Dove, woodcock and crow
Illinois Crow Hunting Rules, 2026-27
American crow dates, limits and permits for the 2026-27 IDNR seasons, from Oct 28, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027.
Photo: Logan Ward (CC BY 2.0)
Quick read on American crow in Illinois
Start with the table below: its 1 line cover every day American crow can be taken, Oct 28, 2026 through Feb 28, 2027. Daily and possession rules come to no limit.
Crows may be hunted October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027 with no bag limit, and unlike doves and woodcock they do not call for a Harvest Information Program certification. American crow appear in the allowed-game lists of 18 public sites, and 18 of those sites have pages.
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
The American crow calendar for 2026-27
Read across: season, area, permit, dates, bag and whether it is open now.
| Hunt | Applies to | Permit or stamp | Season | Daily limit | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow | Statewide | License |
| No limit |
From 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois rules on American crow: bag and gear
| Listed as | Limit |
|---|---|
| crow | No limit |
Boiled down, shotgun are the lawful ways to take American crow.
From Digest season tables and Digest equipment pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois licenses for American crow
| Item | Buyer | Digest base price | Fee-table price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Hunting | Resident | $12.00 | $12.50 |
| Nonresident Hunting | Nonresident | $57.00 | $57.75 |
| State Habitat Stamp | Either | $5.00 | $5.50 |
Prices differ by the vendor fee between the two sources; every annual license and state stamp is valid from March 1 through the next March 31.
From Digest license pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Field rules for American crow hunters in Illinois
| Subject | Rule text |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Wanton waste | Must make a reasonable effort to retrieve and include killed or crippled limited species in the bag; may not wantonly waste the usable meat (breast of a bird; hind ham and front shoulders of a mammal) or dump carcasses on a right-of-way or property without permission. |
| Possession limits and bags | May not possess game or furbearers over the daily or possession limit; each hunter must keep a separate bag; wildlife of another person must be tagged with name, address, species count and date unless in a home. |
Always compare these statewide rules with the posted rules of the site where you hunt American crow.
From Digest general rules and Digest hunter orange page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Public land for American crow in Illinois
Among the 18 sites that list American crow are 5 state fish and wildlife areas, 4 national wildlife refuges and 3 state parks; here are the largest that have a page of their own.
| Name | Classification | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard | Wildlife refuge | Williamson and Union | 44,415 |
| Burning Star | Fish and wildlife area | Jackson | 4,508 |
| Big River | State Forest | Henderson | 2,970 |
| Giant City | State Park | Jackson and Union | 2,891 |
| Green River | State Wildlife Area | Lee | 2,515 |
| Horseshoe Lake | State Park | Madison | 2,329 |
| Calhoun Point Federal Lands | Federal land site | Calhoun | 2,215 |
| Horseshoe Lake | State Park | Madison | 2,000 |
Site pages show which permits and seasons apply to American crow; acreage is from IDNR fact sheets, not a map measurement.
From IDNR site records (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Crow: sunrise, sunset and legal hours
The Digest sets hours for American crow as one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, and the table works the clock out for central Illinois (Springfield) on key dates with the NOAA solar formula.
| Date | Opener or closer | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2026 | Crow opens | 7:22 a.m. | 6:03 p.m. | 6:52 a.m. to 6:03 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:16 a.m. | 4:37 p.m. | 6:46 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Feb 28, 2027 | Crow closes | 6:35 a.m. | 5:48 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. |
All of Illinois is on Central Time, and daylight time ends November 1, 2026 and returns March 14, 2027; for other counties see the legal 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.
Load the truck for Crow
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Thermal-insulated bibs
The thermal-insulated bibs rides along on most IDNR-season outings.
Orange sunset over Horseshoe Lake with the St. Louis skyline beyondPhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Sunset over the Mississippi River with the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch and the Eads BridgePhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Snow on the bank of the Ohio River at Locks and Dam 53 near Grand ChainPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0)
What hunters ask about American crow
What dates does Illinois set for American crow?
In the IDNR table: crow statewide: October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027.
What is the daily limit for American crow in Illinois?
The posted limit is No limit.
Which permits and stamps does American crow hunting require?
Buy a hunting license ($12.00 resident, $57.00 nonresident, Digest base prices before vendor fees) and the State Habitat Stamp ($5.00).
What methods are legal for American crow?
Methods named for American crow: shotgun.
Which certification covers American crow?
No extra certification is required beyond the license and habitat stamp.
Is there a Sunday rule for American crow?
No Sunday rule appears in the Digest or on the IDNR pages we read, and this page does not add one.
Can a new hunter go after American crow without a course?
Illinois asks younger hunters, those born on or after January 1, 1980, for a hunter safety certificate or a prior-year license. The apprentice route needs no course but needs a licensed hunter 21 or older at your side.
Where can I hunt American crow on public land in Illinois?
Look at the land directory; 18 sites list American crow, 18 with pages, and site rules can be stricter than the statewide ones.
Other photos on this page: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0).