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Illinois Hunting by Species
All 40 IDNR game, furbearer and protected species for 2026-27, from white-tailed deer and wild turkey to the closed list.
Photo: USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0)
Illinois game species by group
This index covers all 40 species pages for Illinois: 34 with 2026-27 season rows and 6 with no season. The pages draw on the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest, IDNR fact sheets and the 2025-26 harvest reports, and between them they cover 72 season rows. Deer and turkey are sold by county permit rather than by hunting unit, so those two pages carry the county tables and lottery calendars. Duck and goose seasons split into North, Central and South zones that the Digest draws along roads, and the pheasant, quail and partridge pages use a North and South road line, so none of those pages places a county in a zone. Coyote and striped skunk have no closed season at all, and six entries cover animals that may not be hunted.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
1 entries cover the big game group
White-tailed deer, by county permit, with archery, youth, firearm, muzzleloader, late-winter and Special CWD seasons.
White-tailed Deer
One deer per permit; no more than two antlered deer per year (Special CWD season exempt)
Browse 1 pages in the wild turkey group
Spring turkey in North and South zones, youth weekends, fall gun on the Digest map and fall archery.
Wild Turkey
One tom, jake or bearded hen per spring permit (max 3); one either-sex per fall permit (max 2 gun, 2 archery)
Pick from 3 upland game bird entries
Rooster pheasant, bobwhite quail and Hungarian partridge, split into North and South by a road line, plus the chukar listing.
Pheasant
2 daily, 6 possession; roosters only
Bobwhite Quail
8 daily, 20 possession
Hungarian Partridge
2 daily, 6 possession
Dove, woodcock and crow species in Illinois, 3 in all
Mourning dove, woodcock and crow, all with federal Harvest Information Program rules except the crow.
Waterfowl and snipe species in Illinois, 11 in all
Ducks, mergansers, coots, teal, geese, brant, rails and snipe, run by North, Central and South zones drawn along roads.
Ducks
6 ducks daily (species sublimits); mergansers 5; coots 15; scaup 1 then 2
Mergansers
5 daily, 15 possession (only 2 hooded mergansers; possession of hooded mergansers 6)
Coots
15 daily, 45 possession
Youth Waterfowl Days
Same as regular seasons (scaup 2 per day)
Early Teal
6 daily, 18 possession
Canada Goose
3 daily, 9 possession (early season 5/15 North and Central, 2/6 South)
Snow Geese
20 daily, no possession limit; Conservation Order no limit
White-fronted Goose
2 daily, 6 possession
Brant
1 daily, 3 possession
Rails
25 daily, 75 possession
Snipe
8 daily, 24 possession
Furbearer species in Illinois, 12 in all
Raccoon, opossum, foxes, coyote, bobcat, badger and the trapped furbearers from mink to river otter.
Illinois no season list with 6 entries
Animals with no Illinois season: gray fox, raptors, bear, wolf, lion, swan and the rest of the protected list.
Chukar Partridge
No Illinois season
Gray Fox
No Illinois season
Hawks, Eagles and Owls
No Illinois season
Bear, Wolf and Mountain Lion
No Illinois season
Trumpeter Swan
No Illinois season
Protected Wildlife
No Illinois season
All 40 species pages in a single searchable list
| Species | Group | Rows | First and last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed Deer | Big game | 8 |
|
| Wild Turkey | Wild turkey | 13 |
|
| Pheasant | Upland game bird | 2 |
|
| Bobwhite Quail | Upland game bird | 2 |
|
| Hungarian Partridge | Upland game bird | 2 |
|
| Rabbit | Game mammal | 1 |
|
| Squirrel | Game mammal | 1 |
|
| Chukar Partridge | No season | 0 | No season |
| Woodchuck | Game mammal | 2 |
|
| Mourning Dove | Dove, woodcock and crow | 1 |
|
| Woodcock | Dove, woodcock and crow | 1 |
|
| Crow | Dove, woodcock and crow | 1 |
|
| Ducks | Waterfowl and snipe | 6 |
|
| Mergansers | Waterfowl and snipe | 3 |
|
| Coots | Waterfowl and snipe | 3 |
|
| Youth Waterfowl Days | Waterfowl and snipe | 3 |
|
| Early Teal | Waterfowl and snipe | 1 |
|
| Canada Goose | Waterfowl and snipe | 5 |
|
| Snow Geese | Waterfowl and snipe | 5 |
|
| White-fronted Goose | Waterfowl and snipe | 3 |
|
| Brant | Waterfowl and snipe | 1 |
|
| Rails | Waterfowl and snipe | 1 |
|
| Snipe | Waterfowl and snipe | 1 |
|
| Raccoon | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Opossum | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Red Fox | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Coyote | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Striped Skunk | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Bobcat | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Badger | Furbearer | 2 |
|
| Mink | Furbearer | 1 |
|
| Muskrat | Furbearer | 1 |
|
| Weasel | Furbearer | 1 |
|
| Beaver | Furbearer | 1 |
|
| River Otter | Furbearer | 1 |
|
| Gray Fox | No season | 0 | No season |
| Hawks, Eagles and Owls | No season | 0 | No season |
| Bear, Wolf and Mountain Lion | No season | 0 | No season |
| Trumpeter Swan | No season | 0 | No season |
| Protected Wildlife | No season | 0 | No season |
Row counts from the 2026-27 Digest, checked November 13, 2026.
White-tailed deer buckPhoto: ShenandoahNPS (Public domain)
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a fieldPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grassPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
Illinois species questions
How many species does Illinois let you hunt?
34 of the 40 pages carry IDNR season rows; 6 cover gray fox, hawks and owls, bear, wolf and mountain lion, trumpeter swan, other protected wildlife and chukar partridge, which have no season.
Which animals does the Digest treat as legal game?
Big game, Upland game birds, Game mammals, Small game (migratory), Migratory waterfowl and Furbearers are the six groups in the Digest, from deer and turkey to furbearers.
How does IDNR sell deer permits?
By county: three lottery rounds from March to August and then leftover permits over the counter from October 20, as set out on the deer permits by county page.
Why does no duck or upland page name counties?
Zones are defined by road boundaries; there is no published county list. The upland line is also defined by roads.
What was the latest statewide deer count?
The 2025-26 report counted 174,006 deer, up from 171,322 the season before.
What did the latest spring turkey report show?
The 2026 report counted 18,502 turkeys on regular permits and 20,821 with the youth season.
Do any animals here have no closing date?
Coyote and striped skunk rows carry no dates, so the Digest treats both as open all year, with hunting paused in the firearm deer weeks of open counties.
Is Sunday hunting allowed?
The Digest and the IDNR pages we read state no Sunday rule, so this site says neither allowed nor banned.
What must a deer hunter wear in gun season?
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.