a) All deer hunters must have a current,
valid Firearm Deer Permit. Fees for deer permits are as follows:
1) Illinois Resident Permits (issued by Deer
Permit Office):
Either-sex - $25
Bonus antlerless-only - $17.50
Antlerless only for Special Hunt Areas with antlerless-only
hunts - $25
2) Nonresident
Permits (issued by Deer Permit Office):
Either-sex - $300
Bonus antlerless-only - $25
Antlerless-only for Special Hunt Areas with antlerless-only
hunts - $300
3) In addition
to a Special Hunt Area Permit issued under subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2), a
hunter may obtain additional Special Hunt Area Permits, issued by staff at the
Special Hunt Area, when unfilled permits are available.
Fees:
Either-sex (full, 1st or
2nd season) - $25 regardless of residency
Antlerless-only (full, 1st or
2nd season) - $17.50 regardless of residency
One-day standby permits - $5 regardless of residency
4) Over-the-Counter Permits sold
by license vendors pursuant to subsection (i) (all prices in this subsection
(a)(4) include vendor's issuing fee):
Resident either-sex - $25.50
Resident antlerless-only - $18.00
Nonresident either-sex - $300.50
Nonresident bonus antlerless-only (hunter has obtained, for the
current year, a firearm either-sex permit or has a valid landowner firearm
either-sex permit) - $25.50
Nonresident antlerless-only (hunter has not obtained a firearm
either-sex permit for the current year) - $100.50
b) A permit is issued
for one county or special hunt area and is valid only in the county, where
permission to hunt has been obtained from the property owner, or special hunt
area stated on the permit. During the First Lottery and Second Lottery,
applicants who receive an either-sex permit in a county or special hunt area
are eligible for a bonus antlerless-only permit for that county or special hunt
area (with the exception of special hunt areas offering antlerless-only hunts).
During the Third Lottery, antlerless-only permits remaining in the quota will
be made available to resident applicants regardless of whether those applicants
already possess an either-sex permit, but nonresident applicants must have a
firearm either-sex permit in order to obtain an antlerless-only permit. For
permit applications and other information write to:
Department of Natural Resources
(Firearm or Landowner/Tenant or Non-Resident)
Deer Permit Office
P.O. Box 19227
Springfield, Illinois 62794-9227
c) Applications from Illinois residents for
participation in the First Lottery Drawing will be accepted through April 30 of
the current year. Nonresidents may not apply to participate in the First
Lottery Drawing. Applications received after April 30 will not be included in
this lottery. Permits will be allocated in a computerized random drawing.
Permits will be issued as either sex, antlerless only, or antlered only. A
maximum of one either-sex and one antlerless-only permit shall be issued per
person. Applicants for free landowner/tenant permits (see 17 Ill. Adm. Code
528) are not eligible to participate in the First or Second Lottery Drawings.
Landowners who receive permits in the First or Second Lottery Drawing are not
eligible for landowner permits for the firearm deer season during the hunt
year. Lifetime licenses issued after August 15, 2006 shall not qualify a
non-resident of Illinois for a resident deer permit.
d) Applicants must complete all portions of
the current year permit application form. Incomplete or incorrect applications
will be returned along with the applicant's permit fee for correction or
completion if received in the Permit Office prior to the deadline established
in subsection (c).
e) Applicants
must check the second-season box if they agree to accept a second-season permit
upon being rejected for a full-season permit.
f) Applicants must check the antlerless-only
box and provide the appropriate fee to apply for an additional antlerless-only
permit. Antlerless-only permits will be issued until the antlerless-only quota
is filled for a given county or special hunt area.
g) Permits for counties and special hunt
areas with unfilled quotas after the First Lottery Drawing will be allocated in
a Second Lottery Drawing. This drawing is open only to nonresident applicants
and to Illinois residents who were not previously issued firearm permits for
the current hunting season. Illinois residents will be given preference for
permits allocated in the Second Lottery Drawing. Applications for the Second
Lottery Drawing will be accepted through June 30 of the current year.
Applicants may also apply for remaining antlerless-only permits by checking the
antlerless-only box and providing the appropriate fee. A list of unfilled
counties and special hunt areas will be announced upon becoming available after
the First Lottery Drawing. Applicants must apply on a current year Firearm Deer
Permit application form. A maximum of one either-sex and one antlerless-only
permit shall be issued per person.
h) A Third Lottery Drawing will be held
during which any Illinois resident (regardless of any other deer permit they
may have) may apply for one or more either-sex and/or antlerless-only permits
for counties or special hunt areas with unfilled quotas. Nonresidents may also
apply, but must have received an either-sex permit in order to obtain an
antlerless-only permit in this drawing. Applications for the Third Lottery
Drawing will be accepted through the third Friday in August of the current
year. A list of unfilled counties and special hunt areas will be announced upon
becoming available after the Second Lottery Drawing. Applicants must apply on a
current year Firearm Deer Permit application form. All applications for the
Third Lottery will be processed individually (i.e., no group applications will
be processed).
i) Permits remaining
after the Third Lottery Drawing will be available over-the-counter (OTC) from
agents designated by the Department (pursuant to 17 Ill. Adm. Code
2520)
beginning the third Tuesday in October on a first-come, first-served basis.
Permits will be sold until quotas are exhausted, or until the close of the
firearm deer season, whichever occurs first. Persons may purchase one or more
permits during this period, subject to availability. Persons purchasing OTC
deer permits must supply all necessary applicant information to the agents in
order to properly complete the permit.
j) Hunter preference in obtaining a permit
during the First Lottery Drawing will be given: to individuals that applied for
an either-sex permit in the previous year's First Lottery Drawing who were
rejected because the quota was depleted in their county choices. Preference
will not be granted to applicants who received a full-season either-sex permit
but who did not receive an antlerless-only permit. Persons with lottery
preference will have first chance at receiving available either-sex permits.
The following criteria must be met to obtain a preference in the First Lottery
Drawing:
1) The applicant must apply using the
official Department application.
2)
The applicant must be a resident of the State, be eligible to receive a Firearm
Deer Permit, and not had deer hunting privileges revoked pursuant to Section
650.50.
3) The applicant must apply for the same
county choices that the applicant listed on the previous year's application.
Preference will not be granted for special hunt areas.
k) Applications may be accepted at the
counter window of the permit office; however, permits for the First Lottery,
Second Lottery and Third Lottery Drawing will be mailed. In-person, mail-in and
electronic applications will receive equal treatment in the drawings.
l) 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.
m) A $3 service fee will be charged for
replacement permits issued by the Department, except when permits are lost in
the mail, then there will be no charge. The procedures for obtaining a
replacement license are detailed in 17 Ill. Adm. Code
2520.50.
Monies derived from this source will be deposited in the Wildlife and Fish
Fund.
n) The periods for accepting
applications for the First and Second Lottery periods may be extended if
applications are not available to the public by April 1. A news release will
announce the extension of the application periods.
o) 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 (o) 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 a Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation
or executive order;
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 first day of the
season listed on the permit. Permits shall be considered delivered to the
Department if the permit is received or postmarked before the first 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 or postmarked before the first day
of the season listed on the permit. No refund shall be issued under this
subsection (o)(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 (o)(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 hunting season that the cancelled
permit was issued.
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 (o)(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 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.