Sen. Patrick J. Joyce
Filed: 4/25/2025
 
 
 




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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 710


2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 710 by replacing 
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:

4    "Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing 
5Sections 2.26, 2.37, and 3.1-6 as follows:

6    (520 ILCS 5/2.26)    (from Ch. 61, par. 2.26)
7    Sec. 2.26. Deer hunting permits. Any person attempting to 
8take deer shall first obtain a "Deer Hunting Permit" issued by 
9the Department in accordance with its administrative rules. 
10Those rules must provide for the issuance of the following 
11types of resident deer archery permits: (i) a combination 
12permit, consisting of one either-sex permit and one 
13antlerless-only permit, (ii) a single antlerless-only permit, 
14and (iii) a single either-sex permit. The fee for a Deer 
15Hunting Permit to take deer with either bow and arrow or gun 
16shall not exceed $25 for residents of the State. The 
 
 
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1Department may by administrative rule provide for non-resident 
2deer hunting permits for which the fee will not exceed $300 in 
32005, $350 in 2006, and $400 in 2007 and thereafter except as 
4provided below for non-resident landowners and non-resident 
5archery hunters. The Department may by administrative rule 
6provide for a non-resident archery deer permit consisting of 
7not more than 2 harvest tags at a total cost not to exceed $325 
8in 2005, $375 in 2006, and $425 in 2007 and thereafter. The 
9fees for a youth resident and non-resident archery deer permit 
10shall be the same. 
11    The Department shall create a pilot program during the 
12special 3-day, youth-only deer hunting season to allow for 
13youth deer hunting permits that are valid statewide, excluding 
14those counties or portions of counties closed to firearm deer 
15hunting. The Department shall adopt rules to implement the 
16pilot program. Hunters qualifying to participate in a 
17youth-only deer season shall be eligible for one either-sex 
18permit and one antlerless-only permit. Nothing in this 
19paragraph shall be construed to prohibit the Department from 
20issuing Special Hunt Area Permits for the youth-only deer 
21hunting season or establishing, through administrative rule, 
22additional requirements pertaining to the youth-only deer 
23hunting season on Department-owned or Department-managed 
24sites, including site-specific quotas or drawings. The 
25provisions of this paragraph are inoperative on and after 
26January 1, 2023.
 
 
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1    The standards and specifications for use of guns and bow 
2and arrow for deer hunting shall be established by 
3administrative rule.
4    No person may have in his or her possession any firearm not 
5authorized by administrative rule for a specific hunting 
6season when taking deer unless in accordance with the Firearm 
7Concealed Carry Act.
8    Persons having a firearm deer hunting permit shall be 
9permitted to take deer only during the period from 1/2 hour 
10before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, and only during those 
11days for which an open season is established for the taking of 
12deer by use of shotgun, handgun, rifle, or muzzle loading 
13rifle.
14    Persons having an archery deer hunting permit shall be 
15permitted to take deer only during the period from 1/2 hour 
16before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset, and only during those 
17days for which an open season is established for the taking of 
18deer by use of bow and arrow.
19    It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer by use of 
20dogs, horses, automobiles, aircraft, or other vehicles, or by 
21the use or aid of bait or baiting of any kind. For the purposes 
22of this Section, "bait" means any material, whether liquid or 
23solid, including food, salt, minerals, and other products, 
24except pure water, that can be ingested, placed, or scattered 
25in such a manner as to attract or lure white-tailed deer. 
26"Baiting" means the placement or scattering of bait to attract 
 
 
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1deer. An area is considered as baited during the presence of 
2and for 10 consecutive days following the removal of bait. 
3Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the use of a dog to 
4track wounded deer. Any person using a dog for tracking 
5wounded deer must maintain physical control of the dog at all 
6times by means of a maximum 50-foot 50 foot lead attached to 
7the dog's collar or harness. Tracking wounded deer is 
8permissible at night, but at no time outside of legal deer 
9hunting hours or seasons shall any person handling or 
10accompanying a dog being used for tracking wounded deer be in 
11possession of any firearm or archery device. Persons tracking 
12wounded deer with a dog during the firearm deer seasons shall 
13wear blaze orange or solid blaze pink color as required. Dog 
14handlers tracking wounded deer with a dog are exempt from 
15hunting license and deer permit requirements so long as they 
16are accompanied by the licensed deer hunter who wounded the 
17deer.
18    It shall be unlawful to possess or transport any wild deer 
19which has been injured or killed in any manner upon a public 
20highway or public right-of-way of this State unless exempted 
21by administrative rule.
22    Persons hunting deer must have the gun unloaded and no bow 
23and arrow device shall be carried with the arrow in the nocked 
24position during hours when deer hunting is unlawful.
25    It shall be unlawful for any person, having taken the 
26legal limit of deer by gun, to further participate with a gun 
 
