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Illinois House Bill HB2740

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2740 Compare Versions

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11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2740 Introduced , by Rep. Christopher "C.D." Davidsmeyer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 520 ILCS 5/2.33 Amends the Wildlife Code. Allows unmanned aerial vehicles to be used for the tracking of wounded animals in the course of hunting. LRB104 09540 BDA 19603 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2740 Introduced , by Rep. Christopher "C.D." Davidsmeyer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 520 ILCS 5/2.33 520 ILCS 5/2.33 Amends the Wildlife Code. Allows unmanned aerial vehicles to be used for the tracking of wounded animals in the course of hunting. LRB104 09540 BDA 19603 b LRB104 09540 BDA 19603 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2740 Introduced , by Rep. Christopher "C.D." Davidsmeyer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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55 Amends the Wildlife Code. Allows unmanned aerial vehicles to be used for the tracking of wounded animals in the course of hunting.
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1111 1 AN ACT concerning wildlife.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing
1515 5 Section 2.33 as follows:
1616 6 (520 ILCS 5/2.33)
1717 7 Sec. 2.33. Prohibitions.
1818 8 (a) It is unlawful to carry or possess any gun in any State
1919 9 refuge unless otherwise permitted by administrative rule.
2020 10 (b) It is unlawful to use or possess any snare or
2121 11 snare-like device, deadfall, net, or pit trap to take any
2222 12 species, except that snares not powered by springs or other
2323 13 mechanical devices may be used to trap fur-bearing mammals, in
2424 14 water sets only, if at least one-half of the snare noose is
2525 15 located underwater at all times.
2626 16 (c) It is unlawful for any person at any time to take a
2727 17 wild mammal protected by this Act from its den by means of any
2828 18 mechanical device, spade, or digging device or to use smoke or
2929 19 other gases to dislodge or remove such mammal except as
3030 20 provided in Section 2.37.
3131 21 (d) It is unlawful to use a ferret or any other small
3232 22 mammal which is used in the same or similar manner for which
3333 23 ferrets are used for the purpose of frightening or driving any
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3838 520 ILCS 5/2.33 520 ILCS 5/2.33
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4040 Amends the Wildlife Code. Allows unmanned aerial vehicles to be used for the tracking of wounded animals in the course of hunting.
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6868 1 mammals from their dens or hiding places.
6969 2 (e) (Blank).
7070 3 (f) It is unlawful to use spears, gigs, hooks, or any like
7171 4 device to take any species protected by this Act.
7272 5 (g) It is unlawful to use poisons, chemicals, or
7373 6 explosives for the purpose of taking any species protected by
7474 7 this Act.
7575 8 (h) It is unlawful to hunt adjacent to or near any peat,
7676 9 grass, brush, or other inflammable substance when it is
7777 10 burning.
7878 11 (i) It is unlawful to take, pursue or intentionally harass
7979 12 or disturb in any manner any wild birds or mammals by use or
8080 13 aid of any vehicle, conveyance, or unmanned aircraft as
8181 14 defined by the Illinois Aeronautics Act, except for the
8282 15 tracking of wounded animals in the course of hunting or, as
8383 16 permitted by the Code of Federal Regulations, for the taking
8484 17 of waterfowl; except that nothing in this subsection shall
8585 18 prohibit the use of unmanned aircraft in the inspection of a
8686 19 public utility facility, tower, or structure or a mobile
8787 20 service facility, tower, or structure by a public utility, as
8888 21 defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act, or a
8989 22 provider of mobile services as defined in Section 153 of Title
9090 23 47 of the United States Code. It is also unlawful to use the
9191 24 lights of any vehicle or conveyance, any light connected to
9292 25 any vehicle or conveyance, or any other lighting device or
9393 26 mechanism from inside or on a vehicle or conveyance in any area
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104104 1 where wildlife may be found except in accordance with Section
105105 2 2.37 of this Act; however, nothing in this Section shall
106106 3 prohibit the normal use of headlamps for the purpose of
107107 4 driving upon a roadway. For purposes of this Section, any
108108 5 other lighting device or mechanism shall include, but not be
109109 6 limited to, any device that uses infrared or other light not
110110 7 visible to the naked eye, electronic image intensification,
111111 8 active illumination, thermal imaging, or night vision. Striped
112112 9 skunk, opossum, red fox, gray fox, raccoon, bobcat, and coyote
113113 10 may be taken during the open season by use of a small light
114114 11 which is worn on the body or hand-held by a person on foot and
115115 12 not in any vehicle.
