Section 685.40  Statewide Deer Hunting Rules

a)         Bag limits: One deer per legally authorized permit.  All either-sex permits are subject to the following restrictions:  no hunter, regardless of the quantity or type of permits in his/her possession, may harvest more than 2 antlered deer during a year, including the youth, archery, muzzleloader and firearm seasons.  For purposes of this Section, deer seasons are considered to be in the same year if their opening dates fall within the same 12-month period that begins on July 1.

b)         Supervision of Youth Hunters

1)         Each hunter participating in the Youth Deer Hunting Season while using an Apprentice Hunter License or a Youth Hunting License must be accompanied by a non-hunting, validly-licensed (Illinois hunting license) adult who is 21 years of age or older.  All other hunters (using other types of hunting licenses or license-exempt) participating in the Youth Deer Hunting Season must each be accompanied by a non-hunting supervisor (parent, guardian or responsible adult).  A nonresident supervisor must have a valid Illinois hunting license.

2)         The non-hunting supervisor must wear the solid blaze orange/pink garments required of gun deer hunters, and must remain with the hunting youth so as to have the youth under immediate control.  Youths participating in the first firearm deer season using only an unfilled Youth Deer Permit (i.e., youths without a firearm deer season permit for that county) must be accompanied by a supervisor as described in this subsection (b), but, during the firearm deer season, that supervisor may also hunt so long as he/she has the appropriate licenses and permits.  Each supervisor may only accompany a single youth at any given time during the hunt.  The supervising adult shall be criminally liable for the actions of the youth in the hunting party, and be subject to the criminal penalties provided by law.

c)         The temporary harvest tag must be attached and properly sealed immediately upon kill and before the deer is moved, transported or field dressed.  No person shall leave any deer that has been killed without properly attaching the temporary harvest tag to the deer in the manner prescribed in Section 685.50 and on the permit.

d)         Hunters shall not have in their possession, while in the field during the Youth Deer Season, any deer permit issued to another person (permits are non-transferrable).  Violation is a Class B misdemeanor (see 520 ILCS 5/2.24).

e)         Permits shall not be re-issued in cases involving deer taken that are found to be diseased or spoiled due to previous injury.  Disposal of unfit deer taken shall be the responsibility of the hunter.

(Source:  Amended at 43 Ill. Reg. 9559, effective August 23, 2019)