 
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1in any deer hunting party.
2    It shall be unlawful for any person, having taken the 
3legal limit of deer by bow and arrow, to further participate 
4with bow and arrow in any deer hunting party.
5    The Department may prohibit upland game hunting during the 
6gun deer season by administrative rule.
7    The Department shall not limit the number of non-resident, 
8either-sex archery deer hunting permits to less than 20,000. 
9    Any person who violates any of the provisions of this 
10Section, including administrative rules, shall be guilty of a 
11Class B misdemeanor.
12    For the purposes of calculating acreage under this 
13Section, the Department shall, after determining the total 
14acreage of the applicable tract or tracts of land, round 
15remaining fractional portions of an acre greater than or equal 
16to half of an acre up to the next whole acre. 
17    For the purposes of taking white-tailed deer, nothing in 
18this Section shall be construed to prevent the manipulation, 
19including mowing or cutting, of standing crops as a normal 
20agricultural or soil stabilization practice, food plots, or 
21normal agricultural practices, including planting, harvesting, 
22and maintenance such as cultivating or the use of products 
23designed for scent only and not capable of ingestion, solid or 
24liquid, placed or scattered, in such a manner as to attract or 
25lure deer. Such manipulation for the purpose of taking 
26white-tailed deer may be further modified by administrative 
 
 
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1rule. 
2(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-444, eff. 6-1-20; 
3102-237, eff. 1-1-22; 102-932, eff. 1-1-23; revised 10-23-24.)

4    (520 ILCS 5/2.37)    (from Ch. 61, par. 2.37)
5    Sec. 2.37. Authority to kill wildlife responsible for 
6damage. 
7    (a) Subject to federal regulations and Section 3 of the 
8Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act, the Department may 
9authorize owners and tenants of lands or their agents, who are 
10performing the service without fee or compensation, to remove 
11or destroy any wild bird or wild mammal when the wild bird or 
12wild mammal is known to be destroying property or causing a 
13risk to human health or safety upon his or her land.
14    Upon receipt by the Department of information from the 
15owner, tenant, or sharecropper that any one or more species of 
16wildlife is damaging dams, levees, ditches, cattle pastures, 
17or other property on the land on which he resides or controls, 
18together with a statement regarding location of the property 
19damages, the nature and extent of the damage, and the 
20particular species of wildlife committing the damage, the 
21Department shall make an investigation.
22    If, after investigation, the Department finds that damage 
23or risk to human safety does exist and can be abated only by 
24removing or destroying that wildlife, a permit shall be issued 
25by the Department to remove or destroy the species responsible 
 
 
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1for causing the damage.
2    A permit to control the damage shall be for a period set by 
3administrative rule of up to 90 days, shall specify the means 
4and methods by which and the person or persons by whom the 
5wildlife may be removed or destroyed, without fee or 
6compensation for the initial permits issued to a landowner or 
7tenant, and shall set forth the disposition procedure to be 
8made of all wildlife taken and other restrictions the Director 
9considers necessary and appropriate in the circumstances of 
10the particular case. Whenever possible, the specimens 
11destroyed shall be given to a bona fide public or State 
12scientific, educational, or zoological institution.
13    The permittee shall advise the Department in writing, as 
14set by administrative rule within 10 days after the expiration 
15date of the permit, of the number of individual species of 
16wildlife taken, disposition made of them, and any other 
17information which the Department may consider necessary.
18    The Department shall adopt rules establishing: (i) 
19procedures and criteria for issuance; (ii) timeline for 
20issuance of permits; (iii) method of take; (iv) disposition of 
21remains; (v) reporting; (vi) evaluation of damage; (vii) cost; 
22(viii) suspension or revocation of permits; (ix) denial of 
23permits; and (x) renewal of permits issued under this Section. 
24The Department shall adopt rules that allow landowners to have 
25other individuals, that meet all requirements set forth in 
26this Act, destroy deer authorized under permits issued to that 
 
