Waterfowl and snipe
Illinois Coots Hunting Rules, 2026-27
From the Oct 24, 2026 opener to the Jan 24, 2027 close, the rules for American coot in one place.
Photo: born1945 (CC BY 2.0)
Quick read on American coot in Illinois
Hunters chasing American coot get 3 season lines to work with, from the Oct 24, 2026 opener to the Jan 24, 2027 close. Bag rule in the Digest: 15 daily, 45 possession.
Coots carry a limit of 15 a day and 45 in possession and open and close with the regular duck season in each of the three zones. On the public land side, 121 sites name American coot in their IDNR records; 121 have a full page here.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois American coot dates, row by row
Rows are sorted by first day, and the last column compares each window with today.
| Row | Covers | What to buy | Dates | Limit | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular duck season | North Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
| |
| Regular duck season | Central Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
| |
| Regular duck season | South Zone | Waterfowl stamps |
|
|
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Coots: the three zone boundaries
IDNR defines each zone by roads and rivers and publishes no county list, so we show the legal wording and never assign a county; compare it with a road map before choosing dates.
| Zone name | Where it runs |
|---|---|
| North Zone | That portion of the state north of a line extending west from the Indiana border along Peotone-Beecher Road to Illinois Route 50, south along Illinois Route 50 to Wilmington-Peotone Road, west along Wilmington-Peotone Road to Illinois Route 53, north along Illinois Route 53 to New River Road, northwest along New River Road to Interstate Highway 55, south along I-55 to Pine Bluff-Lorenzo Road, west along Pine Bluff-Lorenzo Road to Illinois Route 47, north along Illinois Route 47 to I-80, west along I-80 to I-39, south along I-39 to Illinois Route 18, west along Illinois Route 18 to Illinois Route 29, south along Illinois Route 29 to Illinois Route 17, west along Illinois Route 17 to the Mississippi River, and due south across the Mississippi River to the Iowa border. |
| Central Zone | That portion of the state south of the North Duck Zone line to a line extending west from the Indiana border along I-70 to Illinois Route 4, south along Illinois Route 4 to Illinois Route 161, west along Illinois Route 161 to Illinois Route 158, south and west along Illinois Route 158 to Illinois Route 159, south along Illinois Route 159 to Illinois Route 3, south along Illinois Route 3 to State Leo’s Road, south along State Leo’s road to Modoc Road, west along Modoc Road to Modoc Ferry Road, southwest along Modoc Ferry Road to Levee Road, southeast along Levee Road to County Route 12 (Modoc Ferry entrance Road), south along County Route 12 to the Modoc Ferry route and southwest on the Modoc Ferry route across the Mississippi River to the Missouri border. |
| South Zone | The remainder of the state. |
From Digest waterfowl zones and IDNR 2026-2030 waterfowl seasons and zones (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Limits and legal gear for American coot
| Digest line | Daily and possession |
|---|---|
| ducks, mergansers and coots | 6 ducks daily, 18 possession (possession is 3x the daily limit by species and sex) |
In the species record, IDNR summarizes the legal means for American coot as shotgun, non-toxic shot.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Buying list for American coot in Illinois
| Permit | Residency | Digest | Fee table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
| State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp | Either | $15.00 | $15.50 |
| Federal waterfowl stamp | Either | $25.00 | $25.50 |
| HIP Certification | Either | Free | $0.00 |
| Free site, upland and dove permits | Either | Free | $0.00 |
Expect to pay the fee-table price at a vendor; licenses and state stamps sold from March 1 stay valid through March 31 of the next year.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois field rules for American coot
| Topic | Summary |
|---|---|
| Waterfowl devices | Shotguns may hold no more than three shells; nets, rifles, pistols, swivel, punt, battery and machine guns, hooks, poison, drugs, explosives are illegal; no hunting by driving or chasing with motorized conveyance. |
| 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. |
| Interference and drones | May not interfere with or disturb another person lawfully taking wildlife with intent to prevent the taking, and may not use a drone in a way that interferes with another person's lawful taking. |
This is a short list; IDNR sites can be more restrictive than the statewide rules, so check each site before you hunt American coot.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Public sites that list American coot
The land hub covers 121 sites that name American coot, for instance 51 state fish and wildlife areas, 15 state parks and 10 state wildlife management areas; the eight largest with pages follow.
| Place | Type | County | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Rules for American coot can differ site by site, so use the page for the area you choose; acreage is as IDNR lists it.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Legal hours and American coot season points
IDNR ties the hours to the sun (one-half hour before sunrise to sunset); we applied the NOAA solar formula for Springfield to each date shown.
| Day | Note | Sunup | Sundown | Legal times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24, 2026 | North opens | 7:17 a.m. | 6:08 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 6:08 p.m. |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Central opens | 7:25 a.m. | 5:59 p.m. | 6:55 a.m. to 5:59 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | South opens | 6:42 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
| Jan 24, 2027 | South closes | 7:13 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. |
The state keeps Central Time throughout, with daylight time ending November 1 and returning March 14; county times are on the hours page.
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula on Central Time; checked November 13, 2026. Central Time with daylight time from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November; times worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
Coot hunting kit
Four items that suit an Illinois year, from October bow hunts to January rabbits.
Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Chest waders
Illinois River backwaters and flooded corn run knee to waist deep in Illinois.
Canada geese flying low over a marshPhoto: Yellowstone National Park (Public domain)
Flock of mallards taking flight over a marshPhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain)
Green-winged teal on the waterPhoto: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain)
Coots FAQ for Illinois hunters
Which days is American coot open in Illinois?
Dates for American coot are Regular duck season in the North Zone: October 24 to 25 and October 31 to December 27; Regular duck season in the Central Zone: October 31 to December 13 and December 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027; Regular duck season in the South Zone: November 14 to December 6 and December 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027.
Is there a possession limit for American coot?
Under the Digest, 15 daily, 45 possession.
What paperwork covers American coot hunting?
Illinois asks for a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00), plus the State Migratory Waterfowl Stamp ($15.00) and Federal stamp for hunters 16 and older, and HIP certification.
What gear is legal for American coot hunting?
IDNR summarizes legal methods as shotgun, non-toxic shot.
Where is the line between North, Central and South?
The legal description names roads, so confirm your location against it on the zones page before choosing dates.
Do I need a duck stamp for American coot?
Besides the license and habitat stamp, you need state and federal waterfowl stamps (federal from age 16) and HIP; the federal stamp is not needed for the light goose Conservation Order.
When do the waterfowl lotteries run?
Many do, by lottery: the first round is open to residents only from August 16 to 31, the second runs September 1 to 15, the third September 16 to 28, and afterward permits go first come, first served; each site is on its public land page.
Can I hunt American coot on a Sunday?
We found no statement on Sundays in the Digest or the IDNR pages, so this page says nothing either way.
Is a hunter safety certificate required for American coot?
Yes if you were born on or after January 1, 1980: you must hold a hunter safety certificate, or show an Illinois or out-of-state hunting license from a prior year, before a license can be sold. Apprentice license holders skip the course and hunt with a licensed hunter 21 or older.
Are there public hunting areas for American coot?
121 sites name American coot among the allowed game, and the public land pages cover 121 of them with local rules.
Other photos on this page: Yellowstone National Park (Public domain); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).