Planning a hunting trip to Illinois and wondering What Time Is It In Il? While we can’t provide the exact current time, this comprehensive guide focuses on the important times for hunters: season dates, hours, and crucial regulations for deer hunting in Illinois. Whether you’re a resident or a non-resident, understanding these details is essential for a successful and legal hunt.
Illinois Deer Hunting Seasons: Dates, Hours, and Limits
The following table outlines the various deer hunting seasons in Illinois, including specific dates, hunting hours, and bag limits. Remember to always check the latest regulations from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for the most up-to-date information.
| SEASON | DATES | HOURS | LIMIT | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery (Counties with a firearm season and west of Route 47 in Kane County) | 1 Oct – 21 Nov & 25 Nov – 4 Dec & 9 Dec 2024 – 19 Jan 2025 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer per archery permit | ** See footnote below |
| Archery (Cook, DuPage, Lake and Kane [east of route 47] Counties) | 1 Oct 2024 – 19 Jan 2025 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer per archery permit | ** See footnote below |
| Firearm (Shotgun, Centerfire Rifle, Muzzleloader, Handgun) | 22-24 Nov & 5-8 Dec 2024 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer per firearm permit | ** See footnote below |
| Muzzleloader only | 13-15 Dec 2024 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer per muzzleloader permit | ** See footnote below |
| Special CWD | 26-29 Dec 2024 & 17-19 Jan 2025 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer per valid permit | Antlered deer limit in footnote below does NOT apply to this season |
| Late-Winter Antlerless-only (Shotgun, Muzzleloader, Handgun) | 26-29 Dec 2024 & 17-19 Jan 2025 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One antlerless deer per permit | ** See footnote below |
| Youth Firearm | 12-14 Oct 2024 | 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset | One deer | ** See footnote below |
| ** | No hunter, regardless of the quantity or type of permits in his/her possession, may harvest more than two antlered deer during a year, including the youth, archery, muzzleloader and firearm seasons. For the purpose of this harvest limit, deer seasons are considered to be in the same year if their opening dates are within the same 12-month period that begins July 1 |
Licenses and Permits for Deer Hunting in Illinois
To legally hunt deer in Illinois, both residents and non-residents require specific licenses and permits. The type of permit you need depends on the season and weapon you intend to use.
Archery Permits
Residents:
- No limit on the number of archery permits you can purchase.
- Permits are available at vendors or online. No lottery is required.
Non-Residents:
- Limited to one archery combination permit per license year.
- Non-resident landowners who have obtained landowner archery permits are also eligible for one combination non-resident archery permit.
- Applications are accepted online from June 1-30.
- Any remaining permits after the drawing are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Firearm/Muzzleloader Deer Permits
Firearm and muzzleloader permits are primarily distributed through a lottery system. The application periods for the lotteries are:
- First Lottery: March 4, 2025 – April 30, 2025
- Second Lottery: May 12, 2025 – June 30, 2025
- Third Lottery: July 11, 2025 – August 15, 2025 (Open to anyone for one or more permits)
Apply for these permits conveniently online.
Late Winter Antlerless-only Permits
- Application dates are To Be Announced (TBA).
- Available to residents only.
- Legal weapons include shotgun, centerfire rifle, handgun, or muzzleloading rifle.
- Hunters with valid, unused permits from previous firearm, muzzleloader, or youth seasons can use weapons allowed by those permits.
- Permits are applicable only to Special Hunt Areas (IDNR sites) and counties open to this season.
- Remaining permits are available over-the-counter to residents at vendors starting in early December.
Special CWD Permits
- Application dates are TBA (residents only).
- Legal weapons include shotgun, centerfire rifle, handgun, or muzzleloading rifle.
- Hunters with valid, unused permits from previous firearm, muzzleloader, or youth seasons can use weapons allowed by those permits.
- Permits (either-sex) are only applicable to Special Hunt Areas (IDNR sites) and counties with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
- Some state sites are issued by lottery (see Firearm permits above), but open counties are issued over the counter.
- Permits (antlerless only) remaining after the lottery are available to residents and non-residents over-the-counter at vendors in early December.
Youth Deer Permits
Youth Deer Hunt Permits are available over-the-counter (OTC) from agents starting the first Tuesday in August through the last day of the Youth Deer Season.
- Available to both residents and non-residents.
- Youth hunter is limited to one either-sex deer permit valid statewide, except in the closed area of Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties, and that portion of Kane County east of State Route 47.
Landowner Deer Permits
Illinois Archery Season: Equipment and Regulations
Always consult the regulations for specific IDNR sites, as some may have stricter rules regarding equipment and harvest reporting. The Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations offers full details on deer hunting regulations.
Legal Archery Hunting Equipment
- Long, recurve, or compound bow with a minimum pull of 30 pounds at some point within a 28-inch draw. Minimum arrow length (not including point) is 20 inches.
- Crossbow with a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds; minimum overall length of 24 inches; a working safety; and used with fletched bolts or arrows of not less than 14 inches.
- Broadheads must be used and may have fixed (metal or flint-, chert- or obsidian-knapped) or expandable (metal) cutting surfaces, with a minimum 7/8-inch diameter when fully opened.
Clothing Requirements
There are no specific clothing requirements for archery deer hunting, but hunters should be aware of blaze orange/pink requirements during other seasons.