 
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1landowner under this Section. The Department shall adopt rules 
2allowing the automatic issuance of additional antlerless-only 
3permits during the regular firearm or archery season of that 
4year if a landowner demonstrates proof of successfully 
5harvesting 50% of the permits issued from a permit issued 
6under this Section to destroy deer in that same calendar year. 
7The Department shall adopt rules allowing the automatic 
8eligibility for additional permits to be issued in the 
9following calendar year for use between June 1 through 
10September 15 if a landowner demonstrates proof of harvesting 
1180% of the permits that were issued under this Section that 
12were issued to the landowner for the previous year's regular 
13firearm and archery deer hunting seasons.    
14    (b) Subject to federal regulations and Section 3 of the 
15Illinois Endangered Species Protection Act, the Department may 
16grant the authority to control species protected by this Code 
17pursuant to the issuance of a Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit 
18to:
19        (1) any person who is providing such service or 
20 solicits customers for themselves or on behalf of a 
21 nuisance wildlife control permit holder for a fee or 
22 compensation; 
23        (2) a governmental body; or
24        (3) a nonprofit or other charitable organization.
25    The Department shall set forth applicable regulations in 
26an Administrative rule Order and may require periodic reports 
 
 
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1listing species taken, numbers of each species taken, dates 
2when taken, and other pertinent information.
3    Any person operating under a Nuisance Wildlife Control 
4Permit who subcontracts the operation of nuisance wildlife 
5control to another shall ensure that such subcontractor 
6possesses a valid Nuisance Wildlife Control Permit issued by 
7the Department. The person must maintain a record of the 
8subcontractor including the subcontractor's name, address, and 
9phone number, and type of work to be performed, for a period of 
10not less than 2 years from the date the subcontractor is no 
11longer performing services on behalf of the person. The 
12records shall be presented to an authorized employee of the 
13Department or law enforcement officer upon request for 
14inspection. 
15    Any person operating without the required permit as 
16outlined under this subsection (b) or in violation of this 
17subsection (b) is deemed to be taking, attempting to take, 
18disturbing, or harassing wildlife contrary to the provisions 
19of this Code, including the taking or attempting to take such 
20species for commercial purposes as outlined in Sections 2.36 
21and 2.36a of this Code. Any devices and equipment, including 
22vehicles, used in violation of this subsection (b) may be 
23subject to the provisions of Section 1.25 of this Code. 
24    Any person properly permitted and operating under the 
25provisions of this subsection is exempt from the provisions of 
26this Act except as limited by administrative rule adopted by 
 
 
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1the Department. 
2    (c) The location of traps or snares authorized under this 
3Section, either by the Department or any other governmental 
4body with the authority to control species protected by this 
5Code, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of 
6Information Act. 
7    (d) A drainage district or road district or the designee 
8of a drainage district or road district shall be exempt from 
9the requirement to obtain a permit to control nuisance 
10muskrats or beavers if all applicable provisions for licenses 
11are complied with and any trap types and sizes used are in 
12compliance with this Code, including marking or 
13identification. The designee of a drainage district or road 
14district must have a signed and dated written authorization 
15from the drainage district or road district in possession at 
16all times when conducting activities under this Section. This 
17exemption from obtaining a permit shall be valid only upon 
18property owned, leased, or controlled by the drainage district 
19or road district. For the purposes of this Section, "road 
20district" includes a township road district. 
21    (e) The Department shall make available on its website the 
22current and relevant information, criteria, and directions to 
23the public for permits issued under this Section.
24(Source: P.A. 102-524, eff. 8-20-21; 103-37, eff. 6-9-23; 
25103-225, eff. 6-30-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-611, eff. 
261-1-25.)

