Game mammal
Illinois Rabbit Season and Limits, 2026-27
Cottontail and swamp rabbit dates, limits and permits for the 2026-27 IDNR seasons, from Nov 7, 2026 to Feb 15, 2027.
Photo: Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0)
Rabbit in Illinois at a glance
Start with the table below: its 1 line cover every day cottontail and swamp rabbit can be taken, Nov 7, 2026 through Feb 15, 2027. Daily and possession rules come to 4 daily, 10 possession (both species combined where noted).
Cottontail and swamp rabbit are counted together toward a limit of 4 a day with 10 in possession, and the season runs November 7, 2026 to February 15, 2027. Cottontail and swamp rabbit appear in the allowed-game lists of 164 public sites, and 164 of those sites have pages.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
The cottontail and swamp rabbit calendar for 2026-27
Each line is one IDNR row for cottontail and swamp rabbit, earliest first, with the area it covers and the permit it needs.
| Season | Zone or counties | Permit kind | Date range | Bag | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbit | Statewide | License |
| 4 daily, 10 possession |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois rules on cottontail and swamp rabbit: bag and gear
| Listed as | Limit |
|---|---|
| rabbit | 4 daily, 10 possession |
Boiled down, shotgun or other legal small-game methods are the lawful ways to take cottontail and swamp rabbit.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois licenses for cottontail and swamp rabbit
| Item | Buyer | Digest base price | Fee-table price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
Prices differ by the vendor fee between the two sources; every annual license and state stamp is valid from March 1 through the next March 31.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Field rules for cottontail and swamp rabbit hunters in Illinois
| Subject | Rule text |
|---|---|
| Possession limits and bags | May not possess game or furbearers over the daily or possession limit; each hunter must keep a separate bag; wildlife of another person must be tagged with name, address, species count and date unless in a home. |
| Hunting hours | Hunting only during the hours specified for each species relative to official sunrise-sunset times; some IDNR sites are more restrictive. |
| Live wildlife possession | May not release captive wildlife except as authorized, bring in live protected wildlife taken outside Illinois without IDNR permission, or retain wildlife alive except as provided in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 970. |
Always compare these statewide rules with the posted rules of the site where you hunt cottontail and swamp rabbit.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Public land for cottontail and swamp rabbit in Illinois
Among the 164 sites that list cottontail and swamp rabbit are 46 state fish and wildlife areas, 35 state habitat areas and 26 state parks; here are the largest that have a page of their own.
| Name | Classification | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Illinois Recreational Access Program | Hunting Access Program | Bond and Christian | 27,000 |
| Cypress Creek | Wildlife refuge | Pulaski and Union | 16,758 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 |
| Cache River | Natural area | Johnson and Pulaski | 15,425 |
| Kaskaskia River | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair and Randolph | 14,000 |
| Horseshoe Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 11,690 |
| Mississippi River Pool 24 | Fish and wildlife area | Pike and Calhoun | 10,211 |
Site pages show which permits and seasons apply to cottontail and swamp rabbit; acreage is from IDNR fact sheets, not a map measurement.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Four buys for Rabbit
Built around prairie, farm and river country.
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Eastern cottontail rabbit on alertPhoto: btrentler (CC BY 2.0)
Eastern cottontail rabbit at the edge of a fieldPhoto: mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Eastern cottontail rabbit in green ground coverPhoto: Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0)
What hunters ask about cottontail and swamp rabbit
What dates does Illinois set for cottontail and swamp rabbit?
In the IDNR table: rabbit statewide: November 7, 2026 to February 15, 2027.
What is the daily limit for cottontail and swamp rabbit in Illinois?
The posted limit is 4 daily, 10 possession (both species combined where noted).
Which permits and stamps does cottontail and swamp rabbit hunting require?
Buy a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00).
What methods are legal for cottontail and swamp rabbit?
Methods named for cottontail and swamp rabbit: shotgun or other legal small-game methods.
What changes for cottontail and swamp rabbit in November?
Nothing in the rabbit row mentions deer weeks; public sites may add rules.
Is there a Sunday rule for cottontail and swamp rabbit?
No Sunday rule appears in the Digest or on the IDNR pages we read, and this page does not add one.
Can a new hunter go after cottontail and swamp rabbit without a course?
Illinois asks younger hunters, those born on or after January 1, 1980, for a hunter safety certificate or a prior-year license. The apprentice route needs no course but needs a licensed hunter 21 or older at your side.
Where can I hunt cottontail and swamp rabbit on public land in Illinois?
Look at the land directory; 164 sites list cottontail and swamp rabbit, 164 with pages, and site rules can be stricter than the statewide ones.
Other photos on this page: btrentler (CC BY 2.0); mbarrison (CC BY-SA 2.0); Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0).