Special CWD Season Hunts to be Held at Castle Rock State Park, Lowden-Miller State Forest and White Pines Forest State Park in Ogle County

Special Hunting Season is Jan. 12-14, 2007

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources today announced that public land hunting opportunities will be available when the Special CWD Deer Hunting Season is conducted in five northern Illinois counties Jan. 12-14, 2007. The Special CWD season – used to help control deer density and the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in counties where it has been detected in wild deer – will be open countywide in Boone, DeKalb, McHenry, Ogle, and Winnebago counties. State properties offering hunts during that season are Castle Rock State Park, Lowden Miller State Forest, and White Pines Forest State Park, all in Ogle County. All site hunts will be firearm only; no archery hunting will be allowed.

Daily hunter quotas have been established for each site. Drawings will be held each morning of the hunt at 5 a.m. to determine that day’s participating hunters. The drawing for Castle Rock State Park and Lowden Miller State Forest will be held at the Castle Rock State Park maintenance shed. The drawing for White Pines Forest State Park will be held at the White Pines site office. Hunters are encouraged to arrive early enough to register for the drawings.

In order to be eligible for the drawings, hunters must be in possession of any one of the following permits: (1) a Special CWD Season antlerless-only permit valid for Ogle County (available over-the-counter at license vendors for $5.50); (2) an unfilled 2006 firearm deer permit valid for Ogle County or for the site being applied for; or, (3) an unfilled 2006 muzzleloader deer permit valid for Ogle County or for the site being applied for. Archery deer permits, landowner deer permits, and youth permits may not be used for these special hunts.

No permits will be issued at the site prior to the drawing; all hunters must have an eligible permit in their possession when they arrive at the park. Hunters chosen at the drawings will be issued back patches and given safety instructions prior to the hunt.

Hunters using unfilled 2006 firearm or muzzleloader season permits may use only the firearm(s) allowed by that permit, and may only harvest the type of deer (either-sex or antlerless-only) identified on the permit. Successful site hunters must check their deer at the county check station located at Castle Rock State Park. Hunters who allow IDNR wildlife biologists to collect tissue samples from their deer for CWD testing will be issued an either-sex deer permit free-of-charge, valid for the entire county. Successful hunters who wish to continue hunting on a special hunt area after checking in deer must be redrawn through the hunter standby line if other hunters are waiting. The statewide bag limit of two antlered deer does not apply to deer taken during the special CWD season, but hunters are reminded that they must possess a valid either-sex tag in order to take an antlered deer.

For more information regarding the Statewide Special CWD seasons to be held at these sites, please contact:

Castle Rock State Park and Lowden-Miller State Forest: 815/732-7329 White Pines Forest State Park: 815/946-3717

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