Crossbow Laws in Illinois
Illinois is known as one of the worst states for crossbow hunters. All this is changing quickly, and you would be interested in the current legal status of Illinois. The crossbow law in Illinois has changed a few times in the past 30 years. The first mention of crossbows in Illinois was sometime around 1980 when crossbows were illegal to hunt with at all. It was very hard to find any information about Illinois hunting history, but I know the State of Illinois, has changed the crossbow law at least three other times. Finally, in 1998, people who had disabilities could get a permit to use a crossbow .
Illinois now allows people over the age of 62 to use a crossbow during any hunting season in the state. The law will not designate the crossbow as a firearm, bow or shotgun.
Then, in 2012, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) started issuing all persons with disabilities that met IDNR specifications crossbow user permits. Crossbows can be used in any legal hunting season in Illinois with the exception of the spring turkey hunting season. You must be in possession of a crossbow user permit issued by the IDNR at all times while you are hunting. There are also permits issued through the county which will allow a person to get an Urban Archery permit.
Crossbow Hunting in Illinois
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources permits the use of crossbows for hunting in certain seasons. Similar to archery and other methods of take, crossbow hunters must follow strict requirements. The crossbow must be a legal crossbow and the hunter must have a valid permit. First, the crossbow must have working safety, a minimum draw weight of 40 pounds and a maximum peak draw weight of 60 pounds. If the crossbow is loaded or drawn, it must be either pointed at a target or placed on a rack or other support. Of course a license valid for crossbow hunting is required, such as the Archery Deer Permit. In counties that have an Archery Deer Season Plus Crossbow Permit, a person wishing to use a crossbow must also obtain a Crossbow River Bluffs Deer Permit. Crossbow hunting is allowed during all Deer Permit shotgun and muzzleloader seasons and in some counties can be used during the Late-Winter Antlerless Deer Season and the Late-CWD Deer Season.
Owning and Licensing a Crossbow in Illinois
There are no current licensing or registration requirements for crossbows in Illinois. After going through the first round of the new FOID (Firearm Owner’s Identification) card process it is a good time to clarify the legalities surrounding crossbow ownership. The State of Illinois does not include crossbows on the list of prohibited weapons. Under the 720 ILCS 5/24-1(a)(21-29), "Machine Guns and Other Prohibited Weapons", the legislation provides a list of weapons that are illegal in Illinois. Both conventional bows and crossbows are specifically excluded from the list along with other common hunting implements such as boomerangs/staff slings, spear guns, dart guns, and brass knuckles.
Just because crossbows are legal does not mean that you can purchase one without undergoing a background check. Currently the Cook County Sheriff’s Office has deemed the use of the check system when applying for a FOID card sufficient for the sale of crossbow equipment. If you already have your FOID card or have recently applied and are still waiting it will be up to the dealer to make the call if you need to go through another round of background checks. If you choose to go through a private sale instead of purchasing from a licensed dealer it is still a good idea to have a written agreement outlining the sale. Good luck hunting!
Crossbows and Disability Permits in Illinois
While many of my blog posts have focused on the on-going transition away from crossbows being seen as a "poacher’s tool" and towards acceptance of crossbows statewide in Illinois, I think reading this post will make a better case of it than any article I could write. In Gun Digest, a story titled "How-To: The Crossbow" was published on April 20, 2013 with the following introductory paragraph, "For the longest time, crossguns were known primarily as ‘poacher’s tools,’ nasty devices used to hunt deer when the season was closed, or animals forbidden by law." But the story is a bit different today, with more states (and Canada) allowing for the use of equipment traditionally not associated with the most common form of deer hunting in North America (i.e. the well-placed shot from a bolt-action rifle, or smooth-bore shotgun with rifled slug, etc.). See, in Illinois, actually hunting deer with a crossbow was a closed season until September 1, 1983. In 1988, the Illinois Natural History Survey (the research arm of Illinois’ Department of Natural Resources) issued a Special Permit which allowed the use of a crossbow during the last 10 days of the archery deer season. Then, an open but tightly regulated season for crossbows was allowed beginning in 1994 and ending June 1, 1998. A regulation requiring crossbows to be fired from a standing position was eliminated in 1994 to provide equal opportunity to the disabled and elderly hunters using crossbows. To hunt on land owned or leased by the permit holder during the regular archery deer season, you need to apply for an Illinois Disability Permit. A permit from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources , Division of Wildlife Resources to use a crossbow to hunt deer during the regular archery deer season is available free of charge to persons who meet the following criteria Any person issued a Disability Permit