 
 
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1    (520 ILCS 5/3.1-6)
2    Sec. 3.1-6. Landowner or tenant Special deer and , turkey, 
3and combination hunting permits licenses.
4    (a) For the purpose of this Section:
5    "Bona fide current income beneficiary" means an individual 
6who, at the time of application for a permit, is:
7        (1) entitled to income, whether income exists or not, 
8 from the trust that owns Illinois land on which the 
9 applicant wishes to hunt with no condition precedent, such 
10 as surviving another person or reaching a certain age, 
11 other than the trustee distributing the income; and
12        (2) listed by name in the trust documents as an income 
13 beneficiary.    
14    "Bona fide equity member" means an individual who:
15        (1) (i) became a member upon the formation of the 
16 limited liability company or (ii) has purchased a 
17 distributional interest in a limited liability company for 
18 a value equal to the percentage of the appraised value of 
19 the LLC assets represented by the distributional interest 
20 in the LLC and subsequently becomes a member of the 
21 company under Article 30 of the Limited Liability Company 
22 Act; and
23        (2) intends to retain the membership for at least 5 
24 years.
25    "Bona fide equity partner" means an individual who:
 
 
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1        (1) (i) became a partner, either general or limited, 
2 upon the formation of a partnership or limited 
3 partnership, or (ii) has purchased, acquired, or been 
4 gifted a partnership interest accurately representing his 
5 or her percentage distributional interest in the profits, 
6 losses, and assets of a partnership or limited 
7 partnership;
8        (2) intends to retain ownership of the partnership 
9 interest for at least 5 years; and
10        (3) is a resident of this State.
11    "Bona fide equity shareholder" means an individual who:
12        (1) purchased, for market price, publicly sold stock 
13 shares in a corporation, purchased shares of a 
14 privately-held corporation for a value equal to the 
15 percentage of the appraised value of the corporate assets 
16 represented by the ownership in the corporation, or is a 
17 member of a closely-held family-owned corporation and has 
18 purchased or been gifted with shares of stock in the 
19 corporation accurately reflecting his or her percentage of 
20 ownership; and
21        (2) intends to retain the ownership of the shares of 
22 stock for at least 5 years.
23    "Current owners" means one or more bona fide landowners, 
24one or more bona fide current income beneficiaries, one or 
25more bona fide equity shareholders of a corporation, one or 
26more bona fide equity members of a limited liability company, 
 
 
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1or one or more bona fide equity partners of a partnership that 
2all own the same 240 acres of Illinois land.
3    "Immediate family of a bona fide landowner, tenant, or a 
4bona fide current income beneficiary" means the spouse, 
5children, brothers, sisters, grandchildren, grandparents, and 
6parents permanently residing on the same property as the bona 
7fide landowner, tenant, or bona fide current income 
8beneficiary.
9    "Tenant" means a person who rents 40 acres or more of 
10Illinois land for commercial agricultural purposes under a 
11written notarized agreement with the landowner.    
12    (b) Landowner deer and turkey Deer, Turkey, and 
13combination permits shall be issued without charge to an 
14Illinois resident that owns at least 40 acres of Illinois land 
15and that wishes to hunt only on the land that Illinois resident 
16owns. Deer permits issued under this Section shall consist of 
17one either-sex permit and one antlerless-only permit for the 
18deer firearm season and one either-sex permit and one 
19antlerless-only permit for the archery deer season. Land 
20ownership shall only be accepted by the Department for:
21        (1) bona fide Illinois landowners residing in this 
22 State who own at least 40 acres of Illinois land and wish 
23 to hunt upon their land only;
24        (2) bona fide current income beneficiaries of a trust 
25 in which the trust owns Illinois land resident tenants of 
26 at least 40 acres of commercial agricultural land where 
 
 
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1 they will hunt; and
2        (3) bona fide equity shareholders of a corporation, 
3 bona fide equity members of a limited liability company, 
4 or bona fide equity partners of a general or limited 
5 partnership which owns at least 40 acres of land in a 
6 county in this State who wish to hunt on the 
7 corporation's, company's, or partnership's land only. One 
8 permit shall be issued without charge to one bona fide 
9 equity shareholder, one bona fide equity member, or one 
10 bona fide equity partner for each 40 acres of land owned by 
11 the corporation, company, or partnership in a county; 
12 however, the number of permits issued without charge to 
13 bona fide equity shareholders of any corporation or bona 
14 fide equity members of a limited liability company in any 
15 county shall not exceed 15, and shall not exceed 3 in the 
16 case of bona fide equity partners of a partnership. 
17    (b-5) Tenant deer and turkey permits shall be issued 
18without charge to Illinois resident tenants of at least 40 
19acres of commercial agricultural land that wish to hunt only 
20on the land of which they are resident tenants. Deer permits 
21issued under this Section shall consist of (i) one either-sex 
22permit and one antlerless-only permit for the deer firearm 
23season and (ii) one either-sex permit and one antlerless-only 
24permit for the archery deer season.
25    (b-10) The total number of deer or turkey permits that may 
26be issued to a person under this Section shall be established 
 
