Illinois › Species › Bobwhite Quail
Upland game bird
Illinois Bobwhite Quail Hunting Rules, 2026-27
IDNR dates for bobwhite quail, the bag, licenses and public sites that list it.
Photo: ilouque (CC BY 2.0)
Bobwhite Quail hunting by the numbers
Across 2 rows of the Digest, bobwhite quail are open at some point between Nov 7, 2026 and Jan 15, 2027. The posted limit for bobwhite quail is 8 daily, 20 possession.
Quail share the pheasant calendar, ending January 8 in the North zone and January 15 in the South, and the daily limit of 8 is the biggest of the three upland bird limits. IDNR site records name bobwhite quail at 158 public hunting areas, with 158 covered on separate pages.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Bobwhite Quail season dates in the Digest
Dates as printed by IDNR for bobwhite quail, with the status checked against today.
| Season | Where | Permit | Dates | Limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upland bird | North Zone | License |
| 8 daily, 20 possession | |
| Upland bird | South Zone | License |
| 8 daily, 20 possession |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Which side of the line for bobwhite quail
| Zone | Dates | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| North Zone |
| 8 daily, 20 possession |
| South Zone |
| 8 daily, 20 possession |
Zones for rooster pheasant, quail, Hungarian partridge are divided by US Route 36 from the Indiana state line to Springfield, Illinois Route 29 from Springfield to Pekin, and Illinois Route 9 from Pekin to Dallas City, then due west to the Mississippi River.
Along the line, check which side of the road you will stand on before relying on a closing date.
From Digest upland zone line (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
What you may take and how, for bobwhite quail
| Row | What the Digest allows |
|---|---|
| bobwhite quail | 8 daily, 20 possession |
Legal means for bobwhite quail, as summarized in the data: shotgun.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
License, stamps and permits for bobwhite quail in Illinois
| License or permit | Who | Digest price | IDNR fee table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| Free site, upland and dove permits | Either | Free | $0.00 |
Both prices are shown, base and with fees; the license year starts March 1 and ends March 31 of the following year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Before you go after bobwhite quail: the rules
| Rule | In the Digest |
|---|---|
| Sale of wildlife | May not buy, sell or offer to sell or barter game birds, migratory game birds or parts (including feathers, nests, eggs and wild turkey parts) or the edible parts of game mammals except under specific permits. |
| 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. |
Statewide rules apply everywhere, and individual IDNR sites may tighten them for bobwhite quail; site pages list the changes.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Land options for bobwhite quail
IDNR land records name bobwhite quail at 158 sites, mostly 42 state fish and wildlife areas, 35 state habitat areas and 24 state parks; the largest with their own page are below.
| Site | Type | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee National Forest | National Forest | Pope and Jackson | 286,498 |
| Hidden Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | Pope and Hardin | 169,222 |
| Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District | Ranger district | Jackson and Union | 117,276 |
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Upper Mississippi River National | Wildlife refuge | Carroll and Jo Daviess | 32,868 |
| 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 |
Permit lotteries and check-in steps are on the site pages; the acreage shown is from the fact sheets.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Load the truck for Quail
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Northern bobwhite quailPhoto: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0)
A male northern bobwhite among dry leaves (photographed in Texas)Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER (CC0 1.0)
A northern bobwhite walking through short grassPhoto: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Answers about bobwhite quail in Illinois
How long is the bobwhite quail season in Illinois?
You can hunt on these windows: upland bird in the North Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 8, 2027; upland bird in the South Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 15, 2027.
How much bobwhite quail can one hunter keep?
The Digest says 8 daily, 20 possession.
Which Illinois licenses apply to bobwhite quail?
You need a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00).
Can I use a rifle, bow or shotgun for bobwhite quail?
Legal means include shotgun.
Where is the line between North and South upland zones?
Zones for rooster pheasant, quail, Hungarian partridge are divided by US Route 36 from the Indiana state line to Springfield, Illinois Route 29 from Springfield to Pekin, and Illinois Route 9 from Pekin to Dallas City, then due west to the Mississippi River. No county list is published, so check a map; see the upland zones page.
What is a controlled pheasant hunting area?
Hens are protected outside controlled hunting areas; free upland permits are by lottery (Free Upland Game Permit lottery August 1-31, 2026.).
What do the rules say about Sunday hunting for bobwhite quail?
The documents we checked are silent on Sunday hunting, which means no rule can be quoted here.
What hunter education rule applies to bobwhite quail?
The cutoff is a birthday: January 1, 1980. Hunters born on or after it need the certificate (or proof of a hunting license bought in an earlier year in any state). An apprentice license, with a supervisor 21 or older, is the way around the course.
Can I find bobwhite quail hunting on state land?
Start at the public land hub: 158 IDNR sites list bobwhite quail, and 158 of them have a page with permits, rules and seasons.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0); ALAN SCHMIERER (CC0 1.0); cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0).