On June 25, the Illinois House of Representatives concurred with the Senate’s amendments to IL HB 2893, which was then sent to Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus member Governor Bruce Rauner for a signature.
Once signed, Illinois hunters will be able to use crossbows to harvest wildlife during the appropriate archery season. Currently, only certain hunters with a disability or those hunters aged 62 and older or 18 years and younger may use crossbows during archery season.
Introduced by Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus member Representative Jerry Costello, and endorsed by National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) Executive Council President Representative Brandon Phelps, this bill passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support.
“H 2893 passing the legislature was the accumulation of years of effort by a broad group of dedicated sportsmen and women,” said Representative Jerry Costello. “Allowing the full-inclusion of crossbows in Illinois is a crucial step in expanding hunting opportunities for the citizens of our state.”
Illinois is poised to join over 25 other states in allowing the full-inclusion of crossbows during archery season. The Prairie State’s 1.31 million hunters and anglers spend $2.24 billion annually on their outdoor pursuits, helping support close to 32,000 jobs in the state.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
