Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) All turkey hunters must have a current,
valid Spring Wild Turkey Hunting Permit. Lifetime licenses issued after August
15, 2006 shall not qualify a non-resident of Illinois for a resident turkey
permit. All hunters, except those exempted by Section 3.1 of the Wildlife Code
[520 ILCS
5/3.1] are also required to obtain a hunting license
before hunting wild turkey. Fees for spring turkey permits are as follows:
1) Permits issued via lottery by Permit
Office:
Illinois Resident lottery permit - $15
Nonresident lottery permit - $125
2) Over-the-Counter (OTC) Permits sold by
license vendors pursuant to subsection (g); all prices include vendor's issuing
fee:
Illinois Resident OTC Permit - $15.50
Nonresident OTC Permit - $125.50
b) Permits are
issued for a specific county or area and are valid only in the county or area
designated on the permit. Applications for wild turkey permits shall be
completed and submitted by visiting one of the Illinois Department of Natural
Resources' DNR license vendors, by applying on-line at
www.dnr.illinois.gov or by writing
to:
Department of Natural Resources - Spring Turkey
One Natural Resources Way
P.O. Box 19446
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9446
c) Applicants must supply all information
necessary to complete the application. Incomplete applications will be rejected
and fees returned. Each applicant must submit payment for his/her individual
application at the time of application. Permits are allocated via computerized
lottery drawings held in Springfield, Illinois. Permits are not transferable.
For the purpose of this Section, transfer means the modification or changing,
by the Department or any other person, individual or group, of the name or the
location on an issued permit to another person or location.
d) Applications from Illinois residents will
be accepted through December 1 for the First Lottery Drawing. Applicants for
the First Lottery Drawing that have applied for or already are in possession of
a valid landowner permit are not eligible to apply for the First Lottery
Drawing. Applications received in the permit office after December 1 will be
included in the next computerized drawing. Applicants rejected in this drawing
will receive preference in the next year's drawing for spring season permits
subject to guidelines outlined in subsection (h). Only one application may be
submitted per applicant for the First Lottery Drawing.
e) Permits not issued during the First
Lottery Drawing will be available in a Second Lottery Drawing. Applications for
this drawing will be accepted through the first working day after January 10.
Applications received after this date will be included in the next drawing. All
hunters are eligible to apply for permits remaining for this Second Lottery
Drawing, but hunters who have not already been awarded a permit will receive
preference in the Second Lottery Drawing. Only one application may be submitted
per applicant for the Second Lottery Drawing.
f) Permits not issued during the first two
lottery drawings will be available in the Third Lottery Drawing. Applications
for this Third Lottery Drawing will be accepted through the first working day
after February 8. Applications received after this date will be rejected and
fees refunded. Applicants may submit up to three applications for the Third
Lottery Drawing. No applicant may receive more than three permits in total for
spring turkey hunting, including lottery drawn, OTC, youth and landowner
permits.
g) Permits remaining after
the Third Lottery Drawing will be available OTC from agents designated by the
Department (pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code 2520) beginning the second Tuesday in
March on a first-come, first-served basis. Permits will be sold until quotas
are exhausted, or until the close of the specific turkey season segment (i.e.,
of seasons 1 through 5) in the Zone (north vs. south) for which the permit is
being requested. Hunters may purchase one or more permits during this period,
subject to availability, except that no one may exceed the limit of three
permits in total for spring turkey hunting, including lottery drawn, OTC, youth
and landowner permits.
h) The
following criteria must be met to obtain preference in the first computerized
drawing:
1) The applicant must apply using
the official agency application.
2)
The applicant must be a resident of the State, be eligible to receive a spring
turkey permit, and not had turkey hunting privileges revoked.
3) The applicant must apply for the same
county and season choices which he/she listed on the previous year's
application. Preference will not be granted for special hunt areas as listed in
Section
710.25
or for permit areas listed in Section
710.50(c).
i) A $3 service fee will be
charged for replacement permits issued by the Department.
j) The periods for accepting applications for
the lotteries may be extended if applications are not available to the public
by November 1. A news release will announce the extension of the application
periods.
k) It shall be unlawful
to:
1) Submit applications before the second
computerized lottery drawing for more than one permit for the same
person.
2) Submit applications
before the third computerized lottery drawing for more than two permits for the
same person.
3) Apply for or
receive more than three permits for the spring turkey season. The three-permit
total includes lottery drawn, OTC, youth and landowner permits.
