When is shotgun season

Deer Hunting Season Dates. Migratory Game Bird Season Dates. Turkey Hunting Season Dates. Season 1 Apr 11 - 14 Half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Season 2 Apr 15 - 19 Half-hour before sunrise to sunset. Season 3 Apr 20 - 26 Half-hour before sunrise to sunset. More information on these topics, and others, can be found at White-tailed Deer Illinois.

White-tailed deer are subject to several wildlife diseases that vary in their impact on humans, livestock, other wildlife, and deer populations. More information is available here about white-tailed deer diseases and parasites. Illinois hunters are encouraged to report sick or dead deer to IDNR.

Additionally, if abnormalities are detected while field dressing a harvested deer and there are concerns about consuming the meat, hunters should contact an IDNR District Wildlife Biologist. Hunters are required to check their deer during firearm seasons in those counties.

Find more information concerning check stations here. We partner with taxidermists and meat processing facilities to encourage statewide testing. Yearly results and an overview of CWD occurrence in Illinois can be found here. Toggle accordion. An arrow inside a circle. For the purpose of this harvest limit, deer seasons are considered to be in the same year if their opening dates are within the same month period that begins July 1.

Use the License Finder to determine what permits you qualify for Use the Directory or Hunt Planner to determine what type of permit you need for a given public hunting site Check the status of your deer permit application Permit lottery applicants please allow approximately 4 weeks after the respective application deadline dates for drawing results Archery Permits Residents No limit Purchase at vendors or online no lottery Non-residents Can apply for and receive only one archery combination permit per license year.

Maximum of 5 permits total To receive a hard copy application for a firearm or muzzleloader deer hunting permit, contact the IDNR Springfield permit office at Late Winter Anterless-only Permits Application dates: 27 Oct Nov Available to: residents only Can use: shotgun, handgun or muzzleloading rifle Hunters with valid, unused permits from the previous firearm, muzzleloader or youth seasons may use only the weapons allowed by that permit in those respective seasons Permits are only applicable to Special Hunt Areas IDNR sites and counties open to this season Permits remaining after lottery only available to residents over-the-counter at vendors starting early December Apply online CWD Permits Application dates: 27 Oct Nov residents only Can use: shotgun, handgun or muzzleloading rifle Hunters with valid, unused permits from the previous firearm, muzzleloader or youth seasons may use only the weapons allowed by that permit in those respective seasons.

See Junior Big Game Hunting for a map of participating counties. Holiday Deer Hunt is an extension of the late bow and muzzleloader season from December 26 - January 1 in the Southern Zone.

Note: Hunters using a crossbow during the last 10 days of the early bow season in the Northern Zone are not subject to the antlered deer-only requirement of the early muzzleloader season in WMU 6N, despite the overlap in season dates.

An antler restriction is in place to reduce harvest of young bucks in a portion of the Catskills in southeastern New York. The antler restriction REQUIRES that bucks taken in the antler restriction units have at least one antler with 3 points or more which are at least one inch long.