General Parameters

Types of Hunting Permitted:

• Archery Deer Hunting
• Firearms Deer Hunting
• Waterfowl Hunting

Fee Structure:

• Fees will be collected for each hunting opportunity if the applicant is selected to participate in the program. Those fees will be due at the orientation meetings.
• Fees are reduced for McHenry County residents. In the case of an archery or waterfowl partner group application, the in-county rate will be charged if 50% or more of the applicants are McHenry County residents. For example, if a waterfowl group contains six people and three of them live in McHenry County, the group will be charged the in-county rate. If only two of them live in-county (including the primary applicant), the group will be charged the out-of-county rate. This does not apply for firearms deer hunters.
• No refunds will be given unless the District suspends hunting.

Early bird special: Get your Archery/Combo hunt application in by August 1 and your Firearms Deer application in by September 14 and receive 25% off the permit fee amount. Mailed applications must be postmarked on or before the above-mentioned dates. Hand-delivered applications must be received before 4:30 pm on the above-mentioned dates. 
Fee structure:

Applications:
A hunter may apply for all of the hunting programs listed above. However, an applicant’s name must appear on only one application for any given program.  Applications can be mailed to or dropped off at the Brookdale office, 18410 US Highway 14, Woodstock IL 60098. Applications will not be accepted at any other District office. Incomplete applications, late or faxed applications, and duplicate applications will not be accepted.

Participant Selection:
Participants will be selected by a lottery. The lottery will be based on a point system. See the section on each type of hunting for more information.

Mandatory Orientation Meeting

Every participant must attend the hunting program orientation meeting. For the archery program, the date is September 8; firearms October 27; and waterfowl October 6. Combo program hunters must attend both the archery and firearms orientation meetings.

Waiver:
All participants must sign a waiver of liability at the mandatory orientation meeting.

Evaluation:

As identified in Ordinance 03-415, Chapter III, Section 14, an annual evaluation of the program will be conducted and presented to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees retains the right to eliminate hunting on any or all District sites.

Management:

MCCD reserves the right to close sites to hunting for certain periods of time during the hunting season due to management activities. All participants will be notified prior to any closures.

GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. All participants must comply with all Federal and Illinois State rules and regulations, unless the District regulations are more restrictive.
2. Violation of any rule or exhibition of unethical conduct by a participant may result in revocation of that person’s District-issued hunting permit or a fine, or both.
3. No participants shall hunt without a District-issued hunting permit.
4. Participants may enter their assigned District site one and one-half hours before legal shooting time and must exit within one hour after legal shooting time.
5. To be eligible for a District-issued hunting permit, every applicant must show proof of possession of all valid licenses, stamps, and permits as required by Federal and Illinois State law. These will be checked at the orientation meeting.
6. To be eligible, all participants must show proof that they have successfully completed a state- or federally-approved hunter safety education course. First time applicants must submit a photocopy of the applicant’s Hunter Safety Education card with the application. For more information about Hunter Safety Education, contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at 800-832-2599 or www.dnr.state.il.us
7. No participants shall go on private property bordering any District hunting site without first notifying District police.
8. All participants must clearly display a District-issued parking permit on the dashboard of their vehicle. They must also carry with them their District-issued hunting permit while on the site.
9. All harvests must be reported. Rules for reporting are specific to each type of hunting and are listed in the Rules and Regulations for each hunting type. Failure to report harvests will result in the loss of hunting privileges for the next hunting season.
10. No participants shall be under the influence of or be in the possession of illegal drugs or alcohol while hunting.
11. All participants must use established or designated parking lots. No parking is allowed along county or township roads.
12.  The District reserves the right to suspend hunting at any time in any area for any reason.
13. Any participant under the age of eighteen (18) years of age must be accompanied by a person twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who will be in the immediate area (100 feet).
14. Participants must have reached their ninth birthday by October 1 of the current year to be eligible to hunt.
15. Persons with disabilities may be allowed special privileges. Each case will be handled on an individual basis. The definition of a person with disabilities is as per state statutes.
16. Participants may harvest only those game animals designated on their permit.
17. It is unlawful to make available food, salt, mineral block, or other products for ingestion by wild deer or other wildlife. This includes but is not limited to any food plot, C’Mere Deer, Deer Cane, Deer Co cane, etc. This does not prohibit scents that are used for cover, masking, or attracting.
18. A participant’s failure to show up for their designated hunting event may prevent them from future hunting opportunities with the District.
19. For the purpose of this program, residency is defined as the official place of dwelling. Proof of residency is   required. Acceptable forms are a copy of a recent utility bill or driver’s license.
20. All hunters must sign in and out when hunting and scouting on District property.
21. Blinds or stands provided by the District cannot be moved.
22. There will be no hunting or scouting Trail of History weekend, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and any other days specified by the District.