265 records and 155 closed places
Illinois Public Hunting Land
Every public hunting place in this guide: 265 land records, from state fish and wildlife areas to Shawnee National Forest, and 155 IDNR places listed as closed to hunting.
265Land records
155Closed places
95Counties covered
177Quota-hunt records
Photo: clarkmaxwell (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Illinois hunting land by kind
Illinois is mostly private farmland, so its public hunting ground is a scatter of state, federal and program sites. This guide holds 265 land records: 81 fish and wildlife and wildlife management sites, 36 habitat and conservation areas, 72 state parks, recreation areas, historic sites and trails with hunting, 43 natural areas, nature preserves and land and water reserves, 6 state forests, 13 national wildlife refuges, Shawnee National Forest with its two ranger districts and Midewin, 7 Corps and federal tracts, and 3 hunting programs. Together the records cover 1,203,693 acres by agency count (units that share a complex boundary share acres, so treat the sum as an upper figure) and touch 95 of the 102 counties. 7 counties have no record at all: Boone, Cumberland, DuPage, Kane, Logan, Macon and Warren. 177 records describe a permit, lottery or reservation of some kind, so check the permit section of any page before you drive out. Each record page quotes the managers: the IDNR Hunt Illinois fact sheet for state sites, the Fish and Wildlife Service refuge page for refuges, the Forest Service for Shawnee and Midewin. Pages show which of the season lines (archery, firearm, muzzleloader, spring turkey, waterfowl and the rest) the site actually offers, the site rules that go beyond the Digest, the 2025-26 hunter trips and harvest from the IDNR report where one exists, and the county rules behind the site.
Fish and wildlife areas81 on this siteHabitat areas36 on this siteParks and recreation areas72 on this siteNatural areas and preserves43 on this siteWildlife refuges13 on this siteNational forest4 on this siteState forests6 on this siteCorps lakes and federal land7 on this siteHunting programs3 on this site
The complete table of 265 Illinois land records
Type a name, county or kind to narrow the list. The seasons column counts the open season lines on the fact sheet, and the acres column shows the figure used on the record page.
| Place | Kind | Counties | Acres | Seasons open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton, Schuyler | 1,900 | 16 of 22 |
| Banner Marsh SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Peoria, Fulton | 3,000 | 8 of 17 |
| Batchtown SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Calhoun | 2,436 | 19 of 21 |
| Big Bend SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Whiteside | 2,338 | 14 of 20 |
| Braidwood Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Grundy | 1,100 | 3 of 9 |
| Burning Star SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jackson | 4,508 | 16 of 22 |
| Cape Bend SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 1,380 | 18 of 21 |
| Carlyle Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fayette, Clinton | 9,868 | 18 of 21 |
| Coffeen Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Montgomery | 3,063 | 15 of 21 |
| Coleta Trout Ponds SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Whiteside | 11 | 1 of 6 |
| Copperhead Hollow SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jersey | 1,351 | 16 of 22 |
| Crawford County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Crawford | 1,100 | 16 of 21 |
| Des Plaines SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Will | 3,500 | 11 of 20 |
| Donnelley SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Putnam | 676 | 3 of 9 |
| Donnelley State Fish and Wildlife Area Putnam County Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Putnam | 255 | 2 of 14 |
| Double T SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton | 460 | 5 of 13 |
| Dug Hill SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Union | 282 | 13 of 21 |
| Fox Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Wayne, Richland + | 2,000 | 11 of 21 |
| Hamilton County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Hamilton, White | 1,530 | 16 of 22 |
| Heidecke Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Grundy | 6,070 | 11 of 21 |
| Henderson Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson | 800 | 2 of 12 |
