IDNR Announces Extended Season For Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is extending the controlled pheasant hunting program for the 2023-2024 season.

Some sites will be extended by one to two weeks in different areas of the state. Hunters should check the permit calendar on the controlled pheasant hunting website for permit availability. Sites with extended opportunities include:

• Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, Will County
• Silver Springs State Park, Kendall County
• Iroquois County State Fish and Wildlife Area
• Kankakee River State Park, Kankakee County
• Moraine View State Park, McLean County
• Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, Cass County
• Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park (Rend Lake), Franklin County
• Eldon Hazlet State Park (Carlyle Lake), Clinton County

Pheasant hunters will need to acquire a Reserved Controlled Pheasant Hunting Permit to hunt on controlled pheasant hunting sites. Permits can be acquired through the online reservation system.

To make acquiring a reserved permit more convenient, hunters will be able to reserve a permit until 9 a.m. the day before a hunt date. On IDNR-operated sites, the daily fee for permits acquired online for controlled pheasant hunting is $34 for resident hunters and $39 for nonresident hunters. The daily permit fee applies to each individual hunter. Hunters are required to pay for permits acquired online over a secure system using a major credit card. A $1 transaction fee for a single hunter or 2.25 percent of the permit fee for multiple hunters will be assessed for each permit.

Please note: Non-toxic shotshells are required when hunting at Des Plaines, Jim Edgar Panther Creek, Silver Springs, Eldon Hazlet, and Wayne Fitzgerrell. Hunters are reminded that when hunting at any of these sites only non-toxic shotshells may in possession.

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