Illinois deer hunting season opening
with handgun choice and CWD watch

[NOV. 15, 2003]  SPRINGFIELD -- When Illinois' annual firearm deer hunting season opens Nov. 21, hunters will for the first time have the opportunity to use handguns during the seven-day firearm season. New regulations implemented this fall added handguns to the already-allowed use of shotguns and muzzleloading rifles for taking deer during the firearm season.

"From the calls we've been receiving and comments we've been hearing, it is clear that many hunters are excited about being able to use a handgun during the regular firearm deer season this year," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Joel Brunsvold. "We are expecting a good deer season. Providing this new opportunity for hunters who choose to use a handgun should be a real plus."

The regulations allow hunters with permits for the firearm deer season to use centerfire revolvers or single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches. Legal ammunition includes a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, both of which must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. (Nonexpanding, military-style full metal jacket bullets cannot be used to harvest deer. Only soft point or expanding bullets, including copper or copper alloy rounds designed for hunting, are legal ammunition).

Also beginning Nov. 21, hunters in 36 counties throughout the state will be asked to provide tissue samples from deer they harvest during the firearm season, as part of Illinois' ongoing chronic wasting disease surveillance effort. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, will collect and test more than 5,000 tissue samples from deer brought by hunters to county check stations.

Hunters in the targeted counties will be asked to voluntarily participate in the sampling, most of which will occur during the first three days of the seven-day firearm deer season. This year's firearm season is Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 4-7.

"The sampling this fall continues the expanded CWD surveillance that worked so well during last year's firearm deer season," Brunsvold said. "The testing of samples from hunter-harvested deer will provide important data on chronic wasting disease as we work to combat CWD and limit its spread. We appreciate the support we have received from hunters in this effort."

Counties in which hunters may voluntarily provide tissue samples from the deer they harvest during the firearm season are Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Carroll, Christian, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, Franklin, Greene, Hardin, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jo Daviess, Knox, Macon, McHenry, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Pulaski, Richland, Schuyler, Stephenson, Tazewell, Wayne, White, Winnebago and Woodford. IDNR biologists will be collecting the samples at check stations in those counties.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal neurological disease found in deer and elk. The disease has been diagnosed in both wild and captive herds in the western U.S. for many years. The first confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in wild deer in Illinois was confirmed in November 2002 near the Boone-Winnebago County line northeast of Rockford. To date, in sampling conducted as part of hunting seasons, targeted harvests and involving other deer referred for testing, a total of 19 confirmed cases of CWD have been detected in the state. All of them are from Boone, Winnebago and McHenry counties in northern Illinois. While CWD affects deer and elk, it is not known to be contagious to people or livestock.

This fall, the IDNR has been collecting and testing tissue samples from deer harvested by archery hunters in nine northern Illinois counties. The archery season sampling, which continues through Nov. 19, involves deer harvested by bow hunters in Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Ogle and Winnebago counties.

"Deer hunters in Illinois have been very cooperative in helping us monitor CWD," said IDNR Forest Wildlife Program Manager Paul Shelton. "Sample collection at firearm deer check stations will add only a few minutes to the usual deer check-in process. The information gathered is extremely important in our battle against the spread of CWD. Hunters who agree voluntarily to participate in the sampling will be able to check the results through the IDNR website, and we will contact directly any hunter who checks in a deer that tests positive for CWD."

Most of the sampling in downstate counties will occur during the first weekend of the firearm deer hunting season, Nov. 21-23. In those counties in northern Illinois where larger numbers of samples will be collected, it will continue during the second weekend of the firearm deer season, Dec. 4-7. Tissue samples will be collected only from adult deer. There is no additional cost for hunters who participate in the voluntary CWD surveillance sampling at check stations. Testing on all samples collected will likely take several weeks.

