Illinois Hunting and Outdoor Sports Association formerly Illinois Association of Hunting Preserve

ABOUT US

The Illinois Hunting and Outdoor Sports Association (IHOSA) formerly known as the Illinois Association of Hunting Preserves was founded on March 14, 1958, by a group of men who operated game bird hunting preserves and game bird farms in Illinois. These individuals felt the need for strong representation of their interests in the Illinois General Assembly as well as with the Illinois Department of Conservation now the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the arms of government regulating their activities.

At that time, the preserve hunting season ran from October 15 to March 15, and preserve operators had to agree that at least 20% of the game birds released would not be harvested. To operate a preserve, the owner had to have a minimum of 320 contiguous acres of land; there was no mention of how much of that land had to be huntable wildlife habitat. There was also a minimum number of game birds that had to be released each year for hunting on a preserve.

Over the years, the IHOSA has worked closely with the IDNR to establish reasonable, workable regulations for the operation of hunting preserves. When it became apparent that the number of hunting preserves had been declining year after year, it was determined that the minimum acreage requirement needed to be reduced and minimum habitat requirements implemented. When scientific research found that unharvested released game birds did not significantly improve native, naturally occurring game bird populations, the 20% requirement was eliminated. When adverse weather seriously impacted hunting, the hunting preserve season was gradually lengthened from 5 months to 7½ months. When an outbreak of Duck Viral Enteritis occurred in some wild waterfowl populations with some authorities attributing the outbreak to captive-reared mallards, the IHOSA helped to ensure that a reasonable resolution of the issues were implemented in Illinois.