| Horseshoe Lake SFWA, Alexander County | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 11,690 | 17 of 20 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 | 19 of 24 |
| Kaskaskia River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair, Randolph + | 14,000 | 18 of 21 |
| Kinkaid Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jackson | 3,700 | 19 of 21 |
| Kishwaukee River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | DeKalb | 484 | 5 of 14 |
| Lake DePue SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Bureau | 1,700 | 4 of 9 |
| Mackinaw River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,400 | 16 of 20 |
| Marseilles SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | LaSalle | 2,239 | 11 of 18 |
| Marshall SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Marshall, Peoria | 5,807 | 17 of 21 |
| Mautino SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Bureau | 891 | 8 of 18 |
| Mazonia SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Grundy | 3,945 | 8 of 18 |
| Meredosia Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Cass, Morgan | 690 | 2 of 8 |
| Mermet Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Massac | 2,000 | 20 of 21 |
| Middle Fork SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Vermilion | 2,628 | 14 of 21 |
| Mississippi River Pool 16 | Fish and wildlife area | Rock Island | 4,492 | 16 of 22 |
| Mississippi River Pool 17 | Fish and wildlife area | Mercer, Rock Island | 2,883 | 19 of 22 |
| Mississippi River Pool 18 | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson, Mercer | 5,173 | 18 of 21 |
| Mississippi River Pool 21 | Fish and wildlife area | Adams | 8,536 | 17 of 20 |
| Mississippi River Pool 24 | Fish and wildlife area | Pike, Calhoun | 10,211 | 18 of 21 |
| Mississippi River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Rock Island | 18,565 | – |
| Newton Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jasper | 6,500 | 18 of 21 |
| Peabody River King SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair | 1,000 | 12 of 21 |
| Pekin Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,200 | 5 of 14 |
| Powerton Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 855 | 2 of 8 |
| Ray Norbut SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 1,290 | 20 of 21 |
| Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area Dutch Creek Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 410 | 13 of 18 |
| Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area East Hannibal Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 46 | 3 of 14 |
| Rend Lake Project Lands and Waters | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson, Franklin | 7,740 | 20 of 21 |
| Rend Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson | 7,690 | 19 of 21 |
| Rice Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton | 2,500 | 7 of 18 |
| Saline County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Saline, Gallatin | 1,000 | 20 of 21 |
| Sam Dale Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Wayne | 950 | 13 of 20 |
| Sam Parr SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jasper | 840 | 13 of 21 |
| Sanganois SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Cass, Mason + | 7,000 | 16 of 21 |
| Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area Kaskaskia Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Moultrie | 3,597 | 18 of 21 |
| Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area Okaw Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Moultrie | 2,625 | 18 of 21 |
| Silver Springs SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Kendall | 1,314 | 6 of 16 |
| Sinnissippi Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Whiteside, Lee | 700 | 4 of 9 |
| Snakeden Hollow SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Knox | 2,497 | 10 of 19 |
| Spring Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,500 | 8 of 21 |
| Ten Mile Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson, Hamilton | 4,995 | 20 of 21 |
| Turkey Bluffs SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Randolph | 2,250 | 19 of 21 |
| Union County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Union | 6,202 | 15 of 21 |
| Woodford SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Woodford, Peoria + | 1,350 | 7 of 18 |
| Green River SWA | Wildlife area | Lee | 2,515 | 15 of 20 |
