Deer Removal Permits (DRPs) are special permits issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to landowners, or tenants with the landowner’s permission, experiencing excessive damage caused by white-tailed deer to agricultural crops, nurseries, orchards, vineyards, etc,. If you are currently experiencing this issue, use the form below to describe the type of damage and request a permit. An IDNR District Wildlife Biologist will follow up with you to evaluate the occurrence and extent of the deer-related damage and determine if the issuance of a DRP is warranted.
DRPs are issued to augment other damage abatement techniques (e.g., hunting, fencing, repellents, scarecrows, or other deterrents) and only when damage is actively occurring, which allows the permittee to remove animals responsible for causing the damage.
DRPs are not issued for the purpose of reducing local deer herd size, nor are they issued in lieu of hunting permits for recreational purposes. Public hunting remains the primary means of managing deer numbers and minimizing deer-related damage. More information about white-tailed deer in Illinois.
The Wildlife Illinois website was authorized by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) in partial fulfillment of project W-147-T. The website was developed by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, 2wav, and the IDNR in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Wildlife Services and University of Illinois Extension to provide research-based information about how to coexist with Illinois wildlife.
