WILDLIFE CD-CHRONIC WASTING, the official text

HB2339 Enrolled                      LRB104 09675 BDA 19741 b

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
    HB2339 Enrolled  -2-                  LRB104 09675 BDA 19741 b

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
    HB2339 Enrolled  -3-  LRB104 09675 BDA 19741 b

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  If the Department is using its sharpshooting program to

20 manage chronic wasting disease in a deer herd that is found in

21 a county in the State and if no cases of that disease have been

22 identified in that herd in the preceding 3 calendar years,

23 then the Department shall end the use of that program to manage

24 chronic wasting disease in that county. However, the program

25 may be reinstituted within the county if chronic wasting

26 disease is again identified in that herd.
   HB2339 Enrolled         -4-  LRB104 09675 BDA 19741 b

1  Beginning July 1, 2019, and on an annual basis thereafter,

2 the Department shall provide a report to the General Assembly

3 providing information regarding deer management programs

4 established by the Code or by administrative rule that

5 includes: (1) the number of surplus deer taken during each

6 separate harvest season; (2) the number of deer found to have a

7 communicable disease or other abnormality; and (3) what

8 happens to the deer taken during each separate harvest season.

9 (Source: P.A. 101-66, eff. 7-12-19; 102-314, eff. 1-1-22;

10 102-932, eff. 1-1-23.)