Looking Back 100 Years: The 1919 Illinois Game and Fish Code

With the anticipated release of the 2019-2020 Digest of Illinois Hunting and Trapping Regulations, having a copy of the regulations from 1919 seemingly fall into my lap couldn’t have been timelier.

Issued by the Department of Agriculture, Division of Game and Fish, the 1919 Game and Fish Code of Illinois was a 64-page publication, measuring 3.25 by 5 inches. Gently turning the fragile, browning pages of a nearly perfect booklet, I found the “Game Birds/Non-Game Birds” section to span about five pages, and the portion addressing regulations on the harvest of “Animals” covering less than four pages. An additional four pages discussed hunting and trapping licenses, which were not available to persons “under the age of 16 years without the written request of the father or mother or legally constituted guardian of such person.” Prices for hunting or trapping licenses were the same, with resident licenses 75 cents (plus a cent clerk’s fee of 25 cents) and non-resident licenses were $10 (plus a clerk’s fee of 50 cents). As today, licenses expired March 31.

The short section on deer hunting simply stated it “shall be unlawful to hunt, kill, take or destroy, or to attempt to hunt, kill, take or destroy any wild deer in the State until the 10^th day of November A.D. 1925.”That language would be renewed until deer hunting resumed in Illinois in 1957.

Regarding game birds, the regulations stated that it was illegal “to hunt, kill, take or destroy grouse (except pinnated prairie chickens), quails (except bobwhite), partridges, woodcocks, wild turkeys, swans, pheasants (except cock pheasants), and all shore birds (except plovers, black-breasted and gold, greater and lesser yellowlegs, Wilson and Jack snipe), until November 10, 1923.” The prairie-chicken season would permanently close in 1933. The season on wood ducks and eider ducks remained closed until September 16, 1925.

The astute reader will notice a significant gap from the game species list. Overharvest of the wild turkey in the 1800s brought about the closure of the turkey hunting season in 1903. Not until 1970, after decades of research, land management and trap and transplant efforts, was turkey hunting reimplement in the state.

Another major difference in 1919 was that there was no limit, and a year-round season, for English sparrows, crows, blackbirds, bluejays, Cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, goshawks, duck hawks (peregrine falcon), pigeon hawks (merlin), great-horned owls and cormorants.” Today, all these birds, except for the English, or house, sparrow, are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

By 1919, regulations were in place prohibiting the take or needless destruction of the nest or eggs of any song, insectivorous or non-game seed-eating bird, or to have the nest or eggs of such species in a person’s possession.

Following the era of wholesale marketing hunting, regulations were established, and the 1919 hunting and trapping regulations stated it was illegal to “buy, sell or barter, or offer to buy, sell or barter, or for any commercial institution, commission house, restaurant or cafe keeper, to have in possession any of the game birds named in this Act, or rabbits or squirrels, whether killed or taken within or without the State, or lawfully or unlawfully killed or taken.”

A century of growth in both wildlife and habitat research, and application of land management practices supporting research findings, has resulted in the recovery of several species, including the white-tailed deer, wild turkey, wood duck and river otter. Some have received protection as migratory species. Outdoorsmen and women have played a significant role in the recovery of these and other species, through purchases supporting the Pittman-Robertson, or Wildlife Restoration, Act of 1937. Unfortunately, other species haven’t fared as well, impacted by the continued loss or degradation of habitat.

What will be learned over the next century? Will that information result in an upsurge in game populations? Will some species be absent from the 2119 regulation digest, victims of declining habitat despite research and management actions? Only time will tell.

Interested to learn more about the current Illinois game and fish code? Check out the 2019–2020 Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations article.

NOTE: Spellings here exactly from book and some variations noted.

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Kathy Andrews Wright is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of Outdoor Illinois magazine. She is currently the editor of Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal and Illinois Audubon magazine.