| Iris & Jack Witkowsky SWA | Wildlife area | Jo Daviess | 1,086 | 11 of 18 |
| Iroquois County SWA | Wildlife area | Iroquois, Kankakee | 2,108 | 14 of 22 |
| Devil's Island WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Alexander, Union | 2,741 | 19 of 21 |
| Diamond Hurricane | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 2,617 | 19 of 21 |
| Dog Island State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Pope | 221 | 20 of 21 |
| Fuller Lake State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 1,817 | 20 of 22 |
| Glades State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Jersey | 1,814 | 20 of 22 |
| Piasa Island State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Jersey | 400 | 18 of 20 |
| Red's Landing State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 737 | 19 of 21 |
| Rip Rap Landing State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 2,949 | 19 of 21 |
| Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area | Wildlife mgmt area | De Witt | 40 | 2 of 8 |
| Stump Lake WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Jersey | 3,580 | 19 of 21 |
| Fox River, Kendall County | Hunting site | Kendall | – | – |
| Des Plaines Game Propagation Center | Propagation center | Will | 134 | 2 of 11 |
| Mt. Vernon Game Propagation Center | Propagation center | Jefferson | 650 | 8 of 18 |
| Alvah Borah SHA | Habitat area | Wayne | 87 | 13 of 22 |
| Birkbeck SHA | Habitat area | De Witt | 77 | 3 of 10 |
| Bradford Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Stark | 103 | 3 of 15 |
| Buffalo Prairie Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Knox | 300 | 3 of 10 |
| Campbell Pond SHA | Habitat area | Jackson, Franklin | 520 | 15 of 21 |
| Chatsworth SHA | Habitat area | Livingston | 240 | 2 of 10 |
| Clifton Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Iroquois | 79 | 2 of 10 |
| Dublin Highlands Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Stephenson | 122 | 3 of 15 |
| Finfrock SHA | Habitat area | De Witt | 365 | 4 of 15 |
| Freeman Mine SHA | Habitat area | Montgomery | 24 | 7 of 18 |
| Gifford Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Champaign | 100 | 3 of 10 |
| Hallsville Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | De Witt | 82 | 4 of 15 |
| Herschel Workman Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Vermilion | 141 | 3 of 10 |
| Hindsboro Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Douglas | 88 | 5 of 15 |
| Ilo Dillin SHA | Habitat area | Tazewell | 75 | 4 of 15 |
| Ken Russell T Lake SHA | Habitat area | Knox | 167 | 5 of 17 |
| Larry D Closson SHA | Habitat area | Douglas | 130 | 8 of 18 |
| Little Rock Creek SHA | Habitat area | Carroll | 148 | 4 of 15 |
| Loda Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Iroquois | 160 | 3 of 15 |
| Manito Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Tazewell | 70 | 3 of 10 |
| Maytown Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Lee | 159 | 4 of 17 |
| Meeker State Habitat Area | Habitat area | Jasper | 71 | 12 of 18 |
| Milks Grove Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Iroquois | 76 | 2 of 9 |
| Oakford State Habitat Area | Habitat area | Menard, Mason | 115 | 13 of 21 |
| Paul C. Burrus SHA | Habitat area | Coles | 376 | 9 of 18 |
| Perdueville Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Champaign, Ford | 280 | 3 of 10 |
| Sand Prairie Habitat Area | Habitat area | Lee | 316 | 3 of 9 |
| Saybrook Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | McLean | 646 | 3 of 10 |
| Sibley State Habitat Area | Habitat area | Ford | 630 | 3 of 11 |
| Skinner Farm SHA | Habitat area | Johnson | 70 | 15 of 18 |
| Steward Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Lee | 80 | 2 of 9 |
| Victoria Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Knox | 241 | 7 of 13 |
| Whitefield Pheasant Habitat Area | Habitat area | Marshall | 117 | 3 of 15 |
| Wildcat Hollow SHA | Habitat area | Effingham | 675 | 15 of 21 |
| Willow Creek SHA | Habitat area | Edgar | 197 | 5 of 15 |
| Sangamon County State Conservation Area | Conservation area | Sangamon | 178 | 11 of 15 |
| Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park | State park | Lake | 900 | 4 of 15 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State park | Jo Daviess | 1,052 | 14 of 20 |
| Argyle Lake State Park | State park | McDonough | 900 | 15 of 18 |
| Beall Woods State Park | State park | Wabash | 516 | 1 of 10 |
