bigbuck57

As a non resident if I draw a tag for shotgun season and don't shoot a deer can I come back during muzzleloader season and use the same gun tag or do I have to apply for a muzzleloader tag?

kelton smith

gun tags can only be used during one of the gun season but u can use a muzzleloader tag for either seasons

bigbuck57

I guess I don't understand. I thought Illinois had two gun seasons and one muzzleloader season.

lifesadrag

Best to check here!

http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/...s/default.aspx

fastetti

You can use a shotgun tag for either the first or second season. If you want to hunt the muzzleloader season you need to have a muzzleloader tag which is a separate draw then the shotgun tags. You can use a muzzleloader during the shotgun seasons as well as the muzzleloader season but the muzzleloader season is a different tag. This is just how I've interpret it. Kind of confusing once I write it!

Murdy

Fastetti is right. Basically, shotgun season is actually called firearm season, and you can use any legal firearm (some exceptions apply on public land-check individual sight regs) and there are two of them. Muzzleloader season is just that. In some circumstances, you can use an unused firearm or ML tag during the late-winter or CWD seasons.

bigbuck57

Thanks for the help

cherokee75

There are two general firearms, aka. shotgun seasons, followed by a separate muzzleloader season. If you have a muzzleloader only tag, you can use it during the muzzleloader season or the second shotgun season. FYI, you can use a muzzleloader during any of the shotgun seasons but you need the firearm tag. Also, most counties have two late antlerless seasons where you can use any unfilled permits. Also, you can use certain handguns during the firearm seasons as well.

Murdy

That's the rule on private land. On public land, muzzleloader tags are limited to muzzleloader season (though you can use a ML with a firearm tag on most public sites -- there's a few that restrict MLs during firearm season for some reason that I don't understand).

SecondChance

You can use a shotgun/muzzeleoader for all 4 of the 5 gun seaons we had this year.And as Fastetti said, the muzzleloader season is a seperate draw/tag. We had the first 2 shotgun season, then the muzzeloader only season, then the first of the 2 late winter seasons, and now the 2nd of the late winter seasons. You can use shotgun, muzzeleoader or pistol(Revolver or single shot, no semi-auto's) for the regular firearms seasons.