Independent gun, archery and sporting goods stores from Yellow Pages, plus 39 chain outlets from the DICK'S, Academy and Bass Pro store locators; pawn shops, farm stores and general merchandise outlets were set aside. Checked November 13, 2026.

Illinois stores on the map

459 stores are pinned on this map from the address in their listing. 37 more stores lack a findable address and show in the list alone.

Illinois weapon and load rules

Shotguns and shot

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 8

Shotgun no larger than 10 gauge, barrel at least 18 inches and overall length at least 26 inches; shot no larger than lead BB, steel T or BBB other non-toxic (shot size unrestricted for furbearers; slugs only for deer and furbearers).

Slugs, handguns and muzzleloaders

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 19

Shotgun 10 to 20 gauge loaded with slugs only (minimum projectile .44 caliber; not capable of firing more than three consecutive slugs); single or double barreled muzzleloading rifle at least .45 caliber with a barrel at least 16 inches shooting a single projectile; centerfire handgun .30 caliber or larger (case-length and 500 ft-lb rules as for rifles; revolver or single-shot handgun with barrel at least 4 inches); only blackpowder or approved substitute (smokeless only in muzzleloaders designed for it).

Single-shot deer rifles

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 17

Single-shot centerfire rifle (one round in magazine and chamber combined; manufactured or modified single shot; no magazine in possession or close proximity that would let the rifle hold more than one round) in a bottleneck centerfire cartridge .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge .30 caliber or larger, both with a factory load showing at least 500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle; soft point or expanding bullets only.

Bows and crossbows

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 20

Long, recurve or compound bow with minimum pull of 30 pounds within a 28-inch draw and arrow at least 20 inches; crossbow with minimum draw weight 125 pounds, overall length 24 inches, working safety, bolts at least 14 inches; broadheads at least 7/8 inch when open. Archery equipment is legal on private land during firearm season only with a valid county Firearm Deer Permit.

Turkey shotguns

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 26

.410 to 10 gauge shotguns; No 4 shot is the largest shot allowed.

Blaze orange

2026-27 Digest, PDF page 17

A solid blaze orange or blaze pink cap/hat and an upper outer garment displaying at least 400 square inches of solid blaze orange or blaze pink must be worn to hunt deer during all firearm deer seasons in counties open for firearm deer seasons.

Sources: 2026-27 Digest, PDF page 8; 2026-27 Digest, PDF page 17; 2026-27 Digest, PDF page 19; 2026-27 Digest, PDF page 20. Checked: rechecked against the IDNR text on November 13, 2026.

Asked and answered: Illinois stores

Can I buy an Illinois hunting license at these stores?

IDNR says licenses are sold online at exploremoreil.com or through license vendors, so ask a store whether it is a vendor before relying on it.

What size shotgun and shot may an Illinois hunter use?

What number of stores does this Illinois page carry?

Total rows: 496; counties with a row: 86; checked November 13, 2026.

Where can I find the most stores in one Illinois county?

Busiest counties: Cook County, 46 rows, DuPage County, 26 rows and Will County, 24 rows.

Which of the five IDNR regions leads on stores?

By region: 164 in the Northeast region; 106 in the Northwest region; 99 in the West Central region; 73 in the East Central region; 54 in the South region.

What was used to assemble the Illinois stores list?

Why do the map and list for stores differ?

Resolved addresses become dots: 459 here. 37 rows had nothing to geocode.

Do any Illinois counties lack stores?

16 of the 102 counties have no listing, so a hunter there looks to a neighbouring county or a bigger town.

Why are the big chains listed last?

In their own section at the end: 39 outlets from the DICK'S, Academy and Bass Pro locators. Farm stores and general merchandise chains were left out.

Also useful with the stores

Five lists, one map

Your county page

Pick a base town

Other photos on this page: U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (CC BY 2.0); Steve Snodgrass (CC BY 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0).