| Beaver Dam State Park | State park | Macoupin | 430 | 6 of 18 |
| Buffalo Rock State Park | State park | LaSalle | 150 | 1 of 11 |
| Castle Rock State Park | State park | Ogle | 1,620 | 8 of 18 |
| Cave in Rock State Park Kaegi Tract | State park | Hardin | 175 | 17 of 21 |
| Cedar/Draper Bluff Hunting Area | State park | Pope | 1,275 | 11 of 18 |
| Chain O'Lakes State Park | State park | McHenry, Lake | 2,500 | 13 of 22 |
| Eagle Creek State Park | State park | Shelby | 520 | 10 of 21 |
| Eldon Hazlet State Park | State park | Clinton | 1,699 | 15 of 21 |
| Ferne Clyffe State Park | State park | Johnson, Union | 450 | 14 of 18 |
| Fort Massac State Park | State park | Massac | 1,287 | 18 of 21 |
| Fox Ridge State Park | State park | Coles | 1,082 | 15 of 20 |
| Frank Holten State Park | State park | St. Clair | 300 | 3 of 14 |
| Giant City State Park | State park | Jackson, Union | 2,891 | 16 of 19 |
| Horseshoe Lake State Park Gabaret, Mosenthein & Chouteau Islands | State park | Madison | 2,329 | 16 of 22 |
| Horseshoe Lake State Park, Madison County | State park | Madison | 2,000 | 10 of 22 |
| James Pate Philip State Park/Heron Woods SHA | State park | Cook | 415 | 1 of 11 |
| Jubilee College State Park | State park | Peoria | 2,900 | 14 of 22 |
| Kankakee River State Park | State park | Kankakee, Will | 4,000 | 17 of 23 |
| Lake Murphysboro State Park | State park | Jackson | – | 1 of 6 |
| Lincoln Trail State Park | State park | Clark | 857 | 5 of 18 |
| Lowden Memorial State Park | State park | Ogle | 80 | 2 of 14 |
| Matthiessen State Park | State park | LaSalle | 1,915 | 11 of 21 |
| Mississippi Palisades State Park | State park | Carroll | 1,500 | 4 of 13 |
| Moraine Hills State Park | State park | McHenry | 2,000 | 4 of 13 |
| Morrison Rockwood State Park | State park | Whiteside | 950 | 6 of 18 |
| Nauvoo State Park Max Rowe Unit | State park | Hancock | 30 | 8 of 17 |
| Pere Marquette State Park | State park | Jersey | 5,000 | 14 of 18 |
| Ramsey Lake State Park | State park | Fayette | 1,610 | 12 of 21 |
| Red Hills State Park | State park | Lawrence | 736 | 10 of 18 |
| Rock Cut State Park | State park | Winnebago | 2,570 | 7 of 18 |
| Sangchris Lake State Park | State park | Christian, Sangamon | 2,480 | 14 of 21 |
| Shabbona Lake State Park | State park | DeKalb | 776 | 6 of 21 |
| Siloam Springs State Park | State park | Brown, Adams | 3,095 | 13 of 18 |
| Siloam Springs State Park- Buckhorn Unit | State park | Brown | 2,272 | 14 of 18 |
| Siloam Springs State Park- Fall Creek Unit | State park | Adams | 190 | 2 of 10 |
| Starved Rock State Park | State park | LaSalle | 2,817 | 9 of 17 |
| Walnut Point State Park | State park | Douglas | 603 | 5 of 18 |
| Weinberg-King State Park | State park | Schuyler, Brown | 760 | 16 of 17 |
| Weinberg-King State Park Cecil White Unit | State park | Hancock | 33 | 8 of 18 |
| Weinberg-King State Park Scripps Unit | State park | Schuyler | 730 | 15 of 18 |
| Weinberg-King State Park Spunky Bottoms Unit | State park | Brown | 778 | 19 of 21 |
| Weldon Springs State Park | State park | De Witt | 100 | 1 of 6 |
| Weldon Springs State Park Piatt County Unit | State park | Piatt | 770 | 7 of 17 |
| White Pines State Park | State park | Ogle | 300 | 3 of 13 |
| Wolf Creek State Park | State park | Shelby, Moultrie | 500 | 10 of 21 |
| Butterfield Trail SRA | Recreation area | Iroquois | 120 | 7 of 18 |
| Clinton Lake SRA | Recreation area | De Witt | 3,693 | 22 of 25 |
| Johnson Sauk Trail SRA | Recreation area | Henry | 862 | 10 of 20 |
| Kickapoo SRA | Recreation area | Vermilion | 2,356 | 14 of 20 |
| Lake Le-Aqua-Na SRA | Recreation area | Stephenson | 560 | 4 of 15 |
| Moraine View SRA | Recreation area | McLean | 1,191 | 14 of 21 |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area Captain Unit | Recreation area | Perry | 6,105 | 16 of 21 |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area Denmark Unit | Recreation area | Perry | 4,385 | 17 of 21 |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area East Conant Unit | Recreation area | Perry | 2,824 | 15 of 21 |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area Galum Unit | Recreation area | Perry | 2,520 | 17 of 21 |
| Pyramid State Recreation Area- Park Unit | Recreation area | Perry | 2,754 | 14 of 18 |
| Randolph County SRA | Recreation area | Randolph | 820 | 10 of 18 |
| Rauchfuss Hill SRA | Recreation area | Pope | 70 | 7 of 18 |
