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Illinois Hunting Seasons, 2026-27 Dates for Every Species
Every IDNR season row for 2026-27, from squirrel in August to crow in February, with links to each species page.
Photo: Courtney Celley (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Illinois hunting seasons, every row
The Digest's season tables hold 72 rows for 2026-27, of which 70 carry dates and 2 (coyote and striped skunk hunting) have no closed season. The earliest date is June 1, 2026, when woodchuck hunting and trapping open, and the latest May 13, 2027, the last day of the North Zone spring turkey season. Deer and turkey rows list the counties they reach; waterfowl and upland rows name a zone drawn along roads, so no county is assigned to them. Rows are grouped below by kind of game, each row links to its species page, and the last column compares the dates with today.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Deer rows for 2026-27: 8 lines
Deer rows name the counties they reach; the county permit rules are on the deer permits page.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Archery | Cook, DuPage, Lake and Kane (east of Route 47) |
| One deer per archery permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Archery | Counties with a firearm season and Kane west of Route 47 |
| One deer per archery permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Youth Firearm | Counties open to youth deer hunting |
| One deer per youth permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Firearm, first season | Counties open to firearm deer hunting |
| One deer per firearm permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Firearm, second season | Counties open to firearm deer hunting |
| One deer per firearm permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Muzzleloader | Counties open to firearm deer hunting |
| One deer per muzzleloader permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Late-winter antlerless | Late-winter counties (31) |
| One antlerless deer per valid permit | |
| White-tailed Deer | Special CWD | Special CWD counties |
| One deer per valid permit |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Turkey rows for 2026-27: 13 lines
Spring rows come in North and South pairs, five segments each.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Turkey | Fall archery | Statewide |
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| Wild Turkey | Fall gun | Counties open to fall gun turkey (map) |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring youth | Statewide (open counties) |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 1 | South Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 2 | South Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 1 | North Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 3 | South Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 2 | North Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 4 | South Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 3 | North Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 4 | North Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 5 | South Zone |
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| Wild Turkey | Spring segment 5 | North Zone |
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From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Waterfowl and snipe rows for 2026-27: 26 lines
Zone names are road-line zones; the zones page prints the legal wording.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Goose | Early season | North and Central Zones |
| 5 daily, 15 possession | |
| Canada Goose | Early season | South Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Snipe | Snipe | Statewide |
| 8 daily, 24 possession | |
| Rails | Rails | Statewide |
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| Early Teal | Early teal | Statewide |
| 6 daily, 18 possession | |
| Youth Waterfowl Days | Youth waterfowl | North Zone |
| Same as regular seasons | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | North Zone |
| 3 daily, 9 possession | |
| Brant | Regular season | Same dates as light geese (North, Central, South) |
| 1 daily, 3 possession | |
| Ducks | Regular duck season | North Zone |
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| Snow Geese | Regular season | North Zone |
| 20 daily, unlimited possession | |
| Youth Waterfowl Days | Youth waterfowl | Central Zone |
| Same as regular seasons | |
| Ducks | Scaup | North Zone |
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| Canada Goose | Regular season | Central Zone |
| 3 daily, 9 possession | |
| Ducks | Regular duck season | Central Zone |
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| Snow Geese | Regular season | Central Zone |
| 20 daily, unlimited possession | |
| Ducks | Scaup | Central Zone |
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| White-fronted Goose | Regular season | Central Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| White-fronted Goose | Regular season | North Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Youth Waterfowl Days | Youth waterfowl | South Zone |
| Same as regular seasons | |
| Canada Goose | Regular season | South Zone |
| 3 daily, 9 possession | |
| Ducks | Regular duck season | South Zone |
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| Snow Geese | Regular season | South Zone |
| 20 daily, unlimited possession | |
| Ducks | Scaup | South Zone |
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| White-fronted Goose | Regular season | South Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Snow Geese | Conservation Order | North Zone |
| No limits set | |
| Snow Geese | Conservation Order | Central and South Zones |
| No limits set |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Upland bird rows for 2026-27: 6 lines
The North and South zones close a week apart.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungarian Partridge | Upland bird | North Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Hungarian Partridge | Upland bird | South Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Bobwhite Quail | Upland bird | North Zone |
| 8 daily, 20 possession | |
| Bobwhite Quail | Upland bird | South Zone |
| 8 daily, 20 possession | |
| Pheasant | Upland bird | North Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession | |
| Pheasant | Upland bird | South Zone |
| 2 daily, 6 possession |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Small game rows for 2026-27: 4 lines
Rabbit and squirrel run to mid-February, woodchuck to the end of March.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodchuck | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Woodchuck | Trapping | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Squirrel | Squirrel | Statewide |
| 5 daily, 10 possession | |
| Rabbit | Rabbit | Statewide |
| 4 daily, 10 possession |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Dove, woodcock and crow rows for 2026-27: 3 lines
Dove runs in two pieces; woodcock and crow have their own calendars.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mourning Dove | Dove | Statewide |
| 15 daily, 45 possession | |
| Woodcock | Woodcock | Statewide |
| 3 daily, 9 possession | |
| Crow | Crow | Statewide |
| No limit |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Furbearer hunting and trapping rows for 2026-27: 12 lines
Hunting and trapping rows share November 10 as the opening day, apart from year-round coyote and skunk and the June to March woodchuck rows.
| Species | Season | Where | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badger | Trapping | North Zone |
| 2 per trapper per season | |
| Badger | Trapping | South Zone |
| 1 per trapper per season | |
| Beaver | Trapping | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Bobcat | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide except bobcat closed zone |
| One by permit only | |
| Bobcat | Trapping | Statewide except bobcat closed zone |
| One by permit only | |
| Opossum | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Raccoon | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Mink | Trapping | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| Red Fox | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide |
| No limit | |
| River Otter | Trapping | Statewide |
| 5 per trapper per season | |
| Coyote | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide | No closed season | No limit | Open all year |
| Striped Skunk | Hunting (guns and bows) | Statewide | No closed season | No limit | Open all year |
From Digest season tables (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
White-tailed doe standing in light snowPhoto: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain)
White-tailed deer moving through autumn woodsPhoto: NPS Photo (Public domain)
White-tailed deer buck in the treesPhoto: USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0)
Every season row FAQ
How many season rows does Illinois publish?
72 rows: 70 with dates and 2 with no closed season.
When does the first season open?
The earliest dated row opens June 1, 2026, the woodchuck season; squirrel follows on August 1 and dove on September 1.
When does the last season close?
The North Zone spring turkey season ends May 13, 2027, the latest closing date in the tables; the light goose Conservation Order closes April 30 and woodchuck, beaver and otter seasons March 31.
Why are zones not matched to counties?
Zones are defined by road boundaries; there is no published county list. Upland, bobcat and badger lines are also road lines.
Which rows have no closed season?
Coyote and striped skunk hunting, which the Digest prints without dates; hunting stops during the two firearm deer seasons in open counties.
Are deer dates the same in every county?
Dates are statewide for the 99 firearm counties; Cook, DuPage, Lake and Kane east of State Route 47 have archery only, October 1 to January 17 (county permit table).
Do spring turkey dates depend on the county?
Yes: South counties open April 5, North counties April 12, per the spring turkey zones page.
Where are the waterfowl dates by zone?
In the waterfowl group above and on the waterfowl zones page, which also prints the road wording.
Is Sunday hunting allowed?
The sources we read state no Sunday rule, so this page does not say allowed or banned.
Other photos on this page: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); NPS Photo (Public domain); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0).