Illinois Administrative Code
Title 17 - CONSERVATION
Part 710 - THE TAKING OF WILD TURKEYS - SPRING SEASON
Section 710.30 - Turkey Hunting Regulations
Universal Citation: 17 IL Admin Code ยง 710.30
Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) It is unlawful:
1) to use live or electronic turkey
decoys, recorded calls, dogs, or bait (an area is considered as baited during
the presence of and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of the
bait);
2) to take any wild turkey
except a hen with a visible beard or a gobbler (male);
3) to take, or attempt to take, more than
three wild turkeys during the spring season, one must have a valid permit for
each turkey that is taken;
4) to
use any weapon except a shotgun or bow and arrow. #4 shot is the largest size
shot that may be legally used or possessed while turkey hunting;
5) to hunt except from 1/2 hour before
sunrise to 1:00 p.m. during each day of the season;
6) for any person having taken the legal
limit of wild turkeys to further participate with a weapon in any hunting party
for the purpose of taking additional wild turkeys;
7) for any person to possess while in the
field during wild turkey season any turkey permit issued to another person
(permits are non-transferable);
8)
to transport or leave a wild turkey without first attaching the temporary
harvest tag to the leg in the manner prescribed on the permit. Immediately upon
kill and before the turkey is moved, transported or field dressed, the hunter
must properly attach the temporary harvest tag to the leg. Successful hunters
must register their harvest by 10:00 p.m. on the same calendar day as the
turkey was taken by calling the toll-free telephone check-in system at
1-866-ILCHECK or by accessing the on-line check-in system at
www.dnr.illinois.gov. Hunters must
provide all information requested by the check-in system, and will be provided
with a confirmation number to verify that they checked in their harvest. The
confirmation number must be written by the hunter on the leg tag. The leg tag
must remain attached to the leg of the turkey until it is at the legal
residence of the person who legally took or possessed the turkey and the turkey
has been checked in. The turkey must remain whole (or field dressed) until it
has been checked in;
9) for any
person to shoot a wild turkey while it is in a tree before 7:00 a.m.;
10) for any person to hunt wild turkeys
without possessing a Wild Turkey Hunting Permit which shall include the
hunter's signature recorded on the permit and carried on the person while
hunting, except that a person without a weapon may accompany a turkey hunter as
a caller or observer;
11) for any
person to use a turkey call that imitates sounds made by a turkey or to attempt
to call a turkey by making these sounds while in the field in the Southern Zone
from March 15 through the day before the 1st turkey
season and in the Northern Zone from March 22 through the day before the
1st turkey season. This prohibition only applies in
counties open to spring turkey hunting. This prohibition does not apply to
participants in the Youth Turkey Hunt with a valid permit, or their
accompanying adult, during that season as prescribed by Section
710.70.
b) Archers may use:
1) Longbows, recurve bows or compound bows
with minimum pull of 30 pounds at some point within a 28-inch draw. Minimum
arrow length is 20 inches.
2)
Crossbows and bolts as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code
670.30.
c) Broadheads must be used. Broadheads may have fixed or expandable cutting surfaces, but they must have a minimum 7/8 inch diameter when fully opened. Broadheads with fixed cutting surfaces must be metal or flint-, chert-, or obsidian knapped; broadheads with expandable cutting surfaces must be metal. All other bows and arrows, including electronic arrow tracking systems using radio telemetry, are illegal.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Illinois may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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