State lawmakers voted to extend the firearm season an extra day. House Bill 3344 passed from a committee last Monday. It would require Illinois’ firearm season to be expanded to four days from the current three.
“It’s been brought up to me many times,” said State Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, who sponsors the bill. “It would also be a little closer to the rut,” he said.
Chesney said it’s likely to help stop the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), which has been a concern of the state.
“We spend over a million dollars to test deer to try to combat waste disease,” he said. “The more deer harvest that we can have to try and give these hunters who are still paying their permit fees, it’s a better practice and will be welcome by anybody who likes to enjoy deer hunting.”
The bill passed unanimously and currently needs a vote on the House Floor before being considered in the Illinois Senate.
In Illinois, the archery season lasts October through mid-January. The four-day extension would be for the state’s firearm season, which was Nov. 20–22 and Dec. 3–6 last year.
According to Chesney, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources would likely add the extra day to the beginning of the first season since the weather would be more favorable.
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