116116 13 (j) It is unlawful to use any shotgun larger than 10 gauge
117117 14 while taking or attempting to take any of the species
118118 15 protected by this Act.
119119 16 (k) It is unlawful to use or possess in the field any
120120 17 shotgun shell loaded with a shot size larger than lead BB or
121121 18 steel T (.20 diameter) when taking or attempting to take any
122122 19 species of wild game mammals (excluding white-tailed deer),
123123 20 wild game birds, migratory waterfowl or migratory game birds
124124 21 protected by this Act, except white-tailed deer as provided
125125 22 for in Section 2.26 and other species as provided for by
126126 23 subsection (l) or administrative rule.
127127 24 (l) It is unlawful to take any species of wild game, except
128128 25 white-tailed deer and fur-bearing mammals, with a shotgun
129129 26 loaded with slugs unless otherwise provided for by
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140140 1 administrative rule.
141141 2 (m) It is unlawful to use any shotgun capable of holding
142142 3 more than 3 shells in the magazine or chamber combined, except
143143 4 on game breeding and hunting preserve areas licensed under
144144 5 Section 3.27 and except as permitted by the Code of Federal
145145 6 Regulations for the taking of waterfowl. If the shotgun is
146146 7 capable of holding more than 3 shells, it shall, while being
147147 8 used on an area other than a game breeding and shooting
148148 9 preserve area licensed pursuant to Section 3.27, be fitted
149149 10 with a one-piece plug that is irremovable without dismantling
150150 11 the shotgun or otherwise altered to render it incapable of
151151 12 holding more than 3 shells in the magazine and chamber,
152152 13 combined.
153153 14 (n) It is unlawful for any person, except persons who
154154 15 possess a permit to hunt from a vehicle as provided in this
155155 16 Section and persons otherwise permitted by law, to have or
156156 17 carry any gun in or on any vehicle, conveyance, or aircraft,
157157 18 unless such gun is unloaded and enclosed in a case, except that
158158 19 at field trials authorized by Section 2.34 of this Act,
159159 20 unloaded guns or guns loaded with blank cartridges only may be
160160 21 carried on horseback while not contained in a case, or to have
161161 22 or carry any bow or arrow device in or on any vehicle unless
162162 23 such bow or arrow device is unstrung or enclosed in a case, or
163163 24 otherwise made inoperable unless in accordance with the
164164 25 Firearm Concealed Carry Act.
165165 26 (o) (Blank).
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176176 1 (p) It is unlawful to take game birds, migratory game
177177 2 birds or migratory waterfowl with a rifle, pistol, revolver,
178178 3 or air rifle.
179179 4 (q) It is unlawful to fire a rifle, pistol, revolver, or
180180 5 air rifle on, over, or into any waters of this State, including
181181 6 frozen waters.
182182 7 (r) It is unlawful to discharge any gun or bow and arrow
183183 8 device along, upon, across, or from any public right-of-way or
184184 9 highway in this State.
185185 10 (s) It is unlawful to use a silencer or other device to
186186 11 muffle or mute the sound of the explosion or report resulting
187187 12 from the firing of any gun.