in Illinois may also use that same permit once every two years to shoot a firearm. Check the cards included with your permit or contact the Natural Heritage Division at (217) 782-7501. The permit shall be valid on the person’s property or on land of another at the invitation of the owner or occupant of the property. The Disabled Archer Permit (Section 180.30(k) of the Illinois Administrative Code) allows a disabled person to use a crossbow when hunting deer in Illinois. To qualify for this permit, the disabled person must possess one of the following cards: (i) Disabled Person Identification Card; (ii) Illinois Persons with Disabilities Identification Parking Card; (iii) Disabled Veteran Identification Card; (iv) Illinois Department of Human Services Identification Card. And, "(B) You are legally blind or visually impaired and possess a valid Illinois license to hunt". If you are legally blind or visually impaired and possess a valid Illinois license to hunt, you can apply on-line to receive a free IL DNR MDD permit that provides free access to land managed by the IDNR. To receive the free MDD permit, you need to submit an application and provide information regarding: (1) Your legal blindness or vision impairment; and (2) A written statement from a licensed medical doctor (MD) or licensed optometrist (OD) stating that your impairment prohibits you from drawing and shooting a vertical bow. If you do not have a current MD or OD statement you can use the Adobe Acrobat™ form. I’ll skip the regulatory citations other than to mention that the Illinois Compiled Statutes website does a good job of organizing the information and links you can use to apply for any of these permits that you are eligible for.
Penalties for Crossbow Violations in Illinois
For those who think that violating crossbow requirements in Illinois is a "statute of limitations" type of offense, we have news for you. There can be serious legal ramifications for failing to comply with the legal requirements imposed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). You should note that certain violations are class B misdemeanors meaning there could be a monetary fine of $1,500 or jail time, or both involved. The Illinois Compiled Statutes (720 ILCS 5/26-1) describe the penalties as follows: (720 ILCS 5/26-1.2) (from Ch. 38, par. 26-1.2) Sec. 26-1.2. Bow or crossbow deer hunting and accessory equipment unlawfully used; penalty. In addition to any other penalties provided by law, a person convicted of unlawfully taking a deer or of unlawfully hunting a deer while using a bow and arrow system or crossbow that is illegally equipped with a device or accessory shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. (Source: P.A. 91-355, eff. 7-29-99.) You can be given a ticket in the field or you will have to go to court if you are charged with a misdemeanor. If you consider the aggravating factors in the statute you will see that it is designed to penalize the equipment of a bow including the use of illuminated nocks or scopes or anything on the bow that gives you an unfair advantage over an animal that you hunt. Using a crossbow that is unreasonably inaccurate for the activity you are pursuing is also a violation of the statute.
Crossbow Statutes in Other States
Within the states adjacent to Illinois, the crossbow laws and regulations are a mixed bag. Missouri and Iowa are practically identical in their usage and permits with each only requiring a valid regular hunting permit for any and all hunters to utilize crossbows without limitations. Indiana also requires a standard hunting license but within certain parameters based on age and disability. Kentucky’s rules are almost the same as Indiana except that the parameters and limits for use are different. Further somewhat close to Illinois in its regulations, are the states of Michigan and Kansas. The only type of crossbow that can be used in the state of Michigan is an automatic. In Kansas, upon application for a disabled hunting permit, a hunter shall be issued a disabled combination hunt and fish license without fee which is valid for not more than five successive license years. Likewise, any resident of Kansas may use a crossbow seasonally at any specified location during the open season for deer and spring wild turkey by obtaining a special permit from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Achieving any of these permits is free of charge to the citizen hunter . Many other state hunts and seasons are similar albeit having specific differences. As stated earlier, some states have more restrictions on their regulations regarding crossbow use than other states, in addition to the fact that some states offer free of charge permits to their citizen hunters. As is indicative in many of the states surrounding Illinois, any resident hunter utilizing a crossbow must possess a valid regular hunting permit in order to use it, while at the same time, some states will issue disabled crossbow hunting permits free of charge to residents as well as out of state hunters traveling into their state to hunt. In light of these laws and rules, resident hunters should note the requirements of such crossbow permits prior to traveling outside of Illinois with their crossbow in tow. The bottom line is that the law in most cases is based on the citizen from the state in which they are traveling. Keep in mind that certain states do not allow crossbows to be used during specific seasons or allowed to be used on particular animals. This is also true in Illinois where crossbows cannot be used to take certain types of wildlife.