| Sahara Woods SRA | Recreation area | Saline | 3,800 | 16 of 18 |
| Stephen A. Forbes SRA | Recreation area | Marion | 2,580 | 11 of 21 |
| Washington County SRA | Recreation area | Washington | 750 | 10 of 18 |
| Wayne Fitzgerrell SRA | Recreation area | Franklin, Jefferson | 1,500 | 8 of 19 |
| William W. Powers SRA | Recreation area | Cook | 459 | 4 of 13 |
| Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site | Historic site | St. Clair, Madison | 702 | 1 of 11 |
| Fort Kaskaskia Historic Site | Historic site | Randolph | 140 | 2 of 14 |
| Fort de Chartres Historic Site | Historic site | Randolph, Monroe | 800 | 15 of 21 |
| Hennepin Canal State Trail | State trail | Bureau, Henry + | 350 | 5 of 18 |
| Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail | State trail | Will, LaSalle + | 1,000 | 1 of 6 |
| Big Grand Pierre Glade SNA | Natural area | Pope | 318 | 10 of 18 |
| Black Crown Marsh SNA | Natural area | McHenry, Lake | 136 | 2 of 7 |
| Cache River SNA | Natural area | Johnson, Pulaski + | 15,425 | 18 of 20 |
| Cedar Glen SNA | Natural area | Hancock | 1,150 | 4 of 11 |
| Cretaceous Hills SNA | Natural area | Pope | 264 | 14 of 18 |
| Cypress Pond SNA | Natural area | Johnson, Union | 1,047 | 20 of 21 |
| Deer Pond SNA | Natural area | Johnson | 190 | 20 of 21 |
| Embarras River SNA | Natural area | Lawrence | 1,360 | 15 of 21 |
| Flag Pond SNA | Natural area | Clay | 255 | 6 of 17 |
| Franklin Creek SNA | Natural area | Lee | 635 | 4 of 14 |
| Franklin Creek-Nachusa Prairie SNA | Natural area | Ogle | 72 | 2 of 10 |
| French Bluff SNA | Natural area | Carroll | 342 | 7 of 18 |
| George S. Park SNA | Natural area | Putnam | 80 | 4 of 11 |
| Goose Lake Prairie SNA | Natural area | Grundy | 6,070 | 11 of 21 |
| Hanover Bluff SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 500 | 11 of 18 |
| Harry Babe Woodyard SNA | Natural area | Vermilion | 1,150 | 13 of 18 |
| Illinois Caverns SNA | Natural area | Monroe | 116 | 1 of 10 |
| Kidd Lake SNA | Natural area | Monroe | 465 | 4 of 14 |
| Miller-Anderson Woods SNA | Natural area | Bureau, Putnam | 524 | 4 of 10 |
| Prairie Ridge SNA | Natural area | Jasper | 455 | 4 of 11 |
| Rall Woods SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 283 | 12 of 18 |
| Ralph Clover SNA | Natural area | Jackson | 60 | 10 of 18 |
| Redwing Slough/Deer Lake SNA | Natural area | Lake | 155 | 3 of 12 |
| Rockton Bog SNA | Natural area | Winnebago | 156 | 3 of 13 |
| Sielbeck Forest SNA | Natural area | Massac | 385 | 20 of 21 |
| Tapley Woods SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 259 | 11 of 18 |
| Vesely/Wilmington Shrub Prairie SNA | Natural area | Will | 305 | 3 of 13 |
| Volo Bog SNA | Natural area | Lake, McHenry | 1,000 | 3 of 14 |
| Winston Tunnel SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 207 | 12 of 18 |
| Wise Ridge SNA | Natural area | Johnson | 555 | 16 of 18 |
| Zoeller State Natural Area | Natural area | St. Clair | 160 | 4 of 14 |
| Bohm Woods Nature Preserve | Nature preserve | Madison | 90 | 1 of 11 |
| Chauncey Marsh NP | Nature preserve | Crawford, Lawrence | 1,314 | 16 of 21 |
| Goode's Woods NP | Nature preserve | Macoupin | 40 | 1 of 11 |
| Henry Allen Gleason NP | Nature preserve | Mason | 120 | 1 of 11 |
| Mitchell's Grove NP | Nature preserve | LaSalle | 185 | 4 of 10 |
| Revis Hill Prairie NP | Nature preserve | Mason | 420 | 2 of 10 |
| Ward's Grove NP | Nature preserve | Jo Daviess | 337 | 5 of 11 |
| Guthrie Cave L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Union | 80 | 1 of 11 |
| Maxine Loy L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Marion | 213 | 3 of 14 |
| Momence Wetlands L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Kankakee | 460 | 8 of 21 |
| Sandy Ford L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | LaSalle | 203 | 7 of 16 |
| Sparks Pond L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Mason | 230 | 4 of 17 |
| Big River State Forest | State forest | Henderson | 2,970 | 16 of 22 |
| Hidden Springs State Forest | State forest | Shelby | 963 | 18 of 21 |
| Lowden-Miller State Forest | State forest | Ogle | 2,225 | 6 of 18 |
| Sand Ridge State Forest | State forest | Mason | 6,600 | 23 of 25 |
| Spoon River State Forest | State forest | Knox | 1,680 | 17 of 21 |
| Trail of Tears State Forest | State forest | Union | 4,784 | 15 of 21 |
| Chautauqua NWR | National refuge | Mason | 809 | – |