Separate from the IDNR sampling at check stations in select counties, the Illinois Department of Agriculture is providing a chronic wasting disease testing service to hunters who would like to have their deer tested. More information on the testing protocol and fees for the service is available on the IDOA website at http://agr.state.il.us/AnimalHW/cwd/index.html.

Hunters and others who see deer that they suspect might be sick should contact their local IDNR office or the Springfield IDNR wildlife office at [phone]. The department will make every effort to collect samples from suspect deer for CWD testing.

For additional information on chronic wasting disease, check the CWD link on the IDNR website at http://dnr.state.il.us/pubaffairs/pubaffrs.htm.

Firearm deer hunters who intend to check their deer at check stations in Calhoun and Wabash counties should note new check station locations. The Calhoun County check station will be located at the Old Calhoun Collision Center on the south end of Hardin on Illinois Route 100. The Wabash County check station will be located at Beall Woods State Park, south of Mount Carmel off Illinois Route 1.

County check stations at which sampling will occur for chronic wasting disease testing during the 2003 firearm deer hunting season:

Bond -- Sheriff's Department, 403 S. Second St., Greenville

Boone -- Boone County Fairgrounds, Route 76 and Business Route 20, Belvidere

Calhoun -- Old Calhoun Collision Center, south end of Hardin (new location)

Carroll -- Van's Country Sports, 9452 Van Buskirk Road, Mount Carroll

Christian -- Taylorville Township Building, 1620 W. Spresser, east of Christian County Fairgrounds, Taylorville

Clay -- Blair Slaughtering and Processing, 1.5 mile west of Louisville on Route 45

Crawford -- Crawford Co. Fish and Wildlife Area, seven miles north of Robinson on Route 1, then one mile west on Eaton Blacktop

Cumberland -- Greenup Archery, 106 E. Cumberland, Greenup

DeKalb -- Shabbona Lake State Park, 4201 Shabbona Grove Road

Franklin -- Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park, Whittington

Greene -- Greene County Courthouse, Carrollton

Hardin -- Elizabethtown Volunteer Fire Department, 211 Walnut St., Elizabethtown

Iroquois -- Sheriff's Office, 550 S. 10th, Watseka

Jackson -- Lake Murphysboro State Park, two miles west of Murphysboro on Route 149

Jasper -- Sam Parr State Park, Route 33, three miles east of Newton

Jo Daviess -- Elizabeth Community Building, Route 20, Elizabeth

Knox -- Al's Sporting Goods, Monmouth Boulevard at South Henderson, Galesburg

Macon -- Spitler Woods State Park, four miles south of Decatur on Route 121

McHenry -- Sportsman's Choice, Routes 14 and 47, Woodstock

Mercer -- Mercer County Airport, two miles north of Aledo on Route 94

Monroe -- Sheriff's Office, 225 E. Third, Waterloo

Montgomery -- Montgomery County Jail (rear), 140 N. Main, Hillsboro

Morgan -- Jacksonville Sportsman's Club, one-half mile east of New Lake Road

Ogle -- Castle Rock State Park, Route 2, three miles south of Oregon

Peoria -- Jubilee College State Park, three miles northwest of Kickapoo

Perry -- Pyramid State Park, 1562 Pyramid Park Road, south of Pinckneyville

Pulaski -- Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, one-quarter mile southwest of intersection of Cache Chapel Road and Butler Ridge Road

Richland -- Deer Country, four miles north of Olney on Route 130

Schuyler -- Houser Meats, Scott Mill Road, Rushville

Stephenson -- Tri-Lake Sporting Goods, Lena

Tazewell -- Tremont American Legion, one-quarter mile east of Route 121 at Route 9, Tremont

Wayne -- Clark's Processing, South Main St., Wayne City

White -- State Police Weigh Station, west edge of Crossville on Route 1

Winnebago -- Rockford Speedway, Highway 173 at Forest Hills Road

Woodford -- Eureka Meat Locker, 110 4H Park Road, Eureka

[News release from the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources]

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