Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB1724
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Full Text of HB1724  97th General Assembly

HB1724enr 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  
  

 


 
HB1724 EnrolledLRB097 10510 CEL 50822 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 2.30 and 2.33a and by adding Section 2.30b as follows:
 
6    (520 ILCS 5/2.30)  (from Ch. 61, par. 2.30)
7    Sec. 2.30. It shall be unlawful for any person to trap or
8to hunt with gun, dog, dog and gun, or bow and arrow, gray fox,
9red fox, raccoon, weasel, mink, muskrat, badger, and opossum
10except during the open season which will be set annually by the
11Director between 12:01 a.m., November 1 to 12:00 midnight,
12February 15, both inclusive.
13    It is unlawful for any person to take bobcat or river otter
14in this State at any time.
15    It is unlawful to pursue any fur-bearing mammal with a dog
16or dogs between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the 10
17day period preceding the opening date of the raccoon hunting
18season and the 10 day period following the closing date of the
19raccoon hunting season except that the Department may issue
20field trial permits in accordance with Section 2.34 of this
21Act. A non-resident from a state with more restrictive
22fur-bearer pursuit regulations for any particular species than
23provided for that species in this Act may not pursue that

 

 

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1species in Illinois except during the period of time that
2Illinois residents are allowed to pursue that species in the
3non-resident's state of residence. Hound running areas
4approved by the Department shall be exempt from the provisions
5of this Section.
6    It shall be unlawful to take beaver, river otter, weasel,
7mink or muskrat except during the open season set annually by
8the Director, and then, only with traps.
9    It shall be unlawful for any person to trap beaver or river
10otter with traps except during the open season which will be
11set annually by the Director between 12:01 a.m., November 1st
12and 12:00 midnight, March 31, both inclusive.
13    Coyote may be taken by trapping methods only during the
14period from September 1 to March 1, both inclusive, and by
15hunting methods at any time.
16    Striped skunk may be taken by trapping methods only during
17the period from September 1 to March 1, both inclusive, and by
18hunting methods at any time.
19    For the purpose of taking fur-bearing mammals, the State
20may be divided into management zones by administrative rule.
21    The provisions of this Section are subject to modification
22by administrative rule.
23    It shall be unlawful to take or possess more than the
24season limit or possession limit of fur-bearing mammals that
25shall be set annually by the Director. The season limit for
26river otter shall not exceed 5 river otters per person per

 

 

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1season. Possession limits shall not apply to fur buyers,
2tanners, manufacturers, and taxidermists, as defined by this
3Act, who possess fur-bearing mammals in accordance with laws
4governing such activities.
5    The provisions of this Section are subject to modification
6by administrative rule.
7(Source: P.A. 95-196, eff. 1-1-08.)
 
8    (520 ILCS 5/2.30b new)
9    Sec. 2.30b. River otter pelts. The pelts of river otters
10shall be tagged in accordance with federal regulation 50 CFR
1123.69(e). The Department may require harvest registration and
12set forth procedures, fees for registration, and the process of
13tagging pelts in administrative rules. Fees for registration
14and tagging shall not exceed $5 per pelt.
 
15    (520 ILCS 5/2.33a)  (from Ch. 61, par. 2.33a)
16    Sec. 2.33a. (a) It is unlawful to fail to visit and remove
17all animals from traps staked out, set, used, tended, placed or
18maintained at least once each calendar day.
19    (b) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use, or
20maintain a leghold trap or one of similar construction on land,
21that has a jaw spread of larger than 6 1/2 inches (16.6 CM), or
22a body-gripping trap or one of similar construction having a
23jaw spread larger than 7 inches (17.8 CM) on a side if square
24and 8 inches (20.4 CM) if round;

 

 

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1    (c) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use, or
2maintain a leghold trap or one of similar construction in
3water, that has a jaw spread of larger than 7 1/2 inches (19.1
4CM), or a body-gripping trap or one of similar construction
5having a jaw spread larger than 10 inches (25.4 CM) on a side
6if square and 12 inches (30.5 CM) if round;
7    (d) It is unlawful to use any trap with saw-toothed,
8spiked, or toothed jaws;
9    (e) It is unlawful to destroy, disturb or in any manner
10interfere with dams, lodges, burrows or feed beds of beaver
11while trapping for beaver or to set a trap inside a muskrat
12house or beaver lodge, except that this shall not apply to
13Drainage Districts who are acting pursuant to the provisions of
14Section 2.37;
15    (f) It is unlawful to trap beaver or river otter with: (1)
16a leghold trap or one of similar construction having a jaw
17spread of less than 5 1/2 inches (13.9 CM) or more than 7 1/2
18inches (19.1 CM), or (2) a body-gripping trap or one of similar
19construction having a jaw spread of less than 7 inches (17.7
20CM) or more than 10 inches (25.4 CM) on a side if square and 12
21inches (30.5 CM) if round, except that these restrictions shall
22not apply during the open season for trapping muskrats;
23    (g) It is unlawful to set traps closer than 10 feet (3.05
24M) from any hole or den which may be occupied by a game mammal
25or fur-bearing mammal except that this restriction shall not
26apply to water sets.

 

 

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1    (h) It is unlawful to trap or attempt to trap any
2fur-bearing mammal with any colony, cage, box, or stove-pipe
3trap designed to take more than one mammal at a single setting.
4    (i) It is unlawful for any person to set or place any trap
5designed to take any fur-bearing mammal protected by this Act
6during the closed trapping season. Proof that any trap was
7placed during the closed trapping season shall be deemed prima
8facie evidence of a violation of this provision.
9    (j) It is unlawful to place, set, or maintain any leghold
10trap or one of similar construction within thirty (30) feet
11(9.14 m) of bait placed in such a manner or position that it is
12not completely covered and concealed from sight, except that
13this shall not apply to underwater sets. Bait shall mean and
14include any bait composed of mammal, bird, or fish flesh, fur,
15hide, entrails or feathers.
16    (k) It shall be unlawful for hunters or trappers to have
17the green hides of fur-bearing mammals, protected by this Act,
18in their possession except during the open season and for an
19additional period of 10 days succeeding such open season.
20    (l) It is unlawful for any person to place, set, use or
21maintain a snare trap or one of similar construction in water,
22that has a loop diameter exceeding 15 inches (38.1 CM) or a
23cable or wire diameter of more than 1/8 inch (3.2 MM) or less
24than 5/64 inch (2.0 MM), that is constructed of stainless steel
25metal cable or wire, and that does not have a mechanical lock,
26anchor swivel and stop device to prevent the mechanical lock

 

 

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1from closing the noose loop to a diameter of less than 2 1/2
2inches (6.4 CM).
3(Source: P.A. 85-152; 86-1354.)
 
4    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
5becoming law.