188188 13 (t) It is unlawful for any person to take or attempt to
189189 14 take any species of wildlife or parts thereof, or allow a dog
190190 15 to hunt, within or upon the land of another, or upon waters
191191 16 flowing over or standing on the land of another, or to
192192 17 knowingly shoot a gun or bow and arrow device at any wildlife
193193 18 physically on or flying over the property of another without
194194 19 first obtaining permission from the owner or the owner's
195195 20 designee. For the purposes of this Section, the owner's
196196 21 designee means anyone who the owner designates in a written
197197 22 authorization and the authorization must contain (i) the legal
198198 23 or common description of property for which such authority is
199199 24 given, (ii) the extent that the owner's designee is authorized
200200 25 to make decisions regarding who is allowed to take or attempt
201201 26 to take any species of wildlife or parts thereof, and (iii) the
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212212 1 owner's notarized signature. Before enforcing this Section,
213213 2 the law enforcement officer must have received notice from the
214214 3 owner or the owner's designee of a violation of this Section.
215215 4 Statements made to the law enforcement officer regarding this
216216 5 notice shall not be rendered inadmissible by the hearsay rule
217217 6 when offered for the purpose of showing the required notice.
218218 7 (u) It is unlawful for any person to discharge any firearm
219219 8 for the purpose of taking any of the species protected by this
220220 9 Act, or hunt with gun or dog, or allow a dog to hunt, within
221221 10 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without first obtaining
222222 11 permission from the owner or tenant, except that while
223223 12 trapping, hunting with bow and arrow, hunting with dog and
224224 13 shotgun using shot shells only, or hunting with shotgun using
225225 14 shot shells only, or providing outfitting services under a
226226 15 waterfowl outfitter permit, or on licensed game breeding and
227227 16 hunting preserve areas, as defined in Section 3.27, on
228228 17 federally owned and managed lands and on Department owned,
229229 18 managed, leased, or controlled lands, a 100 yard restriction
230230 19 shall apply.
231231 20 (v) It is unlawful for any person to remove fur-bearing
232232 21 mammals from, or to move or disturb in any manner, the traps
233233 22 owned by another person without written authorization of the
234234 23 owner to do so.
235235 24 (w) It is unlawful for any owner of a dog to allow his or
236236 25 her dog to pursue, harass, or kill deer, except that nothing in
237237 26 this Section shall prohibit the tracking of wounded deer with
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248248 1 a dog in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.26 of this
249249 2 Code.
250250 3 (x) It is unlawful for any person to wantonly or
251251 4 carelessly injure or destroy, in any manner whatsoever, any
252252 5 real or personal property on the land of another while engaged
253253 6 in hunting or trapping thereon.
254254 7 (y) It is unlawful to hunt wild game protected by this Act
255255 8 between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before
256256 9 sunrise, except that hunting hours between one-half hour after
257257 10 sunset and one-half hour before sunrise may be established by
258258 11 administrative rule for fur-bearing mammals.
259259 12 (z) It is unlawful to take any game bird (excluding wild
260260 13 turkeys and crippled pheasants not capable of normal flight
261261 14 and otherwise irretrievable) protected by this Act when not
262262 15 flying. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a person from
263263 16 carrying an uncased, unloaded shotgun in a boat, while in
264264 17 pursuit of a crippled migratory waterfowl that is incapable of
265265 18 normal flight, for the purpose of attempting to reduce the
266266 19 migratory waterfowl to possession, provided that the attempt
267267 20 is made immediately upon downing the migratory waterfowl and
268268 21 is done within 400 yards of the blind from which the migratory
269269 22 waterfowl was downed. This exception shall apply only to
270270 23 migratory game birds that are not capable of normal flight.
271271 24 Migratory waterfowl that are crippled may be taken only with a
272272 25 shotgun as regulated by subsection (j) of this Section using
273273 26 shotgun shells as regulated in subsection (k) of this Section.
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284284 1 (aa) It is unlawful to use or possess any device that may
285285 2 be used for tree climbing or cutting while hunting fur-bearing
286286 3 mammals, excluding coyotes. However, coyotes may not be hunted
287287 4 utilizing these devices during open season for deer except by
288288 5 properly licensed deer hunters.
289289 6 (bb) It is unlawful for any person, except licensed game
290290 7 breeders, pursuant to Section 2.29 to import, carry into, or
291291 8 possess alive in this State any species of wildlife taken
292292 9 outside of this State, without obtaining permission to do so
293293 10 from the Director.
