Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2339 Latest Draft

Bill / Engrossed Version Filed 03/25/2025

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  HB2339 Engrossed  LRB104 09675 BDA 19741 b
1  AN ACT concerning wildlife.
2  Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3  represented in the General Assembly:
4  Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing
5  Section 2.25 as follows:
6  (520 ILCS 5/2.25)    (from Ch. 61, par. 2.25)
7  Sec. 2.25. It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer
8  except (i) with a shotgun, handgun, single shot centerfire
9  rifle, or muzzleloading rifle or (ii) as provided by
10  administrative rule, with a bow and arrow, during the open
11  season of not more than 14 days which will be set annually by
12  the Director between the dates of November 1st and December
13  31st, both inclusive, or a special 3-day, youth-only season
14  between the dates of September 1 and October 31. For the
15  purposes of this Section, legal handguns and rifles are
16  limited to centerfire handguns that are either a single shot
17  or revolver and centerfire rifles that are single shot. The
18  only legal ammunition for a centerfire handgun or rifle is a
19  bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with
20  a case length not exceeding one and two-fifths inches, or a
21  straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger,
22  both of which must be available as a factory load with the
23  published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a

 

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1  capability of at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.
2  The barrel of a handgun shall be at least 4 inches. Full metal
3  jacket bullets may not be used to harvest deer.
4  The Department shall make administrative rules concerning
5  management restrictions applicable to the firearm and bow and
6  arrow season.
7  It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except
8  with a bow and arrow during the open season for bow and arrow
9  set annually by the Director between the dates of September
10  1st and January 31st, both inclusive.
11  It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except
12  with (i) a muzzleloading rifle or (ii) bow and arrow during the
13  open season for muzzleloading rifles set annually by the
14  Director.
15  The Director shall cause an administrative rule setting
16  forth the prescribed rules and regulations, including bag and
17  possession limits and those counties of the State where open
18  seasons are established, to be published in accordance with
19  Sections 1.3 and 1.13 of this Act.
20  The Department may establish separate harvest periods for
21  the purpose of managing or eradicating disease that has been
22  found in the deer herd. This season shall be restricted to gun
23  or bow and arrow hunting only. The Department shall publicly
24  announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and
25  shooting hours, the counties and sites open to hunting.
26  The Department is authorized to establish a separate

 

 

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1  harvest period at specific sites within the State for the
2  purpose of harvesting surplus deer that cannot be taken during
3  the regular season provided for the taking of deer. This
4  season shall be restricted to gun or bow and arrow hunting only
5  and shall be established during the period of September 1st to
6  February 15th, both inclusive. The Department shall publicly
7  announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and
8  shooting hours, and the counties and sites open to hunting.
9  The Department shall publish suitable prescribed rules and
10  regulations established by administrative rule pertaining to
11  management restrictions applicable to this special harvest
12  program. The Department shall allow unused gun deer permits
13  that are left over from a regular season for the taking of deer
14  to be rolled over and used during any separate harvest period
15  held within 6 months of the season for which those tags were
16  issued at no additional cost to the permit holder subject to
17  the management restrictions applicable to the special harvest
18  program.
19  If the Department is using its sharpshooting program to
20  manage chronic wasting disease in a deer herd that is found in
21  a county in the State and if no cases of that disease have been
22  identified in that herd in the preceding 3 calendar years,
23  then the Department shall end the use of that program to manage
24  chronic wasting disease in that county. However, the program
25  may be reinstituted within the county if chronic wasting
26  disease is again identified in that herd.

 

 

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1  Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter,
2  the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly
3  providing information regarding deer management programs
4  established by the Code or by administrative rule that
5  includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each
6  separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a
7  communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what
8  happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season.
9  (Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19; 102-314, eff. 1-1-22;
10  102-932, eff. 1-1-23.)

 

 

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