Dove, woodcock and crow
Woodcock Hunting in Illinois, 2026-27
Season lines, limits and licenses for American woodcock, checked November 13, 2026.
Photo: xulescu_g (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Where American woodcock stand in the 2026-27 Digest
The window for American woodcock stretches from Oct 17, 2026 to Nov 30, 2026, split into 1 row by weapon, zone or segment. On limits, IDNR says 3 daily, 9 possession.
Woodcock are open October 17 to November 30 with a limit of 3 a day and 9 in possession, and hunters need the free Harvest Information Program certification before going. You can look at 91 site pages here that list American woodcock, out of 91 such sites in the IDNR records.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
All dated windows for American woodcock in Illinois
Each line is one IDNR row for American woodcock, earliest first, with the area it covers and the permit it needs.
| Season | Zone or counties | Permit kind | Date range | Bag | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodcock | Statewide | HIP and license |
| 3 daily, 9 possession |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Woodcock: limits, weapons and methods
| Species | Bag |
|---|---|
| woodcock | 3 daily, 9 possession |
For American woodcock, the data lists these means: shotgun.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
What American woodcock hunters buy and what it costs
| Product | Resident or not | Base price | With vendor fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| HIP Certification | Either | Free | $0.00 |
The fee-table column includes the vendor fee, the Digest column does not, and the license year runs March 1 to March 31 of the next year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Legal points for American woodcock in Illinois
| Topic | What it says |
|---|---|
| Landowner permission | It is unlawful to take or attempt to take wildlife, or let a dog hunt, on land or waters of another, or knowingly shoot a gun or bow at wildlife on or flying over another person's property, without permission from the owner or the owner's designee (written authorization with notarized signature). Purple paint on trees or posts marks no-trespassing land. Illinois law does not grant a right of trespass to retrieve wounded wildlife. |
| Dogs | A dog may not be allowed to chase, harass or kill deer or turkey. Dogs may be used for hunting other species. Competitive dog events require an IDNR permit applied for 4 weeks ahead. |
| Hunting near inhabited dwellings | No hunting or letting a dog hunt within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without the owner or tenant's permission; the restriction is 100 yards when trapping, bowhunting, hunting with a shotgun using shotshells only, on licensed hunting preserves, on federally owned and managed lands, and on IDNR-owned, managed, leased or controlled lands. |
Only a few topics are shown; the hunting laws page has the rest, and site rules can go beyond the Digest.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Land options for American woodcock
91 public sites list American woodcock, led by 33 state fish and wildlife areas, 12 state parks and 10 state recreation areas, and the biggest ones with pages are in the table.
| Public site | Kind | Where | Size in acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Carlyle Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Fayette and Clinton | 9,868 |
| Mississippi River Pool 21 | Fish and wildlife area | Adams | 8,536 |
| Rend Lake Project Lands | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson and Franklin | 7,740 |
Acres are fact-sheet figures, and each site page lists the permits, check-in rules and seasons that apply to American woodcock there.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Woodcock hunting kit
No listing appears until you choose one.
Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Orange sunset over Horseshoe Lake with the St. Louis skyline beyondPhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Sunset over the Mississippi River at Buffalo, Iowa, across from Rock Island CountyPhoto: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Snow on the bank of the Ohio River at Locks and Dam 53 near Grand ChainPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0)
Woodcock, answered
When is American woodcock season in Illinois for 2026-27?
The Digest lists woodcock statewide: October 17 to November 30.
What does IDNR allow for the American woodcock bag?
IDNR lists 3 daily, 9 possession.
What license do I need to hunt American woodcock in Illinois?
Plan on a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00), plus HIP certification.
What does Illinois allow for taking American woodcock?
According to the data, shotgun.
Do hunters need extra paperwork for American woodcock?
You need a hunting license, the habitat stamp and HIP certification.
What do the rules say about Sunday hunting for American woodcock?
Sunday hunting is not addressed in the sources used for this page; check with IDNR before relying on any answer.
Do first-time American woodcock hunters need a course?
A certificate of competency is required for anyone born January 1, 1980 or later, unless they can show a previous hunting license. Beginners may instead buy an apprentice license and hunt beside a licensed adult aged 21 or more.
Where do IDNR sites allow American woodcock?
Public options exist, 91 of them, and 91 are written up on the public land pages with their own rules.
Other photos on this page: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0).