Information and season dates for the 2006 Illinois Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program available online

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Permit reservation information and 2006 season dates for the controlled pheasant hunting program at 14 Illinois Department of Natural Resources sites are now available online.  The online application period for controlled pheasant hunting at the 10 sites operated by IDNR begins Aug. 7, while the application period for controlled pheasant hunting at four public/private partnership sites operated by the IDNR and concessionaire T. Miller, Inc. will be available beginning July 1. 

IDNR-Operated Controlled Pheasant Sites

Green River State Wildlife Area- Lee County
Johnson Sauk Trail State Park - Henry County
Des Plaines Conservation Area - Will County
Kankakee River State Park - Kankakee County
Iroquois County State Wildlife Area - Iroquois County
Moraine View State Recreation Area - McLean County
Sand Ridge State Forest - Mason County
Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area - Cass County
Eldon Hazlet State Park - Clinton County
Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park - Jefferson and Franklin counties.

The controlled pheasant hunting web site (www.LRSIDNRPermits.com) was developed by IDNR and LRS Webservices of Springfield and is available to view permit application instructions for both the standard controlled hunting season and the Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt.  The web site includes details on hunting sites, season dates and regulations.

Online applications for the first drawing period for the 10 IDNR-operated controlled pheasant program sites (see list above) will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. on August 7 through midnight on August 20.

Hunters need to review the application instructions and other information on the controlled pheasant hunting web site prior to submitting an application.

IDNR-operated controlled pheasant hunting sites will continue to have a portion of their hunter quota allocated to standby hunters.  Standby hunters acquire permits and pay permit fees at each site's hunter check station on the day of the hunt.  For the sites involved in the Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt, standby permits are only available at Edward Madigan State Park and Sangchris Lake State Park.  Other sites do not offer standby permits for the Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt.

Johnson Sauk Trail has been added to the sites with hunting permits available through the online reservation system for 2006.  Johnson Sauk Trail previously provided access to controlled pheasant hunting through a daily drawing system.  Both the online reservation system and the daily drawing system will be used at Johnson Sauk Trail in 2006.  Part of the site's daily hunter quota will be allocated to each system.  The online reservation system provides hunters with advance reservations for hunt dates, eliminating unnecessary travel and making the Johnson Sauk Trail controlled pheasant hunt available to hunters throughout the northern part of the state.  The Illinois Youth Pheasant Hunt has also been added at Johnson Sauk Trail for 2006, bringing the number of sites providing this special hunt for young hunters to 15.

IDNR Public/Private Partnership Controlled Pheasant Sites
The following sites are jointly operated by concessionaire T. Miller, Inc. and IDNR. 

Chain O'Lakes State Park - Lake County
Silver Springs State Park - Kendall County
Ramsey Lake State Park - Fayette County
Horseshoe Lake State Park - Madison County.

Information about controlled pheasant hunting at these sites is available on the concessionaire's website at www.tmillerinc.com and from the IDNR controlled pheasant web site at www.LRSIDNRPermits.com.

Online applications for the first drawing period for the four public/private partnership areas will be accepted from 8 a.m. on July 1 through midnight on July 14.  Hunters need to review the application instructions and other information accessible on either web site prior to submitting an application. 

Hunters without online access are encouraged to gain access to the controlled pheasant hunting reservation systems by working with extended family or friends or by using a computer at their local public library. 

Completing a permit reservation on the web site should take less than five minutes.
For complete details on the application process and other controlled pheasant hunting program information, check the web site at www.LRSIDNRPermits.com.