Harvest Reporting Systems
Reporting your harvest correctly is an important part of responsible hunting in Illinois. Requirements vary by species, location, and land type, so it’s important to know which system applies to your hunt.
Depending on what species you hunt, you may need to complete Illinois-specific reporting, CITES-related reporting, or federal migratory bird/HIP reporting.
If you are hunting on public land, you may need to have a Windshield Card or use the Hunter Sign-In/-Out stations, depending on the site. Even on private land, several species require different types of reporting. Other types of reporting, such as migratory bird bands, are optional; however, they are highly encouraged to support and improve conservation efforts.
It’s not uncommon to have to record your harvest in multiple locations. For example, if you take a deer on public land at a site that requires a Windshield Card, you must report it to the IDNR on the day of harvest and again when your Windshield Card data is due.
Harvest Reporting Based on Species: Deer, Turkey, Otter, & Bobcat (Public & Private Land)
Successful harvests of deer, turkey, otter, and bobcats must be reported to the IDNR, whether taken from private or public land, and the required CITES tags must be purchased. Details for each species, including online and phone reporting options, are available on the species pages of Hunt Illinois and in the current Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations.
Further Reading
Reporting Requirements on IDNR Public Lands
Check the Hunt Illinois Site Directory page before heading out for site-specific regulations.
Windshield Cards
Some IDNR sites require hunters to print and display a Windshield Card and report hunting efforts and successes for each day in the field. Not every site uses this system, so check the Hunt Illinois Site Directory or visit the Online Windshield Card Sites tool for specific species and location information. Windshield Card reporting data helps the IDNR make informed decisions and establish regulations for sites.
- Must be displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard while hunting.
- Once your card is printed, you must report activity by the February 15 deadline, even if you did not hunt or harvest anything. Failure to report will result in the loss of future access to the site
- Hunters with seasons ending on February 15 (e.g., squirrels) have an extra two weeks to submit data.
Hunter Sign-In & Sign-Out
Other sites require hunters to sign in and out and record their daily harvest. Most areas have a sign-in station in the main parking lot. Sometimes these are clearly marked — like in the example below — but other times they are just a metal box on a post, which may not have a sign.
If hunters come across an empty box, like in the example below, it is recommended that they contact the site superintendent. (We are confirming what the IDNR recommends for after-hours situations.)
Federal Reporting Requirements
National Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program (HIP) (Private & Public Lands)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) monitors migratory game bird harvests to track population trends and set hunting dates, zones, and limits. You can learn more about the data collected from the USFWS National Migratory Bird Harvest Survey on their site.
Registration with HIP is required by law each year and is a free add-on when you buy your hunting license.
You must register in each state where you hunt migratory game birds, on both private and public lands.
HIP Levels
- Basic registration: Name, address, and past-season hunting activity.
- Most hunters participate at this level.
- According to the USFWS, five percent of hunters are selected for sampling nationwide, and three percent are selected in Illinois.
- Diary Survey: Selected hunters log date, county, and number of birds for each hunt. These surveys give harvest estimates for species and groups. Surveys are sent before the hunting season, and participation is voluntary and confidential. The five surveyed types cover:
- Doves and band-tailed pigeons
- Waterfowl (ducks, sea ducks, geese, and brant)
- American woodcock
- Rails, gallinules, coots, and snipe
- Sandhill cranes
- Wing Survey: Some Diary Survey participants send in wings and feathers using free postage-paid envelopes that are distributed before the beginning of the season. These help USFWS estimate species, sex, and age composition and improve population models by showing how the harvest is changing over time among different locations. This helps wildlife managers set and evaluate hunting seasons. Participants must send:
- One wing from each duck, dove, pigeon, woodcock, and rail.
- Wing tips and tail feathers from each goose.
Further HIP Reading
- Decoding HIP: A Guide to the Harvest Information Program by Nathan Ratchford
- IDNR Harvest Information Program by IDNR
- USFWS Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys
- USFWS Migratory Bird Hunter Survey (Diary Survey)
- USFWS Migratory Bird Parts Collection Survey
- How do waterfowl hunters contribute to waterfowl and habitat conservation? by USFWS
- 2019 Pacific Flyway Wingbee by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Federal Bird Band Reporting (Private & Public Lands)
Whether you are on private or public land, if you harvest a banded bird, report it to help monitor migratory bird populations.
You will need:
- Band number(s)
- Date, location, and method of recovery
- Contact information for verification
Submit your report to the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab (BBL). You will receive a certificate of appreciation with details on the species, sex, age, and banding information. You will also be sent the band to keep.
Reporting helps calculate harvest rates and ensures sustainable hunting seasons, allowing the hunting tradition to be continued for generations to come. Not all harvesters report banded birds, so reward bands are used to estimate the likelihood that a banded bird will be reported — the band reporting rate. The misconception that reporting leads to tighter regulations is false. More reports lead to better data and a more confident, sustainable season-setting.