| Clarence Cannon NWR | National refuge | Calhoun | 189 | – |
| Crab Orchard NWR | National refuge | Williamson, Union + | 44,415 | – |
| Cypress Creek NWR | National refuge | Pulaski, Union + | 16,758 | – |
| Emiquon NWR | National refuge | Fulton | 893 | – |
| Great River NWR | National refuge | Adams, Pike | 8,305 | – |
| Hackmatack NWR | National refuge | McHenry | 569 | – |
| Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area | National refuge | Iroquois | 66 | – |
| Lost Mound Unit | National refuge | Jo Daviess | 6,668 | – |
| Middle Mississippi River NWR | National refuge | Randolph, Jackson + | 6,277 | – |
| Port Louisa NWR | National refuge | Mercer | 1,537 | – |
| Two Rivers NWR | National refuge | Calhoun, Jersey + | 8,858 | – |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge | National refuge | Carroll, Jo Daviess + | 32,868 | – |
| Shawnee National Forest | National forest | Pope, Jackson + | 286,498 | – |
| Hidden Springs Ranger District | Ranger district | Pope, Hardin + | 169,222 | – |
| Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District | Ranger district | Jackson, Union + | 117,276 | – |
| Midewin Tallgrass Prairie | Tallgrass prairie | Will | 17,000 | 4 of 4 |
| Carlyle Lake | Corps lake | Clinton, Fayette + | – | – |
| Lake Shelbyville | Corps lake | Moultrie, Shelby | 23,000 | – |
| Bluff Lakes Federal Lands | Federal land | Union | 516 | 14 of 20 |
| Calhoun Point Federal Lands | Federal land | Calhoun | 2,215 | 20 of 22 |
| LaRue Swamp Federal Lands | Federal land | Union | 1,000 | 12 of 21 |
| Oakwood Bottoms Federal Lands | Federal land | Jackson | 3,400 | 16 of 21 |
| Shelbyville Federal Lands | Federal land | Moultrie | 6,350 | – |
| Illinois Recreational Access Program | Access program | Bond, Christian + | 27,000 | – |
| IRAP Lake Springfield Archery Deer Hunting | Program site | – | – | – |
| IDNR Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program | Hunting program | Will, Clinton + | – | – |
Which agency runs the land
Four agencies manage the land behind these records. State sites follow IDNR rules, refuges follow federal rules plus the refuge page, and federal forest and Corps land is hunted under Illinois seasons with federal rules on top.
| Agency | Records | What they cover |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois Department of Natural Resources | 246 | Fact-sheet sites, state parks, forests, natural areas, programs |
| Fish and Wildlife Service | 13 | National wildlife refuge units |
| Forest Service | 4 | Shawnee, two ranger districts, Midewin |
| Army Corps of Engineers | 2 | Lake Shelbyville and Carlyle Lake projects |
Places closed to hunting, never shown as open
155 places carry an IDNR or federal name but offer no public hunting in our sources, so they have no land page: 66 state natural areas, 21 historic sites, 10 state parks, 7 habitat areas, 6 fish and wildlife areas and a long tail of boundary-layer sites, hatcheries, memorials and trails. A site goes on this list when it has no Hunt Illinois fact sheet and the land-use layer shows no hunting flag; Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is closed because 50 CFR 32.32 lists hunting as reserved. Closed here means closed in the data, not necessarily fenced. Walk-in access to a natural area or park does not make it a hunting site, so never treat a name on this list as open ground.
| Closed place | Kind | County | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crow's Foot | Fish and wildlife area | Boone | 110 |
| Henderson County | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson | 88 |
| James C. Helfrich Game Propagation Center | Fish and wildlife area | Logan | 28 |
| LaSalle Lake | Fish and wildlife area | LaSalle | 2,058 |
| Oquawka | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson | 302 |
| Orient Bottoms | Fish and wildlife area | Franklin | 1,726 |
| Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | Mason | 124 |
| LaSalle Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | LaSalle | 32 |
| Little Grassy Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | Williamson | 105 |
| Spring Grove Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | McHenry | 42 |
| Kilbuck Creek | Habitat area | Ogle | 37 |
| Millroad Marsh | Habitat area | Whiteside | 40 |
| Palatine Road Marsh | Habitat area | Cook | 43 |
| Rail Splitter | Habitat area | Sangamon | 39 |
| Reed Wildlife | Habitat area | Hancock | 68 |
