(520 ILCS 5/3.3) (from Ch. 61, par. 3.3)

Sec. 3.3. Trapping license required. Before any person shall trap any of the mammals protected by this Act, for which an open trapping season has been established, he shall first procure a trapping license from the Department to do so. No traps shall be placed in the field, set or unset, prior to the opening day of the trapping season.

Traps used in the taking of such mammals shall be marked or tagged with metal tags or inscribed in lettering giving the name and address of the owner or the customer identification number issued by the Department, and absence of such mark or tag shall be prima facie evidence that such trap or traps are illegally used and the trap or traps shall be confiscated and disposed of as directed by the Department.

Before any person 18 years of age or older shall trap, attempt to trap, or sell the green hides of any mammal of the species defined as fur-bearing mammals by Section 2.2 for which an open season is established under this Act, he shall first have procured a State Habitat Stamp.

Beginning January 1, 2016, no trapping license shall be issued to any person born on or after January 1, 1998 unless he or she presents to the authorized issuer of the license evidence that he or she has a certificate of competency provided for in this Section.

The Department of Natural Resources shall authorize personnel of the Department, or volunteer instructors, found by the Department to be competent, to provide instruction in courses on trapping techniques and ethical trapping behavior as needed throughout the State, which courses shall be at least 8 hours in length. Persons so authorized shall provide instruction in such courses to individuals at no charge, and shall issue to individuals successfully completing such courses certificates of competency in basic trapping techniques. The Department shall cooperate in establishing such courses with any reputable association or organization which has as one of its objectives the promotion of the ethical use of legal fur harvesting devices and techniques. The Department shall furnish information on the requirements of the trapper education program to be distributed free of charge to applicants for trapping licenses by the persons appointed and authorized to issue licenses.

The owners residing on, or bona fide tenants of farm lands, and their children actually residing on such lands, shall have the right to trap mammals protected by this Act, for which an open trapping season has been established, upon such lands, without procuring licenses, provided that such mammals are taken during the periods of time and with such devices as are permitted by this Act.

Any person on active duty in the Armed Forces or any person with a disability who is a resident of Illinois, may trap any of the species protected by Section 2.2, during such times, with such devices, and by such methods as are permitted by this Act, without procuring a trapping license. For the purposes of this Section, a person is considered a person with a disability if he or she has a Type 1 or Type 4, Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification Card Act. For purposes of this Section, an Illinois Person with a Disability Identification Card issued pursuant to the Illinois Identification Card Act indicating that the person thereon named has a Type 1 or Type 4, Class 2 disability shall be adequate documentation of such a disability.

(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-524, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)