Lake Shelbyville, Illinois – (Effingham Radio) – Lake Shelbyville The tree stand guidelines remain the same this year as last season. The guidelines allow hunters to leave one tree stand up for the season (“Seasonal Tree Stand”) and/or use up to two “mobile” stands that may remain up during the archery season for a period not to exceed a break in use of no more than 72 hours – the length of a 3-day weekend. Seasonal tree stands may be set up 2 weeks before the archery season and must be removed within 2 weeks of the end of the archery season. The archery season runs from October 1, 2024 to January 19, 2025.

Hunters who wish to obtain a seasonal tree stand permit must valid Hunting license before a permit is issued. Seasonal tree stand permits may be purchased by credit or debit card at the Lake Shelbyville Project Office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 1989 State Hwy. 16 in Shelbyville, IL, and at Chip’s Marine, 1068 CR 1025N, Sullivan, IL ($30.00).

Free mobile tree stand permits are available in Sullivan, Illinois, at Ace Hardware, Chip’s Marine, or at the Sullivan 66 gas station (formerly Howy’s Lakeside), located five miles south of Sullivan, Illinois, on Highway 32. Hunters can also pick up mobile tree stand permits at the Lake Shelbyville Project Office, Ace Hardware, and Craig’s Sporting Goods in Shelbyville.

Hunters using ladder stands are encouraged to purchase a seasonal permit. A trail permit is designed for mobile hunters and requires the hunter to remove the stand from the woods if it is not in use for more than 72 hours. Although a ladder stand could be used in this manner, they are not considered very portable due to their size and weight. Because of this, numerous tickets are issued each season to hunters who place trail permit stickers on ladder stands and fail to remove them when not in use. The cost of a ticket for failure to comply with posted restrictions is $80.00, which is approximately equivalent to 2.75 years of seasonal permits.

For more information on Lake Shelbyville tree policy, contact the Environmental Stewardship Department at (217) 774-3951, extension 7049.