| Sam and Florence Atkinson Forest | Habitat area | Wayne | 337 |
| South Shore | Habitat area | Clinton | 51 |
| Albany Mounds | Historic site | Whiteside | 232 |
| Apple River Fort | Historic site | Jo Daviess | 6 |
| Bishop Hill State Memorial | Historic site | Henry | 4 |
| Blackhawk State Park | Historic site | Rock Island | 182 |
| Dana Thomas House | Historic site | Sangamon | – |
| Emerald Mound | Historic site | St. Clair | 4 |
| Governor Coles State Memorial | Historic site | Madison | – |
| Grand Village Of The Illinois | Historic site | LaSalle | 135 |
| Grand Village SHS | Historic site | LaSalle | 140 |
| Halfway Tavern | Historic site | Marion | 4 |
| Hofmann Tower | Historic site | Cook | – |
| Hotel Florence | Historic site | Cook | 1 |
| Kincaid Mounds | Historic site | Massac | 116 |
| Lewis and Clark | Historic site | Madison | 54 |
| Lincoln Log Cabin | Historic site | Coles | 89 |
| Lincoln's Log Cabin | Historic site | Coles | 87 |
| Lincoln's New Salem | Historic site | Menard | 621 |
| Lincoln's Tomb | Historic site | Sangamon | 12 |
| Moore Home | Historic site | Coles | 2 |
| Pullman Factory | Historic site | Cook | 10 |
| Rose Hotel | Historic site | Hardin | 2 |
| Benton Mine Rescue Station | IDNR site | Franklin | 1 |
| Brandon Road Interbasin Project | IDNR site | Will | 9,888 |
| Briscoe Mounds | IDNR site | Will | 38 |
| Carlyle Dam West Resort Area | IDNR site | Clinton | 40 |
| Conservation World | IDNR site | Sangamon | 40 |
| Dickson Mounds | IDNR site | Fulton | 266 |
| Dunning Read | IDNR site | Cook | 19 |
| Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve John C. Wilson Woods | IDNR site | McHenry | 56 |
| Friends Creek | IDNR site | Macon | 531 |
| Havana Field Headquarters | IDNR site | Mason | 5 |
| Hegewish Marsh | IDNR site | Cook | 117 |
| Hennepin-Hopper Lake | IDNR site | Putnam | 2,466 |
| Illinois Department of Natural Resources Service Buildings | IDNR site | Sangamon | 8 |
| Illinois Governors Mansion | IDNR site | Sangamon | 2 |
| Illinois River Biological Station | IDNR site | Mason | 1 |
| Illinois Waterways | IDNR site | Will + | 309 |
| Interurban | IDNR site | Sangamon | 33 |
| Jack C. Perschbacher Service Center | IDNR site | Sangamon | 7 |
| Mason State Tree Nursery | IDNR site | Mason | 240 |
| Meyers Landing | IDNR site | Adams | 3 |
| Mickelson's Landing | IDNR site | Whiteside | 42 |
| Miller's Hollow | IDNR site | Carroll | 90 |
| Millhurst Dam | IDNR site | Kendall | 25 |
| Montebello | IDNR site | Hancock | 3 |
| Region V Headquarters | IDNR site | Franklin | 34 |
| Schmoeger Park Buffer | IDNR site | Peoria | 13 |
| Southern Illinois Art and Artisans Center | IDNR site | Franklin | 6 |
| Stiritz Landing | IDNR site | Madison | 2 |
| Union State Tree Nursery | IDNR site | Union | 120 |
| Veterans Parkway Wetland Mitigation Site | IDNR site | Sangamon | 15 |
| Wauconda Bog | IDNR site | Lake | 67 |
| Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge | National refuge | Morgan + | 3,695 |
| Alorton Heron Rookery | Natural area | St. Clair | 9 |
| Barton-Sommer Woodland | Natural area | Mason | 52 |
| Berryville Shale Glade | Natural area | Union | 41 |
| Brown Barrens | Natural area | Union | 29 |
| Burton Cave | Natural area | Adams | 86 |
| Calamus Lake | Natural area | Macon | 119 |
| Cedar Lake Bog | Natural area | Lake | 40 |
| Chestnut Hills | Natural area | Pulaski | 267 |
| Clear Creek Wetland | Natural area | Cass | 62 |
| Collier Limestone Glade | Natural area | Hardin | 106 |
| Dean Hills | Natural area | Fayette | 86 |
| Denby Prairie | Natural area | Macoupin | 7 |
| Devil's Prop | Natural area | Jefferson | 40 |
| Eagles Landing | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 103 |
| Ellison Creek | Natural area | Henderson | 40 |
| Elton E. Fawks Bald Eagle Refuge | Natural area | Rock Island | 224 |
| Fogelpole Cave | Natural area | Monroe | 72 |
| Fults Hill Prairie | Natural area | Monroe | 922 |
| Funks Grove | Natural area | McLean | 202 |
| Geissler Savanna | Natural area | Hancock | 37 |
| Gibbons Creek Barrens | Natural area | Pope | 170 |
| Gillespie Prairie | Natural area | Macoupin | 78 |
| Ginther Farm | Natural area | Menard | 137 |
| Gooseberry Island | Natural area | Kankakee | 14 |
| Grandville Woods | Natural area | Jasper | 13 |
| Grigsby Marsh | Natural area | McDonough | 37 |
| Grubb Hollow Prairie | Natural area | Pike | 50 |
