The 2025 wildlife pursuit times provide exciting opportunities for outdoor lovers and sportsmen in the Prairie State’s stunning surroundings. Various enthusiasts visit this location for its rich wildlife species and plentiful outdoor activities. We will go over licensing requirements, wildlife pursuit schedules, game variety, and outdoor experience advice on this page.
Illinois Hunting Seasons
Our thorough guide to US Wildlife Pursuit Periods By State provides all the necessary information. You may hunt turkeys, rabbits, and many small game species during the two seasons. Residents and nonresidents may easily get a game license online. Some small game hunts don’t need a permit, making this outdoor activity more accessible.
🦌 Big Game Seasons
| Species | Season Type | Dates | Daily Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery | Oct 1-Jan 18 (varies by county) | 1 per permit | Closed during firearm seasons |
| White-tailed Deer | Firearm | Nov 21-23 & Dec 4-7, 2025 | 1 per permit | Shotgun/rifle allowed |
| White-tailed Deer | Muzzleloader | Dec 12-14, 2025 | 1 per permit | – |
| White-tailed Deer | Youth | Oct 11-13, 2025 | 1 either-sex | Under 18 only |
| Turkey | Spring (North) | Apr 14-May 15, 2025 | 1 bearded | 5 split seasons |
| Turkey | Spring (South) | Apr 7-May 8, 2025 | 1 bearded | 5 split seasons |
🐦 Upland Bird Seasons
| Species | Season Dates | Daily Limit | Zone Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | Nov 2-Jan 15, 2026 | 2 roosters | North: closes Jan 8 |
| Quail | Nov 2-Jan 15, 2026 | 8 | Same zones as pheasant |
| Woodcock | Oct 19-Dec 2, 2024 | 3 | Statewide |
| Mourning Dove | Sep 1-Nov 14 & Dec 26-Jan 9 | 15 | Split season |
🦆 Waterfowl Seasons
| Species | Zone | Dates | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ducks | North | Oct 19-Dec 17, 2024 | 6 (species restrictions) |
| Ducks | South | Nov 30, 2024-Jan 28, 2025 | 6 (species restrictions) |
| Canada Geese | Early Season | Sep 1-15, 2024 | 5 |
| Snow Geese | Conservation Order | Feb 1-Apr 30, 2025 | No limit |
🦫 Furbearer & Small Game
| Species | Season Type | Dates | Daily Limit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squirrel | General | Aug 1-Feb 15 | 5 | Closed during firearm deer |
| Rabbit | General | Nov 2-Feb 15 | 4 | – |
| Coyote | Trapping | Nov 10-Feb 15 | No limit | Year-round pursuit |
| Bobcat | Trapping | Nov 10-Feb 15 | Zone limits | Permit required |
🎯 Special Seasons
| Event | Dates | Eligible Hunters |
|---|---|---|
| Youth Waterfowl | Oct 12-13 (North) | Under 16 |
| CWD Deer Season | Jan 1-4 & 16-18, 2026 | All hunters |
| Fall Turkey (Archery) | Oct 1, 2024-Jan 19, 2025 | 1 either-sex |
All dates subject to change—verify with Illinois DNR before hunting.
Licenses
| License | Resident Fees | Non-Resident Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Hunting Apprentice License | $7.50 | |
| Youth Hunting and Trapping Combo License | $7.50 | |
| Non-Resident Hunting License | $57.75 | |
| Non-Resident Hunting License (5 day) | $35.75 | |
| Non-Resident Hunting Preserve License | $12.50 | |
| Resident Hunting License | $12.50 | |
| Resident Lifetime Hunting License | $360.00 | |
| Resident Lifetime Sportsmen's Combo License | $765.00 | |
| Resident Senior Hunting License | $6.50 | |
| Resident Senior Sportsmen's Combo License | $13.50 | |
| Resident Sportsmen's Combo License | $26.25 | |
| Resident Super Senior Hunting License | $1.50 | |
| Resident Super Senior Sportsman Combo License | $2.75 | |
| Resident Veteran Hunting License | $6.50 | |
| Resident Veteran Sportsmen's Combo License | $13.50 | |
| Non-Resident Trapping License (with state reciprocity) | $175.50 | |
| Non-Resident Trapping License (without state reciprocity) | $250.50 |
Regulations
- One deer per permit throughout the deer shooting season. Youth, archery, firearm, and muzzleloader hunters may kill only two antlered yearly.
- Clothing: All rifle games require individuals to wear a solid blaze orange or pink cap/hat and upper outer clothing with at least 400 square inches of the same color. Specific criteria apply when following injured deer with a dog or accompanying juvenile rifle pursuers.
- Tree Stand Restrictions: IDNR-managed locations allow one tree stand or ground blind per hunter. Tree stands that cut or puncture the bark are illegal. Tree stands must be relocated every day unless otherwise stated.
- Non-resident individuals who shoot a wild deer in Illinois must contact the state wildlife agency in the states they will travel through to learn about corpse possession and transit rules. State laws differ.
- Deer taken during certain seasons must be recorded by 10 pm the same day. A toll-free phone or online check-in system can achieve this. In non-CWD surveillance counties, temporary harvest tags must include the harvest confirmation number. CWD monitoring counties need leg tags for the harvest.
- Shotguns with slugs, single or double-barreled muzzleloading rifles, and centerfire revolvers or single-shot pistols are legal for firearm/muzzleloader . Muzzleloaders must utilize black powder or certified alternatives and particular igniting systems.
- Shotguns and muzzleloaders must use. 44-caliber projectiles. Handguns must use.30-caliber or larger bottleneck or straight-walled centerfire cartridges with particular energy requirements. It allows only soft points or expanding bullets.
