A recently introduced bill would give Illinois hunters the ability to earn a third buck tag.

The bill championed by Rep. Roger L. Eddy amends the Wildlife Code to allow  the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, beginning with the 2013 deer hunting season, to conduct an Earn-A-Buck pilot program.

Under the program, upon reporting the taking of an antlerless deer, the hunter “shall be issued an additional either-sex permit to allow the hunter to take an additional antlered deer, and that this additional permit shall not be counted toward one of the two antlered deer a hunter may take in a year, allowing a hunter who takes an antlerless deer to take up to three antlered deer in a year.”

The bill is currently in a Rules Committee awaiting action. You can track it’s progress HERE.

D&DH field editor Don Higgins brought the bill to our attention, and he is not a fan of the move. What do you think of this idea? Are two bucks enough, or should Illinois hunters get a third-buck reward for killing does.