4) Provide false and/or deceptive information
on a permit application form. In addition to criminal charges, individuals
found guilty of violating this Section shall have their applications rejected,
permit revoked, and fees forfeited. Rejection, revocation and forfeiture is
subject to the notice and hearing requirements set out in 17 Ill. Adm. Code
2530.
l) Refunds and
Cancellations
1) A refund shall be issued by
the Department for a permit that has been granted, or for an application that
has been submitted, under the following circumstances:
A) The State managed or owned site for which
the permit was issued was closed due to a national or State issued emergency or
disaster declaration or any other emergency circumstance that resulted in the
Department closing access to the hunting site, park or area. Issued permits
shall be cancelled by the Department. This subsection (l) shall include, but is
not limited to, closure of State parks, fish and wildlife areas, and recreation
areas by the Department as a response to the Gubernatorial Disaster
Proclamations regarding COVID-19 or Department closures reflecting those
proclamations or orders;
B) The
applicant for a permit was unsuccessful in obtaining a permit in the lottery
for which the applicant applied; or
C) Upon the request of the permit holder, a
permit was issued due to an error of the Department, the OTC point-of-sale
vendor or the applicant. The permit that was issued in error and the request
for a refund must be delivered to the Department before the last day of the
season listed on the permit. Permits shall be considered delivered to the
Department if the permit is received by the Department at its headquarters in
Springfield, Illinois or postmarked before the last day of the season listed on
the permit; or
D) Upon the return
of an issued permit to the Department before the first day of the season listed
on the issued permit. Permits shall be considered delivered to the Department
if the permit is received by the Department at its headquarters in Springfield,
Illinois or postmarked before the first day of the season listed on the permit.
No refund shall be issued under this subsection (l)(1)(D) if the permit is
returned or postmarked after the first day of the season listed on the
permit.
2) A permit shall
be cancelled if a refund is approved pursuant to subsection (l)(1)(A), (C) or
(D). Once a permit has been cancelled, the cancelled permit shall not count
towards the total number of permits that an applicant may obtain for the Spring
Turkey Hunting Season.
3) Upon the
request of a permit holder, a refund may be issued by the Department for a
permit that has been granted under the following circumstances:
A) A medical condition or death of the permit
holder that prevented the permit holder from hunting. A death certificate or
medical documentation showing that the permit holder was unable to or advised
not to hunt may be required by the Department before any refund is issued.
Requests must be made within 90 days after the start of the season that the
permit was issued for and must accompany the return of the permit to the
Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois. No refunds shall be
issued under this subsection if the request or permit is delivered to the
Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois or postmarked 90 days
after the first day of the season listed on the permit; or
B) The permit holder was unable to travel or
use the permit that was issued to him or her due to a national or State issued
emergency or disaster declaration that resulted in a danger to the health or
safety of the permit holder had they attempted to use the issued permit.
Requests must be made within 60 days after the start of the season for which
the permit was issued and must accompany the return of the permit to the
Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois. No refund shall be
issued under this subsection (l)(3)(B) if the request or permit is delivered or
postmarked 60 days after the first day of the season listed on the
permit.
C) A permit holder choosing
not to, or being unable to, use the issued spring turkey hunting permit due to
the COVID-19 Gubernatorial Proclamations. Requests for refunds on the basis of
the COVID-19 disaster period must include the unused issued permit. The request
for refund must be submitted to, and the unused permit that was issued for a
spring turkey hunting season during the COVID-19 disaster period must be
returned to, the Department at its headquarters in Springfield, Illinois or
postmarked on or before December 1, 2020. No refund shall be issued on this
basis if the request and issued unused permit is received or postmarked after
December 1, 2020.
D) A permit that
was issued due to an error of the Department, the OTC point-of-sale vendor, or
the applicant, if the permit is returned to the Department before the last day
of the season for which the permit was issued.
m) Group Hunt Application Requirements
1) Up to six individuals may apply to hunt as
a group during the First and Second Lottery Drawings. Group hunt applications
will not be accepted for the Third Lottery as all applications in that lottery
will be processed individually.
2)
Each individual must sign his or her own paper application.
3) Groups must identify a group leader, and
all applicants must list the same group leader in their submitted application.
For online applications, the group leader customer ID number must be included
on all group members' applications.
4) Groups must list the same county or
special hunt area of choice and complete, in an identical fashion, all options
regarding hunting locations and the season choices. This does not include the
personal identification information of the applicant or type of
permit.
5) In order to receive
preference for the group hunt, all members must have the same county of choice.
If any member does not designate the group's county of choice, the entire group
will not receive preference.
6)
Applicants applying as a group will be rejected if any member does not list the
identical information as all other members of the applicant group, other than
the applicant's personal identification information.
7) Group applications will be accepted for
the First Lottery Drawing. Only one application per hunter will be accepted.
All members of the group must be Illinois residents.
8) Group applications will be accepted for
the Second Lottery Drawing. Only one application per hunter will be
accepted.
9) Since applicants that
have not been awarded a permit are given preference for permits allocated in
the Second Lottery Drawing, groups containing both applicants that have not
been awarded a permit and applicants that have been awarded a permit will not
receive preference in the Second Lottery Drawing.
10) Providing false information on an
application is a violation of
520 ILCS
5/2.38.
