To be able to hunt for game, residency in the state is the first step; a resident in Illinois must have lived in the state for at least 30 days. For older residents, that is, people born before January 1st, 1980, hunter education is not required. Younger people born on or after this date are required to have a hunter education certificate before they can purchase a license form. The Department of Natural Resources offers a wide variety of state hunting licenses – one that is appropriate for all.
Illinois Hunting License
Some examples of these licenses are listed below.
Illinois resident hunting licenseNon-resident hunting licenseSenior citizen hunting licenseDeer-hunting permitMigratory waterfowl hunting permitYouth hunting license
The Illinois resident permit is for the citizens who have lived in the state for 30 days or more. If they plan to use firearms while hunting, they must also get an identification card for that. This kind of license costs $12.50. There is a temporary and permanent permit. Obtaining a lifetime permit costs more-$360.
A non-resident license is required before someone who does not live in Illinois can hunt so is a firearm card, if such is planned to be used. The fee for this type of license is $57.50
Senior citizens in Illinois are between the ages of 65 and above. They are given a reduced fee to purchase the license, so instead of the $12 price, senior residents obtain the form for only $6.50
The most common deer in Illinois, as earlier stated, is the white-tailed deer. In previous years they were once classified as endangered species, but with hunting regulations in place, poaching has been reduced to the barest minimum. Hunting a deer corresponds to having a deer hunting permit.
The waterfowl is Illinois’ king of birds. To hunt it, a resident must be 18 years and above and must have purchased the Illinois migratory waterfowl stamp along with the federal duck stamp for $13.50
Finally, people under the age of 18 are also opportune to hunt for games. It is required that there must have been prior hunting training and while hunting they must be under the supervision of a person who is 21 years or older. Without fulfilling these criteria, a youth hunting license cannot be authorized.
To buy a hunting license of any category has been made simple. One can choose to visit the department of natural resources, fill out all necessary forms and finally visit an approved vendor to get it over the counter. Purchasing the form online is another option. All that is required is to visit all license and permit stamps pages on the department’s website, locate the most suitable license, and create an account on the page. The page redirects to a link where payment can be made. After these steps, a license is issued. The validity period of an Illinois hunting license of all categories except, the lifetime hunting license is a period of months from the day of purchase to the first day in March. Hence, constant renewal is necessary.
Hunting without a license is a strong violation of the law governing the state of Illinois. The penalty for violating hunting laws is strict and rigid. A fine of $250 will be required if a person is found hunting during a closed season-a season when hunters are not allowed to hunt for any or a particular specie- and all hunting privileges are repealed. Also, if other validation stamps are not found, an extra fee may result.
Conclusion
Exceeding the number of deer hunts in a year is also an offense punishable by law, a person is only able to hunt a maximum of two Deer in a year in Illinois. Anyone that is found guilty will have their license withdrawn for three years and above depending on the gravity of the trespass. In recent years, as stated by the department of natural resources, the number of hunting licenses has increased by up to 64,400 new registrations. A higher number is expected for every new license year-March 1- in Illinois.