| Hanging Rock Sandstone Cliff | Natural area | Clay | 94 |
| Harlem HIlls | Natural area | Winnebago | 89 |
| Harper-Rector Woods | Natural area | Fulton | 38 |
| Hitts Siding Prairie | Natural area | Will | 266 |
| Iroquois Woods | Natural area | Kankakee | 45 |
| Jackson Slough Woods | Natural area | St. Clair | 77 |
| James "Gene" Korando Pond | Natural area | Jackson | 152 |
| Julius J. Knobeloch Woods | Natural area | St. Clair | 35 |
| Lake Como | Natural area | Whiteside | 136 |
| Lake Renwick Heron Rookery | Natural area | Will | 317 |
| Lake in the Hills Fen | Natural area | McHenry | 140 |
| Long Run Seep | Natural area | Will | 83 |
| Lower Fox River-Blake's Landing | Natural area | LaSalle | 30 |
| Lusk Creek Canyon | Natural area | Pope | 125 |
| Manito Prairie | Natural area | Tazewell | 21 |
| Margaret Guzy Pothole Wetlands | Natural area | Shelby | 159 |
| Marissa Woods | Natural area | St. Clair | 25 |
| Massasauga Prairie | Natural area | Warren | 6 |
| Matanzas Prairie | Natural area | Mason | 82 |
| McMasters Woods | Natural area | Greene | 40 |
| Meredosia Hill Prairie | Natural area | Morgan | 36 |
| Milan Bottoms | Natural area | Rock Island | 92 |
| Miller Shrub Swamp | Natural area | Marion | 36 |
| Millhurst Fen | Natural area | Kendall | 7 |
| Mineral Marsh | Natural area | Henry | 221 |
| Peoria Salvation Army Woods | Natural area | Peoria | 43 |
| Pine Rock | Natural area | Ogle | 33 |
| Piney Creek Ravine | Natural area | Randolph | 198 |
| Prairie Bluff | Natural area | Will | 1,117 |
| Round Pond | Natural area | Pope | 549 |
| Shick Shack Sand Pond | Natural area | Cass | 60 |
| Sipple Slough Woods | Natural area | Washington | 40 |
| Spring Bay Fen | Natural area | Woodford | 115 |
| Sunbury Railroad Prairie | Natural area | Livingston | 6 |
| Swayne Hollow | Natural area | Randolph | 89 |
| Thorn Creek Woods | Natural area | Will | 477 |
| Wagon Lake | Natural area | St. Clair | 114 |
| Wolf Road Prairie | Natural area | Cook | 47 |
| Yorkville Prairie | Natural area | Kendall | 15 |
| North Point Marina | Recreation area | Lake | 78 |
| World Shooting and Recreation Complex | Recreation area | Randolph | 1,620 |
| Fort Edwards | State memorial | Hancock | – |
| Korean War Memorial | State memorial | Sangamon | 2 |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial | State memorial | Sangamon | 2 |
| World War II Memorial | State memorial | Sangamon | 1 |
| Channahon | State park | Will | 1 |
| Delabar | State park | Henderson | 89 |
| Fort Defiance | State park | Alexander | 46 |
| Gebhard Woods | State park | Grundy | 31 |
| Hazel and Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie | State park | Peoria | 3,653 |
| Illini | State park | LaSalle | 508 |
| Prophetstown | State park | Whiteside | 54 |
| Rock Island Trail | State park | Peoria + | 438 |
| Spitler Woods | State park | Macon | 202 |
| William G. Stratton | State park | Grundy | 13 |
| Burnham Greenway | State trail | Cook | 10 |
| Sangamon Valley | State trail | Sangamon + | 541 |
| Tunnel Hill | State trail | Johnson + | 907 |
Closed rows from lands.json (IDNR site boundary layer, FedAid land-use layer, 50 CFR 32.32); checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois public land: answers to common questions
How large is the Illinois public land list here?
The hub covers 265 land records that each have a page, and it lists 155 closed places in the last table.
Is every state park open to hunting?
No. 72 park and recreation records have a fact sheet with hunting, and 10 state parks are on the closed list; the fact sheet decides which seasons a park offers.
Where do the season lines on each page come from?
From the IDNR Hunt Illinois fact sheet for the site, which marks each season open or not offered and adds site exceptions.
Which counties have no public hunting record?
Boone, Cumberland, DuPage, Kane, Logan, Macon and Warren; these are the counties with no land record in the data.
What is the source of the acreage numbers?
Agency fact sheets and statements first; units inside a shared complex boundary share one acreage figure, so do not add them up.
Other photos on this page: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0); Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0); Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Forest Service, Eastern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0); Nyttend (Public domain).