State officials say permits for controlled pheasant hunting in Illinois will soon be available.

In a Wednesday news release, state officials say 16 of 20 pheasant hunting sites are operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The others are operated in a private-public partnership.

The state's reservation system for online permits opens Aug. 4. That's for 15 of the state-operated sites.

The agency's director is Marc Miller. He says it's time for pheasant hunters to start planning.

The daily permit fee for the controlled pheasant program is $30 for resident hunters and $35 for nonresident hunters.