(a) Subject to valid existing rights, Department-managed lands shall be open to access and use for recreational hunting except as limited by the Department for reasons of public safety, fish or wildlife management, or homeland security or as otherwise limited by law.
     (b) The Department shall exercise its authority, consistent with subsection (a), in a manner to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities, to the extent authorized by State law. The Department is not required to give preference to hunting over other uses of Department-managed lands or over land or water management priorities established by Department regulations or State law.

Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 520 ILCS 30/15

  • State: when applied to different parts of the United States, may be construed to include the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" may be construed to include the said district and territories. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.14

     (c) Department land management decisions and actions may not, to the greatest practical extent, result in any net loss of habitat available for hunting opportunities on Department-managed lands that exists on the effective date of this Act.
     (d) By October 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to the General Assembly a written report describing:
         (1) the acreage administered by the Department that
    
has been closed during the previous year to recreational hunting and the reasons for the closures; and
        (2) the acreage administered by the Department that,
    
in order to comply with subsection (c), was opened to recreational hunting to compensate for those acreage closed under paragraph (1).