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 Sixteen of the sites are operated by the IDNR, while two other
sites continue to be operated in a public/private partnership
arrangement between the IDNR and concessionaire T. Miller, Inc.
“Controlled pheasant hunting provides an upland game hunting
experience for thousands of hunters in Illinois each year, and
it is a great chance for young hunters to have success while
hunting,” said IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal. “Now is the time
for hunters to start planning for the upcoming season.”
The online permit reservation system for IDNR-operated sites
opens on Monday, Aug. 6, and permit information, season dates,
and other information are now available. Detailed information
and permit reservations are available now for the two sites
managed by T. Miller, Inc. Hunters should always review the
application instructions and season information accessible
online prior to submitting an application.
On IDNR-operated sites, the daily fee for permits acquired
online for controlled pheasant hunting is $30 for resident
hunters and $35 for nonresident hunters. The daily permit fee
applies to each hunter. Hunters are required to pay for permits
acquired online in advance over a secure system using an
American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa credit card. The
credit card account is billed when hunters submit an
application. A transaction fee of $1.00 or 2.25% of the permit
fee (whichever is higher) will be assessed for each application,
except for applications submitted for the Illinois Youth
Pheasant Hunt.
The public/private partnership controlled pheasant hunting areas
are Chain O’Lakes State Park in Lake County and Silver Springs
State Fish and Wildlife Area in Kendall County. Information
about controlled pheasant hunting at these sites is available on
the concessionaire’s website at www.tmillerinc.com or via a link
on the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.
Of the 16 sites operated by the IDNR, six provide only the
Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt opportunity for young hunters
between the ages of 10-17. Those six sites are the Mackinaw
River State Fish and Wildlife Area in Tazewell County, Clinton
Lake State Recreation Area in DeWitt County, Edward Madigan
State Fish and Wildlife Area in Logan County, Pere Marquette
State Park in Jersey County, Sangchris Lake State Park in
Christian and Sangamon Counties, and the World Shooting and
Recreational Complex in Randolph County.
Nine sites provide lengthy hunting seasons for hunters, as well
as additional special hunting days for young hunters under the
age of 18. Those nine sites are Johnson Sauk Trail State
Recreation Area in Henry County, the Des Plaines State Fish and
Wildlife Area in Will County, Kankakee River State Park in
Kankakee County, the Iroquois County State Wildlife Area,
Moraine View State Recreation Area in McLean County, Sand Ridge
State Forest in Mason County, Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish
and Wildlife Area in Cass County, Eldon Hazlet State Recreation
Area in Clinton County, and Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation
Area in Jefferson and Franklin Counties.
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The Green River State Wildlife Area in Lee County
provides 15 days of controlled pheasant hunting during a season that
extends from early November until just before Christmas.
At Des Plaines, Moraine View and Eldon Hazlet, hunting opportunities
are available for hunters with disabilities, where special vehicles
are provided to assist with the hunt.
Online permit reservations for the first lottery
period on IDNR-operated sites will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. on
Aug. 6 until 1:00 p.m. on Aug. 13. Two additional one-week drawing
periods are scheduled thereafter. Hunters should always review the
application instructions and season information on the controlled
pheasant hunting website prior to submitting an application. To
navigate to the controlled pheasant hunting website once the IDNR
website www.dnr.illinois.gov
has been accessed, hunters should follow these directions:
Click on the “Hunt/Trap” button on the toolbar
Then click on "Upland Game"
Then click on “Controlled Pheasant Hunting Permits, Hunting Areas,
Regs, etc.”
IDNR-operated controlled pheasant hunting sites will continue to
have a portion of their hunter quota allocated to standby hunters.
Standby hunters acquire permits and pay permit fees at the site
hunter check station on the day of the hunt. Standby permits are
also available for the Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt if the site
hunter quota is not filled by young hunters with reserved permits
prior to the hunt date. However, to ensure enough pheasants are
released each hunting day, all hunters are strongly encouraged to
access IDNR-operated controlled pheasant hunting sites by using the
online permit reservation system.
Hunters without computers are encouraged to gain access to the
controlled pheasant hunting online reservation system by checking
with family or friends with a computer or by using a computer at
their local public library. Completing a permit reservation online
takes less than five minutes.
For complete details, check the controlled pheasant hunting website
at www.dnr.illinois.gov
or the T. Miller, Inc. website at
www.tmillerinc.com.
[Illinois Department of Natural
Resources] |