 
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1by administrative rule.    
2    (b-15) Bona fide landowners or tenants who do not wish to 
3hunt only on the land they own, tenants who do not wish to hunt 
4only on the land they rent, or lease, or bona fide equity 
5shareholders, bona fide equity members, bona fide current 
6income beneficiaries of a trust, or bona fide equity partners 
7who do not wish to hunt only on the land owned by the 
8corporation, limited liability company, trust, or partnership 
9shall be charged the same fee as the applicant who is not a 
10bona fide landowner, Illinois resident tenant, bona fide 
11equity shareholder, bona fide equity member, bona fide current 
12income beneficiary of a trust, or bona fide equity partner. 
13Nonresidents of this State who own at least 40 acres of land as 
14a bona fide landowner, a bona fide current income beneficiary 
15of a trust, a bona fide equity shareholder, or a bona fide 
16equity member and wish to hunt on their land only shall be 
17charged a fee set by administrative rule. The method for 
18obtaining these permits shall be prescribed by administrative 
19rule.
20     (c) A deer or turkey The deer, turkey, or combination    
21hunting permit issued without fee shall be valid on all 
22Illinois farm lands which the person to whom it is issued owns, 
23including land owned by the individual as a bona fide 
24landowner, land owned as a bona fide equity shareholder of a 
25corporation, land owned by the individual as a bona fide 
26equity member of a limited liability company, and land owned 
 
 
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1by the individual as a bona fide equity partner of a 
2partnership.
3    (d) Except for a person hunting under a permit issued 
4under subsection (e) or (f), while hunting under a permit 
5issued under this Section, a person must carry the permit and 
6documentation showing proof of that the person is a bona fide 
7landowner, a bona fide equity shareholder of a corporation, a 
8bona fide equity member of a limited liability company, a bona 
9fide current income beneficiary, a bona fide equity partners 
10of a general or limited partnership, or a tenant. While 
11hunting under a permit issued under subsection (e) or (f), a 
12person must carry the permit and documentation showing that 
13the person is actively hunting on land covered by the permit.
14    (e) The Department may, by administrative rule, issue 
15permits under this Section to the immediate family of a bona 
16fide landowner, a bona fide current income beneficiary, or 
17tenant.
18    (f) For every 240 acres of Illinois land owned by the 
19current owners, the Department may issue one guest either-sex 
20deer permit and one guest antlerless-only deer permit. The 
21guest permits shall be for the same deer hunting season and for 
22the same method of take as issued to the current owner. A guest 
23permit shall be issued to an individual who is not a current 
24owner and is listed on the application for the issuance of 
25guest deer hunting permits by a current owner. An individual 
26designated by a current owner must meet all the eligibility 
 
 
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1requirements to hunt under this Code and shall pay all fees 
2required under Section 2.26 for the permits issued, including 
3non-resident fees if that individual is a non-resident. 
4Permits issued under this subsection may not be offered for 
5resale by the landowner receiving the permit and are 
6nontransferable. No more than 5 individuals, regardless of 
7total number of 240 acres of Illinois land owned by the current 
8owners, may be issued guest permits under this subsection.
9    (g) The Department may adopt rules to administer and 
10enforce this Section, including, but not limited to, 
11application requirements, proof of ownership requirements, 
12proof of residency requirements, eligibility requirements, 
13restrictions, and suspension and revocation of permits.
14    (h) No person shall be issued more than (i) one either-sex 
15permit and one antlerless-only permit for the deer firearm 
16season and (ii) one either-sex permit and one antlerless-only 
17permit for the deer archery season under this Section leases 
18or rents, except that in the case of a permit issued to a bona 
19fide equity shareholder, bona fide equity member, or bona fide 
20equity partner, the permit shall be valid on all lands owned by 
21the corporation, limited liability company, or partnership in 
22the county. 
23(Source: P.A. 99-869, eff. 1-1-17.)

24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on 
25January 1, 2026, except that the changes to Section 3.1-6 of 
 
 
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1the Wildlife Code take effect on January 1, 2027.".