- Firearm require a valid Firearm Deer Permit or Property-only Landowner/Tenant Permit. For that year’s firearm period, muzzleloading rifle require a valid permit or an unused Property-Only Landowner/Tenant permit. County-specific CWD Permits are also available.
- Mandatory Firearm Harvest Reporting and Transportation: In counties with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) monitoring, successful firearm season hunters must transport their harvest to a check station on the day they killed it. Deer get permanent harvest tags. If the deer is not checked-in by 8 pm, other arrangements apply.
- Special CWD: Certain counties allow hunting and harvest reporting is done electronically by phone or online registration. These counties need CWD Deer Permits to hunt.
- Special Harvest Regulations: Individuals with unfulfilled permits from the past rifle, youth, or muzzleloader seasons may only harvest the deer stated on the license. Antlered limitations do not apply during CWD season.
- Licensing and Permits: Residents and non-residents require a license, a state habitat stamp, and a turkey permit to hunt turkey.
- Turkey is allowed with shotguns in the 20–10 gauge range. Non-Firearm Concealed Carry Act guns are forbidden. Archery requires long, recurved, or compound bows with a minimum pull of 30 pounds and crossbows with 125 pounds.
- Harvest Limits and Tagging: Each lawfully issued permit allows individuals to harvest one wild turkey, which must be tagged immediately after killing. The turkey’s leg tag should stay on until it’s checked at the hunter’s home.
- Decoys and Attractants: Turkey hunters cannot employ live or electronic baits, dogs, or recorded sounds. Baiting or harvesting turkeys is unlawful. Agriculture, food plots, and standing crops may be manipulated.
- Turkey Harvest Reporting: Individuals must report their turkey harvest by 10 pm the same day. Call a toll-free hotline or check-in online. Hunters must write their confirmation number on the leg tag.
- Turkey hunting permits, lotteries, and over-the-counter purchases are available. Residents may apply for three permits during specified seasons. Licenses are limited by availability and season.
- The state has three duck zones: North, Central, and South. Roadways, waterways, and state borders define zones.
- Geese Zones: Like duck, it has four geese zones: North, Central, South, and South Central. These zones match duck zones.
- Credentials: Residents and non-residents require a hunting license, State Waterfowl Stamp, Federal Waterfowl Stamp, and HIP Certification (National Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program) to hunt migratory waterfowl. Regulations may provide exemptions.
- Federal Migratory Bird Hunting & Protection Stamp: Must buy a Federal Duck Stamp, often known as the Migratory Waterfowl Stamp, to support habitat protection. The $25 stamp has protected millions of acres of natural habitat countrywide.
- The Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp is required in addition to the Federal Duck Stamp. Stamp sales help preserve and acquire waterfowl, wetland habitats, and game sites.
- HIP Registration: All licensed hunters wishing to pursue migratory game birds, including waterfowl, must register with HIP yearly. Call the number or register while buying a hunting or sportsman license. Lifetime licensees must register yearly. Waterfowl need HIP registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Illinois hunting season ?
Illinois’ 2025–2026 hunting seasons span late summer through winter, with dates varying by species and region. White-tailed deer hunting runs Oct 1, 2025–Jan 18, 2026 for archery (closed during firearm seasons), with firearm hunts Nov 21–23 and Dec 4–7, a muzzleloader season Dec 12–14, youth season Oct 11–13, and special CWD hunts Jan 1–4 and Jan 16–18, 2026. Wild turkey spring seasons occur Apr 7–May 8, 2025 in the South Zone and Apr 14–May 15 in the North (five split seasons each), with fall archery Oct 1, 2025–Jan 18, 2026. Small game includes squirrel Aug 1, 2025–Feb 15, 2026 and rabbit, pheasant, and quail Nov 2, 2025–Jan 15, 2026. Mourning dove is open Sep 1–Nov 14, 2025 and Dec 26, 2025–Jan 9, 2026. Waterfowl dates include early Canada goose Sep 1–15, 2025 and ducks (North Zone) Oct 19–Dec 17, 2025.
What types of games can be hunted in Illinois?
Illinois provides a wide variety of hunting opportunities, including big game such as white-tailed deer (archery, firearm, muzzleloader, and youth seasons) and wild turkey in both spring and fall, while black bear and elk remain off-limits. Upland bird hunting features ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, and American woodcock, and small game like squirrel and rabbit are popular targets. Waterfowl hunters pursue ducks, geese, and other migratory species within designated zones, and furbearers such as coyote, raccoon, and bobcat (with a permit) have regulated trapping and pursuit seasons.
What are the requirements for hunting in Illinois?
To hunt in Illinois, anyone born on or after January 1, 1980 must complete a hunter education course and hold a valid Illinois hunting license along with the appropriate game-specific permits (such as archery deer or turkey permits). A Habitat Stamp is required for all license holders aged 16 and older. Hunters must report harvested deer and turkey by 10 p.m. on the day of the kill, either online or by phone, and during firearm deer seasons they are required to wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange or pink on a hat/cap and outer upper clothing.
Can I hunt with a firearm during the archery season in Illinois?
Generally, no. The archery season is designated for archery equipment only. However, there is an exception for certain furbearing animals. For example, coyotes may be hunted with firearms during the archery season, but only if the hunter possesses a valid archery deer permit and is on the site to deer hunt. Using a firearm to harvest a deer during the archery season is prohibited.
Can non-residents hunt in Illinois during the season?
Non-residents are allowed to hunt in Illinois but must purchase the proper licenses and permits at higher fees than residents, such as a basic hunting license ($57.75) or a 5-day license ($35.75), and game-specific permits like archery or firearm deer permits (around $200+ each). They must also meet all the same requirements as residents, including completing hunter education if born on or after January 1, 1980, reporting deer and turkey harvests by 10 p.m. on the day of the kill, and following all season regulations.
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