Home › Illinois › Public land › Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District
Illinois national forest ranger district
National forest ranger district in Jackson County and 3 more counties of roughly 117,276 acres in the source.
Photo: Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Other published details for Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District:
Illinois-wide rules still bind you at Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District; the short list is below.
| Applies here | In brief |
|---|---|
| Firearm deer clothing | 400 square inches orange |
| Ground blinds, firearm season | 400 square inches orange |
| Hunter safety card | Born on or after 1980 |
| Habitat stamp | Required to hunt |
| Baiting or feeding deer | Illegal |
| Sunday hunting | Not stated in sources |
Digest rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); orange rule at IDNR hunter orange page; baiting at IDNR baiting page; Sunday rule: IDNR Sunday page. Site rules from the record source. Checked November 13, 2026.
Nearby
the Forest Service manages Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District, a national forest ranger district. State seasons and permits apply on this federal ground, with Forest Service rules layered on top. By the Forest Service land statistics it holds 117,276 acres. Look for it across Jackson County, Union County, Alexander County and Johnson County; IDNR calls the area South.
Hunting rules are those of the Shawnee National Forest (state seasons and regulations). Species on the source listing: deer, turkey, upland birds and waterfowl.
Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District is part of Shawnee National Forest. Its rules and access terms apply here too.
Deer rules in Illinois are decided county by county, so each county touching Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District matters. These 4 counties have no confirmed CWD record this season.
| County | Shotgun deer | Either-sex permits | Chronic wasting | Turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | Open | 2,227 | None found | South |
| Union | Open | 120 | None found | South |
| Alexander | Open | 287 | None found | South |
| Johnson | Open | 451 | None found | South |
More on each county: Jackson County, Union County, Alexander County and Johnson County.
County rules from the Digest, IDNR CWD counties and the leftover permit list (IDNR permit page); checked November 13, 2026.
Ralph Clover SNA lies 1 mile northwest, the closest alternative to Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District. Within reach: 2 federal tracts, 1 natural area and 1 state forest.
| Public land | Kind | Acres | County | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Clover SNA | Natural area | 60 | Jackson | 1 mile | northwest |
| LaRue Swamp Federal Lands | Federal land | 1,000 | Union | 3 miles | west |
| Oakwood Bottoms Federal Lands | Federal land | 3,400 | Jackson | 6 miles | north |
| Trail of Tears State Forest | State forest | 4,784 | Union | 8 miles | south |
| Guthrie Cave L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | 80 | Union | 10 miles | east |
| Dug Hill SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | 282 | Union | 10 miles | south |
Point: USFS EDW Ranger Districts polygon clipped to USFS Basic Ownership (polygon centroid of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
IDNR also manages places near Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District where hunting is not offered; they are listed as closed in our records and never shown as open.
| Closed row | Type | Miles off | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union State Tree Nursery | IDNR site | 8 miles | Union |
| Brown Barrens | Natural area | 10 miles | Union |
| Berryville Shale Glade | Natural area | 11 miles | Union |
| Little Grassy Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | 15 miles | Williamson |
| James "Gene" Korando Pond | Natural area | 16 miles | Jackson |
| Piney Creek Ravine | Natural area | 25 miles | Randolph |
Closed rows are IDNR sites with no Hunt Illinois fact sheet and no hunting flag on the land-use layer; see the full closed list. Checked November 13, 2026.
Alto Pass is the nearest town with a page here, 4 miles from Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District in a straight line. Murphysboro (7,044 people in 2024) is the larger service town in the list. Towns whose 10-mile circle takes in Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District: Alto Pass, Grand Tower and Makanda. IDNR staff or drop-off boxes nearest Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District: Kaskaskia River Lock and Dam Parking Area, 40 miles.
| Town | County | People (2024) | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alto Pass | Union | 305 | 4 miles | east |
| Grand Tower | Jackson | 475 | 7 miles | northwest |
| Makanda | Jackson | 539 | 9 miles | east |
| Jonesboro | Union | 1,655 | 12 miles | southeast |
| Murphysboro | Jackson | 7,044 | 12 miles | north |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); IDNR sites from the CWD sampling list and the IDNR contact page; businesses from services.json listings; straight-line miles. Checked November 13, 2026.
Picked for cornfields, creek bottoms and river backwaters; nothing loads until you tap.
Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Cornfield edges give little cover, so most hunters climb into a hardwood draw in Illinois.
Regular duck and goose hours end at sunset, a full half hour earlier than deer hours, and the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District columns show that gap on each date.
| Day | Note | Sunup | Sundown | Deer day | Goose day | Turkey day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Bow season opens | 6:52 a.m. | 6:42 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:12 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 6:42 p.m. | Not in season |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Youth deer weekend | 7:00 a.m. | 6:29 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 6:59 p.m. | 6:30 a.m. to 6:29 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Pheasant and quail | 6:28 a.m. | 4:55 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | 5:58 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 20, 2026 | Shotgun deer opens | 6:42 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 6:12 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 11, 2026 | Muzzleloader weekend | 7:02 a.m. | 4:40 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 6:32 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:08 a.m. | 4:42 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 6:38 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. | Not in season |
| Apr 5, 2027 | Spring turkey opens | 6:39 a.m. | 7:23 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 7:53 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 7:23 p.m. | 6:09 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula on Central Time; checked November 13, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Pond Creek Shooting Range, 13 miles from Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District, heads the three nearest range cards.
From the IDNR archery and hand-trap page, the Sparta complex pages, club sites and directory listings, checked November 13, 2026.
A flock of blue-winged teal in flightPhoto: Mike Budd (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Northern pintails in flightPhoto: USFWS Headquarters (CC BY 2.0)
No site permit or lottery is listed for Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District in the sources we read. You still need a license, the habitat stamp and the usual county deer or turkey permits.
IDNR or the federal source lists deer, turkey, upland birds and waterfowl. Statewide limits apply.
We read no site-specific seasons for Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District; the Digest dates stand. Season calendar.
The record puts Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District in Jackson County, Union County, Alexander County and Johnson County at 117,276 acres. IDNR region: South.
Details are published by the Forest Service. The record lists no phone or address. Official page.
We found no report row for Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District; the county pages carry county totals. County totals: Jackson County.
Supplies are closest in Alto Pass, 4 miles off. Next: Grand Tower (7 miles) and Makanda (9 miles). Alto Pass hunting page.
In firearm deer seasons the Digest calls for a solid blaze cap and an upper garment with 400 square inches of orange or pink. Check the Digest for other seasons. Source.
In Jackson County, firearm deer is open to firearm deer; no confirmed chronic wasting disease finding is on the list. Leftover either-sex firearm permits after round 3: 2,227. Jackson County page.
The sources we read state no Sunday rule, so we do not say it is allowed or banned. IDNR page.
Several are closed: 6 sites within 25 miles, Union State Tree Nursery among them. Do not hunt them.
Deer hours run from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset; regular ducks and geese stop at sunset; spring turkey ends at 1 pm. Site rules can be tighter. Hours for every county.
Recheck your permit, county rules and season dates for Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District before packing up.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; statewide seasons from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest. Checked November 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).