provisions of this
23Section, including administrative rules, shall be guilty of a
24Class B misdemeanor.
25    For the purposes of calculating acreage under this Section,
26the Department shall, after determining the total acreage of

 

 

HB3623 Enrolled- 5 -LRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1the applicable tract or tracts of land, round remaining
2fractional portions of an acre greater than or equal to half of
3an acre up to the next whole acre.
4    For the purposes of taking white-tailed deer, nothing in
5this Section shall be construed to prevent the manipulation,
6including mowing or cutting, of standing crops as a normal
7agricultural or soil stabilization practice, food plots, or
8normal agricultural practices, including planting, harvesting,
9and maintenance such as cultivating or the use of products
10designed for scent only and not capable of ingestion, solid or
11liquid, placed or scattered, in such a manner as to attract or
12lure deer. Such manipulation for the purpose of taking
13white-tailed deer may be further modified by administrative
14rule.
15(Source: P.A. 99-642, eff. 7-28-16; 99-869, eff. 1-1-17;
16100-691, eff. 1-1-19; 100-949, eff. 1-1-19; revised 10-9-18.)
 
17    (520 ILCS 5/3.1-5)
18    Sec. 3.1-5. Apprentice Hunter License Program.
19    (a) The Department shall establish an Apprentice Hunter
20License Program. The purpose of this Program shall be to extend
21limited hunting privileges, in lieu of obtaining a valid
22hunting license, to persons interested in learning about
23hunting sports.
24    (b) Any resident or nonresident may apply to the Department
25for an Apprentice Hunter License. The Apprentice Hunter License

 

 

HB3623 Enrolled- 6 -LRB101 10264 SLF 55369 b

1shall be a one-time, non-renewable license that shall expire on
2the March 31 following the date of issuance.
3    (c) The Apprentice Hunter License shall entitle the
4licensee to hunt on private property while supervised by a
5validly licensed resident or nonresident hunter who is 21 years
6of age or older.
7    (c-5) The Apprentice Hunter License shall entitle the
8licensee to hunt on public property while supervised by a
9validly licensed resident or nonresident who is 21 years of age
10or older and has a hunter education certificate.
11    (d) In order to be approved for the Apprentice Hunter
12License, the applicant must request an Apprentice Hunter
13License on a form designated and made available by the
14Department and submit a $7 fee, which shall be separate from
15and additional to any other stamp, permit, tag, or license fee
16that may be required for hunting under this Code. The
17Department shall adopt suitable administrative rules that are
18reasonable and necessary for the administration of the program,
19but shall not require any certificate of competency or other
20hunting education as a condition of the Apprentice Hunter
21License.
22(Source: P.A. 100-638, eff. 1-1-19.)