Tagging and Harvest Reporting
Immediately upon killing a deer, before moving it, transporting it, or field dressing it, hunters must detach the appropriate leg tag from the permit to invalidate it and attach it to the leg using their own fastener through the provided holes. A head tag is also provided and must be used if the head or antlers are delivered to a taxidermist. The deer must remain whole (or field dressed) until checked in. Successful deer hunters must report their harvest by 10 p.m. on the same calendar day the deer was taken using the toll-free telephone check-in system or the online check-in system. Be prepared to answer questions listed on the back of your permit.
Restricted Archery Zone (RAZ)
In Champaign, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie, and Piatt counties, only antlered deer may be harvested during the 1-31 October period of archery season to allow deer populations to increase.
Firearm and Muzzleloader Seasons: Regulations and Equipment
As with archery season, always check the IDNR site regulations for any specific rules.
Legal Firearm Hunting Equipment
- Shotguns, loaded with slugs only, of not larger than 10 nor smaller than 20 gauge, not capable of firing more than three consecutive slugs.
- Single or double-barreled muzzleloading rifles of at least .45 caliber shooting a single projectile through a barrel of at least 16 inches in length.
- Single-shot centerfire rifle with a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding one and two-fifths inches OR a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500-foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. No full-metal jacket bullets allowed. Must not be capable of holding more than 1 round in the magazine and chamber combined.
- Centerfire revolvers or centerfire single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches.
- Only blackpowder or a “blackpowder substitute” such as Pyrodex may be used in muzzleloaders.
- Percussion caps (shotgun primers are legal percussion caps), wheellock, matchlock, or flint-type ignition only may be used, except a muzzleloader with an electronic ignition is legal to use.
- Archery equipment is allowed on private land only during firearm deer season with a valid, unfilled Firearm Deer Permit.
- Use of a suppressor/silencer is not permitted. Scopes may be used on any legal firearm.
Clothing Requirements
A solid blaze orange or blaze pink cap/hat and an upper outer garment displaying at least 400 square inches of blaze orange or blaze pink material must be worn.
Tagging and Harvest Reporting
Tagging regulations are the same as during archery season. Successful firearm and muzzleloader deer hunters in counties without CWD surveillance must report their harvest by 10 pm on the same calendar day the deer was taken using the toll-free telephone check-in system (1-866-452-4325) or the online check-in system.
Mandatory Check Stations
Successful deer hunters during firearm season in counties with CWD surveillance (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Livingston, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will, and Winnebago) need to be physically registered at a designated check station on the same day it was killed between 8 am and 8 pm.
Late Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Hunting Season
Any legal firearms, muzzleloader, or handgun specified in the Firearm and Muzzeloader Season section can be used during this season, except youth hunters can only use a shotgun or muzzleloader. Legal archery equipment can also be used, but archery permits must be used, and blaze orange/pink rules apply.
Clothing, tagging, and harvest reporting requirements are the same as in the Firearm and Muzzeloader Season.
Special CWD Deer Hunting Season
Any legal firearms, muzzleloader, or handgun as specified in the Firearm Season section above can be used during the Special CWD season. Note: the two antlered deer limit does not apply to this season. Clothing, tagging, and harvest reporting requirements are the same as in the Firearm and Muzzeloader Season.
Youth Firearm Deer Hunting Season
- Youth must be less than 18 years of age on the first day of the hunt.
- A permit is available to resident and nonresident youth, limited to 1 either-sex deer permit.
- The permit is valid on private land statewide (with landowner permission) or on public sites open to this season.
- Legal weapons include shotgun, centerfire rifle, or muzzleloader following the specifications in the Firearm Season section above.
- Each youth hunter must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult who is in immediate control of the youth hunter at all times during the hunt. The adult must have a current Illinois hunting license if a non-resident or if the youth is using an Apprentice or Youth hunting license.
- Clothing, tagging, and harvest reporting requirements are the same as in the Firearm and Muzzeloader Season.
Deer Management & Ecology in Illinois
The IDNR Division of Wildlife Resources manages white-tailed deer and their habitats. Deer populations are managed through regulated hunting seasons and harvest quotas, balancing ecological principles with human interests.
Effective deer harvest strategies require knowledge of deer ecology, including behavior, food and habitat preferences, and disease dynamics.
Understanding Deer Harvest by the Numbers
Stay informed about deer populations and hunting success with these resources:
- Interactive Harvest Data
- Deer Management Statistics
- Annual Deer Season Harvest Reports
- Deer Harvest Summaries by County
Disease Awareness: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Hunters should be particularly aware of the presence of CWD in northern Illinois counties. Mandatory checks are required during firearm seasons in those counties. Report any sick or dead deer to the IDNR and contact an IDNR District Wildlife Biologist if you detect abnormalities while field dressing a harvested deer.
Additional Resources for Illinois Hunters
- Gifting or Donating Venison
- Recipe Book – Illinois Learn to Hunt Program
- Maximizing use of harvested deer
- Video Q&A with the IDNR Deer Project Manager
- First deer harvest certificate
- Private land permission form
- Find collector pin vendors or order online
- Claim a road-kill deer
This guide offers a comprehensive overview of deer hunting in Illinois. Remember to consult the official IDNR resources for the most accurate and up-to-date information, and good luck with your hunt!
