Full Text of SB3094 103rd General Assembly
SB3094 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024 SB3094 Introduced 2/2/2024, by Sen. Dale Fowler SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: | | 520 ILCS 5/2.25 | from Ch. 61, par. 2.25 |
| Amends the Wildlife Code. Requires the Department of Natural Resources to review existing rules and regulations governing deer management in a specified area of Southern Illinois and to alter the rules and regulations to address increasing economic damages and public safety concerns in that area of the State. Effective Immediately. |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning wildlife. | 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | 3 | | represented in the General Assembly: | 4 | | Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing | 5 | | Section 2.25 as follows: | 6 | | (520 ILCS 5/2.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.25) | 7 | | Sec. 2.25. It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer | 8 | | except (i) with a shotgun, handgun, single shot centerfire | 9 | | rifle, or muzzleloading rifle or (ii) as provided by | 10 | | administrative rule, with a bow and arrow, during the open | 11 | | season of not more than 14 days which will be set annually by | 12 | | the Director between the dates of November 1st and December | 13 | | 31st, both inclusive, or a special 3-day, youth-only season | 14 | | between the dates of September 1 and October 31. For the | 15 | | purposes of this Section, legal handguns and rifles are | 16 | | limited to centerfire handguns that are either a single shot | 17 | | or revolver and centerfire rifles that are single shot. The | 18 | | only legal ammunition for a centerfire handgun or rifle is a | 19 | | bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with | 20 | | a case length not exceeding one and two-fifths inches, or a | 21 | | straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, | 22 | | both of which must be available as a factory load with the | 23 | | published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a |
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| 1 | | capability of at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. | 2 | | The barrel of a handgun shall be at least 4 inches. Full metal | 3 | | jacket bullets may not be used to harvest deer. | 4 | | The Department shall make administrative rules concerning | 5 | | management restrictions applicable to the firearm and bow and | 6 | | arrow season. | 7 | | It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except | 8 | | with a bow and arrow during the open season for bow and arrow | 9 | | set annually by the Director between the dates of September | 10 | | 1st and January 31st, both inclusive. | 11 | | It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer except | 12 | | with (i) a muzzleloading rifle or (ii) bow and arrow during the | 13 | | open season for muzzleloading rifles set annually by the | 14 | | Director. | 15 | | The Director shall cause an administrative rule setting | 16 | | forth the prescribed rules and regulations, including bag and | 17 | | possession limits and those counties of the State where open | 18 | | seasons are established, to be published in accordance with | 19 | | Sections 1.3 and 1.13 of this Act. | 20 | | The Department may establish separate harvest periods for | 21 | | the purpose of managing or eradicating disease that has been | 22 | | found in the deer herd. This season shall be restricted to gun | 23 | | or bow and arrow hunting only. The Department shall publicly | 24 | | announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and | 25 | | shooting hours, the counties and sites open to hunting. | 26 | | The Department is authorized to establish a separate |
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| 1 | | harvest period at specific sites within the State for the | 2 | | purpose of harvesting surplus deer that cannot be taken during | 3 | | the regular season provided for the taking of deer. This | 4 | | season shall be restricted to gun or bow and arrow hunting only | 5 | | and shall be established during the period of September 1st to | 6 | | February 15th, both inclusive. The Department shall publicly | 7 | | announce, via statewide news release, the season dates and | 8 | | shooting hours, and the counties and sites open to hunting. | 9 | | The Department shall publish suitable prescribed rules and | 10 | | regulations established by administrative rule pertaining to | 11 | | management restrictions applicable to this special harvest | 12 | | program. The Department shall allow unused gun deer permits | 13 | | that are left over from a regular season for the taking of deer | 14 | | to be rolled over and used during any separate harvest period | 15 | | held within 6 months of the season for which those tags were | 16 | | issued at no additional cost to the permit holder subject to | 17 | | the management restrictions applicable to the special harvest | 18 | | program. | 19 | | Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter, | 20 | | the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly | 21 | | providing information regarding deer management programs | 22 | | established by the Code or by administrative rule that | 23 | | includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each | 24 | | separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a | 25 | | communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what | 26 | | happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season. |
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| 1 | | Beginning July 1, 2024, and on an annual basis thereafter, | 2 | | the Department shall review existing deer management rules and | 3 | | regulations, including length of seasons and bag and | 4 | | possession limits for all counties located within Department | 5 | | Region V, and shall make adjustments to the rules and | 6 | | regulations to address increasing economic damages and public | 7 | | safety concerns in Region V beginning with the 2025 regular | 8 | | season for deer. | 9 | | (Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19; 102-314, eff. 1-1-22; | 10 | | 102-932, eff. 1-1-23 .) | 11 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 12 | | becoming law. |
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