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Illinois legal shooting hours

Illinois's published shooting hours, cited to Illinois Department of Natural Resources, worked out for today and for your exact spot.

The rules in Illinois

Deer and big game
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Firearm deer season.Source: 17 Ill. Adm. Code 650.10, checked October 2026.
Spring turkey
One-half hour before sunrise to 1:00 PM. Some state sites set shorter hours.Source: 17 Ill. Adm. Code 710.30, spring turkey, checked October 2026.
Ducks
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Federal framework for the general duck season. Your state may set stricter hours.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR 20.117(f), checked October 2026.

Today, Sun, Oct 25

Legal time for deer and big game in Illinois's largest cities. Use the tool below for your exact spot.

CityLegal timeSunriseSunset
Chicago6:45 AM to 6:24 PM7:15 AM5:54 PM
Aurora6:48 AM to 6:26 PM7:17 AM5:57 PM
Joliet6:47 AM to 6:26 PM7:16 AM5:57 PM
Loading the almanac…
  • Your state's own rule, cited
  • Exact to your spot
  • Rounded so it is never early

Hunting in Illinois

40 outfitters, guides and lodges listed in Illinois.

See Illinois outfitters

How it works

How the shooting hours are worked out

  1. 1

    Pick your spot

    Search a town, county or hunting area, or use your location. The tool finds the state and its time zone.

  2. 2

    Choose what you are hunting

    Big game, spring turkey or waterfowl. You get that state's published rule, the exact times for today and the page it comes from.

  3. 3

    Plan the week

    Step through the days or read the week ahead in one table, then share the link with whoever is coming.

Back to the tool

Sun and moon times are computed in your browser and checked against the US Naval Observatory.

By state

Shooting hours by state

Common questions

Shooting hours questions

One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, according to the 17 Ill. Adm. Code 650.10.

One-half hour before sunrise to 1:00 PM, according to the 17 Ill. Adm. Code 710.30, spring turkey. Some state sites set shorter hours.

Legal shooting hours are the times of day you may shoot at game, set by each state for each kind of hunting. They are usually tied to sunrise and sunset at your location, so they change every day and from place to place.

Search for where you are hunting or use your location. The tool works out sunrise and sunset for that point, applies your state's published rule for big game, spring turkey or waterfowl, and links to the page the rule comes from.

Printed tables are usually set for a zone or a reference town. Sunrise moves about four minutes for every degree of longitude, so the far side of a zone can be several minutes off. This tool computes the time for your exact spot and rounds conservatively, so it never shows a start earlier than the rule allows.

The federal framework for the general duck season sets shooting hours from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset (50 CFR 20.117(f)). States can set stricter hours inside it, and where we have a state's own waterfowl rule the tool uses it.

Yes. The Hunting Hubs shooting hours tool is free, needs no account and runs in your browser. Always read your state's current regulations before you hunt.

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