New law allows hunters to use crossbows during season

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed a law allowing hunters to use crossbows during archery hunting seasons, including archery deer season and the fall turkey archery season, which begin Oct. 1.

House Bill 2893 amends the Illinois Wildlife Code, which previously allowed crossbow use by people 62 and older and people with disabilities who qualified for a crossbow permit by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, according to an IDNR news release.

The archery seasons go through Jan. 14, although they’ll be closed from Nov. 17 to 19 and Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 during the firearm deer season.