Illinois › Species › Protected Wildlife
No season
Illinois Wildlife With No Season
The Digest rule on protected wild birds and mammals, with seasons that do apply.
Photo: xulescu_g (CC BY-SA 2.0)
What Illinois law says about protected wild birds and mammals
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Species | Wild birds not listed as game |
| Illinois season | Closed all year |
| Rule | All wild birds (except house sparrow, European starling, domestic pigeon, Eurasian-collared dove and ringed turtle dove) and their nests and eggs are protected; wild turkey, purple swamphen, muscovy duck and game birds listed in the Digest are legal to harvest. |
No dates, limits or permits exist for protected wild birds and mammals; the Digest (PDF page 11) states the status and nothing else is needed to follow it.
From Digest rule (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Species you can hunt in Illinois besides protected wild birds and mammals
| Group | What is open to hunters | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Big game | white-tailed deer and wild turkey | Deer and turkey by permit; deer total limit two antlered deer per year. No elk, bear or other big game season. |
| Upland game birds | ring-necked pheasant (roosters only), bobwhite quail and Hungarian partridge | Chukar partridge is defined as a game bird in the Digest but has no season in the season tables; hen pheasants illegal except on controlled hunting areas. |
| Game mammals | eastern cottontail and swamp rabbit, gray squirrel and fox squirrel and woodchuck (groundhog) | |
| Small game (migratory) | mourning and white-winged dove, woodcock and crow | HIP certification required for doves and woodcock, not crows. |
| Migratory waterfowl | ducks, mergansers, coots, teal (early season), Canada goose, light geese (snow and Ross's), white-fronted goose, brant, rails (sora and Virginia) and Wilson's snipe | |
| Furbearers | raccoon, opossum, red fox, coyote, striped skunk, bobcat (by permit), badger, mink, muskrat, weasel (least and long-tailed), beaver, river otter and woodchuck | Gray fox hunting and trapping seasons are closed. |
Think of the table as the opposite of this page: the animals Illinois lets you hunt, each with its own season rows.
From Digest legal species pages (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
The penalty record for protected wild birds and mammals
| Topic | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| False turkey permit applications | Providing false or deceptive information on a turkey permit application, in addition to criminal charges, results in rejected applications, revoked permit and forfeited fees (17 Ill. Adm. Code 710.10(k)(4)). |
| Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact | A wildlife privilege suspension in a compact state is also a suspension in Illinois for the duration; a violator who fails to comply with a citation in a participating state may have home-state privileges suspended until the terms are met. |
| Statutory fines and jail terms | The Digest does not state criminal penalty amounts. The Wildlife Code (520 ILCS 5) penalty sections were not retrieved (ilga.gov unreachable), so no fines or terms are listed. |
No number appears here for fines, since quoting one without a source would be a guess.
From Digest page and 17 Ill. Adm. Code 710 (LII mirror, unofficial) (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
Protected Wildlife: where to send a report
The Digest summarizes the Wildlife Code and 17 Ill. Adm. Code and tells hunters to report violations to Target Illinois Poachers, an IDNR law enforcement program (dnr.illinois.gov/lawenforcement/target-poachers).
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| 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. |
From Digest page (Illinois Department of Natural Resources), checked November 13, 2026.
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)
Sunset over the Mississippi River with the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch and the Eads BridgePhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Sunset over the Mississippi River at Buffalo, Iowa, across from Rock Island CountyPhoto: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Answers about protected wild birds and mammals in Illinois
Is there a hunting season for protected wild birds and mammals in Illinois?
No: All wild birds (except house sparrow, European starling, domestic pigeon, Eurasian-collared dove and ringed turtle dove) and their nests and eggs are protected; wild turkey, purple swamphen, muscovy duck and game birds listed in the Digest are legal to harvest.
How do I confirm the rule for protected wild birds and mammals?
The Digest PDF carries it on page 11, which is printed page 9.
Which animals does the Digest list as legal?
The Digest lists six legal groups: big game (white-tailed deer and wild turkey), upland birds, game mammals, migratory small game, waterfowl and furbearers; start at the species index.
Can my license be suspended for a wildlife violation?
The Digest prints no criminal penalty amounts, and the Wildlife Code penalty sections could not be retrieved for this site. A wildlife privilege suspension in a compact state is also a suspension in Illinois for the duration; a violator who fails to comply with a citation in a participating state may have home-state privileges suspended until the terms are met.
What should I do if I see someone taking protected wild birds and mammals?
The Digest tells hunters to report violations to Target Illinois Poachers, an IDNR program.
Can a landowner let me take protected wild birds and mammals?
Permission is a separate question from season status. For protected wild birds and mammals there is no season, so permission does not matter for taking.
Can I carry a camera instead of a gun for protected wild birds and mammals?
IDNR license rows cover hunting, combos, trapping, stamps, deer and turkey permits and commercial licenses; viewing is not listed.
Which species cannot be harvested at all?
The Digest also protects hawks, eagles and owls; flying squirrel, red squirrel, white squirrel, eastern woodrat, golden mouse, rice rat, bats; black bear, gray wolf, mountain lion; trumpeter swan; gray fox.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0); Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0).