294294 11 (cc) It is unlawful for any person to have in his or her
295295 12 possession any freshly killed species protected by this Act
296296 13 during the season closed for taking.
297297 14 (dd) It is unlawful to take any species protected by this
298298 15 Act and retain it alive except as provided by administrative
299299 16 rule.
300300 17 (ee) It is unlawful to possess any rifle while in the field
301301 18 during gun deer season except as provided in Sections 2.25 and
302302 19 2.26 and administrative rules.
303303 20 (ff) It is unlawful for any person to take any species
304304 21 protected by this Act, except migratory waterfowl, during the
305305 22 gun deer hunting season in those counties open to gun deer
306306 23 hunting, unless he or she wears, when in the field, a cap and
307307 24 upper outer garment of a solid blaze orange color or solid
308308 25 blaze pink color, with such articles of clothing displaying a
309309 26 minimum of 400 square inches of blaze orange or solid blaze
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320320 1 pink color material.
321321 2 (gg) It is unlawful during the upland game season for any
322322 3 person to take upland game with a firearm unless he or she
323323 4 wears, while in the field, a cap of solid blaze orange color or
324324 5 solid blaze pink color. For purposes of this Act, upland game
325325 6 is defined as Bobwhite Quail, Hungarian Partridge, Ring-necked
326326 7 Pheasant, Eastern Cottontail, and Swamp Rabbit.
327327 8 (hh) It shall be unlawful to kill or cripple any species
328328 9 protected by this Act for which there is a bag limit without
329329 10 making a reasonable effort to retrieve such species and
330330 11 include such in the bag limit. It shall be unlawful for any
331331 12 person having control over harvested game mammals, game birds,
332332 13 or migratory game birds for which there is a bag limit to
333333 14 wantonly waste or destroy the usable meat of the game, except
334334 15 this shall not apply to wildlife taken under Sections 2.37 or
335335 16 3.22 of this Code. For purposes of this subsection, "usable
336336 17 meat" means the breast meat of a game bird or migratory game
337337 18 bird and the hind ham and front shoulders of a game mammal. It
338338 19 shall be unlawful for any person to place, leave, dump, or
339339 20 abandon a wildlife carcass or parts of it along or upon a
340340 21 public right-of-way or highway or on public or private
341341 22 property, including a waterway or stream, without the
342342 23 permission of the owner or tenant. It shall not be unlawful to
343343 24 discard game meat that is determined to be unfit for human
344344 25 consumption.
345345 26 (ii) This Section shall apply only to those species
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356356 1 protected by this Act taken within the State. Any species or
357357 2 any parts thereof, legally taken in and transported from other
358358 3 states or countries, may be possessed within the State, except
359359 4 as provided in this Section and Sections 2.35, 2.36, and 3.21.
360360 5 (jj) (Blank).
361361 6 (kk) Nothing contained in this Section shall prohibit the
362362 7 Director from issuing permits to paraplegics or to other
363363 8 persons with disabilities who meet the requirements set forth
364364 9 in administrative rule to shoot or hunt from a vehicle as
365365 10 provided by that rule, provided that such is otherwise in
366366 11 accord with this Act.
367367 12 (ll) Nothing contained in this Act shall prohibit the
368368 13 taking of aquatic life protected by the Fish and Aquatic Life
369369 14 Code or birds and mammals protected by this Act, except deer
370370 15 and fur-bearing mammals, from a boat not camouflaged or
371371 16 disguised to alter its identity or to further provide a place
372372 17 of concealment and not propelled by sail or mechanical power.
373373 18 However, only shotguns not larger than 10 gauge nor smaller
374374 19 than .410 bore loaded with not more than 3 shells of a shot
375375 20 size no larger than lead BB or steel T (.20 diameter) may be
376376 21 used to take species protected by this Act.
377377 22 (mm) Nothing contained in this Act shall prohibit the use
378378 23 of a shotgun, not larger than 10 gauge nor smaller than a 20
379379 24 gauge, with a rifled barrel.
380380 25 (nn) It shall be unlawful to possess any species of
381381 26 wildlife or wildlife parts taken unlawfully in Illinois, any
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