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HB 3741

WILDLIFE CD-DOE&BUCK

104th Regular Session Introduced by Travis Weaver

Hunters with permits to harvest two or more deer must harvest at least one antlerless deer if they harvest any deer.

Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 3741

Summary — HB 3741 (2025) — WILDLIFE CD-DOE&BUCK

Status: Introduced Feb. 18, 2025. Reported favorably as substituted by committee (5/2/2025); committee report sent to Calendars (5/8/2025). Bill amends the Illinois Wildlife Code (520 ILCS 5/2.26).

Main purpose

To amend the Deer Hunting Permit provisions of the Illinois Wildlife Code to require that any person who holds a deer hunting permit (or combination of permits/tags) that authorizes the harvest of two or more deer must, if they harvest any deer during the season, harvest at least one antlerless deer among those two or more deer. The bill also makes technical updates to Section 2.26.

Key provisions

  • Adds a mandatory composition requirement: a hunter who obtains permits/tags totaling authorization to harvest two or more deer must harvest at least one antlerless deer among those deer, if the hunter harvests any deer.
  • Retains existing permit types and many current administrative-authority provisions (resident and nonresident archery, firearm rules, youth-season pilot program language, etc.).
  • Continues provisions on methods and times of taking deer (hours, use of bows/guns), prohibitions on baiting and use of dogs/vehicles for taking deer, and special rules for tracking wounded deer with dogs (50-foot lead, handler requirements).
  • Provides that violations of Section 2.26 (including rules) are a Class B misdemeanor.
  • Maintains Department authority over permit fees, issuance of nonresident permits, and other administrative rules; includes an explicit provision that the Department shall not limit the number of nonresident either-sex archery deer hunting permits to fewer than 20,000.
  • Includes technical/clean-up revisions throughout the section.

Who would be affected

  • Hunters (residents and nonresidents) who receive permits/tags that in total authorize the harvest of two or more deer — they would be required to include at least one antlerless deer among any deer they harvest.
  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources (or “Department”) — would implement and enforce the new composition requirement through administrative rulemaking and existing permit systems.
  • Enforcement personnel (conservation officers) and hunting license/harvest reporting systems, which would need to track compliance.

Enforcement and penalties

  • Noncompliance with the antlerless-harvest requirement (and other provisions of Section 2.26) is a Class B misdemeanor under the bill.
  • Existing monitoring, tagging, and check-station mechanisms would likely be used to detect violations.

Procedural timeline / legislative status

  • Introduced Feb. 18, 2025 (Rep. Travis Weaver).
  • Referred to Rules and Agriculture & Conservation Committees; heard and amended in committee; reported favorably as substituted (5/2/2025).
  • Committee report sent to Calendars (5/8/2025) — next steps would be floor consideration by the House and then Senate if enacted by the House.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Aimed at increasing antlerless harvests (which are commonly used for population management), it could shift hunter behavior and help deer population control where antlerless harvests are prioritized.
  • Enforcement will depend on accurate tagging/reporting and may increase administrative burden.
  • Hunters who prefer antlered deer only could be constrained if they hold multi-deer permits.
  • The bill contains a mix of substantive changes and technical edits; some existing language in the section (e.g., youth pilot program phrasing) appears to reflect prior statutory notes and may require reconciliation during rulemaking or later statutory clean-up.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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