Where and When to Hunt Clinton Lake State Recreation Area

Seasons open at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area

Of 25 possible season lines, Clinton Lake State Recreation Area offers 22. Grouped, the open seasons are 7 upland and small game, 5 deer, 5 waterfowl, 3 turkey and 2 furbearers. Closed lines include late winter antlerless, special cwd and fall shotgun.

Exceptions printed for Clinton Lake State Recreation Area:

• Archery: Must obtain a windshield card . The Archery Only Area within Mascoutin, the Lane Day Use Area and Peninsula Day Use Area will be closed to archery deer and upland game hunting ½ hour after sunset on October 31 until ½ hour before sunrise on the Sunday before first firearm deer season.
• Firearm: Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required. Must obtain a windshield card . Firearm deer hunting is restricted to the area on both sides of the lake between Dewitt Bridge/County Highway 14 (Friends Creek Road) and State Route 48.
• Disabled Deer Firearm Hunting: Must obtain a windshield card . Site-specific permit issued through a site drawing is required. A special Disabled Firearm Deer Hunting Application is available online or at the site office. Completed applications must be returned to the site office by the first Friday in October.
• Muzzleloader: Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required. Must obtain a windshield card . Muzzleloader deer hunting is restricted to the North Fork Management Unit only (north of the County Road at the North Fork boat ramp).
• Youth Firearm: Hunter quotas shall be filled by mail-in drawing. Information about drawing dates and application procedures will be publicly announced. Hunting only in the area between County Highway 14/Friends Creek Road and State Route 48 – both sides of the lake.
• Fall Archery: You must obtain a windshield card .
• Spring: Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required. Must obtain a windshield card .
• Youth Spring: Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required. Must obtain a windshield card .
• Disabled Waterfowl Hunting: Site-specific permit issued through a site drawing is required. A special Disabled Waterfowl Hunting Application is available online or at the site office. Completed applications must be returned to the site office by the first Tuesday in October. Hunting shall be from one-half hour before sunrise until 1 p.m.

Availability and exceptions from the IDNR Hunt Illinois fact sheet (record source); statewide dates in the Digest; checked November 13, 2026.

Permits, drawings and reservations for Clinton Lake State Recreation Area

The source describes the permit route for Clinton Lake State Recreation Area like this:

• Deer – Firearm: Statewide regulations apply, except : Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required.
• Deer – Muzzleloader: Statewide regulations apply, except : Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required.
• Deer – Youth Firearm: Statewide regulations apply, except : Hunter quotas shall be filled by mail-in drawing.
• Deer – Youth Firearm: Information about drawing dates and application procedures will be publicly announced.
• Turkey – Spring: Statewide regulations apply, except : Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required.
• Turkey – Youth Spring: Statewide regulations apply, except : Site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery is required.

County deer permits are sold through the statewide lottery rounds, while a site permit has its own application. How the lottery works.

Quota basis from the record source; lottery rounds from the IDNR lottery page; checked November 13, 2026.

Clinton Lake State Recreation Area: deer permits, CWD and turkey zone

DeWitt County decides the permit, CWD and turkey zone terms behind Clinton Lake State Recreation Area. We found DeWitt County absent from the confirmed CWD counties.

Open the county page for harvest history, towns and more land: DeWitt County.

County rules from the Digest, IDNR CWD counties and the leftover permit list (IDNR permit page); checked November 13, 2026.

Nearest towns and an IDNR site for Clinton Lake State Recreation Area

Weldon is the nearest town with a page here, 3 miles from Clinton Lake State Recreation Area in a straight line. Decatur is the largest of the five, with 68,763 residents in 2024. Clinton Lake State Recreation Area appears on the town pages of Clinton and Weldon. The shortest trip to an IDNR location is Gibson City, 30 miles, at IDNR Office (Gibson City).

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.

Legal hunting hours at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area through the season

The Digest sets deer hours at half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset, so the window around Clinton Lake State Recreation Area below comes from the NOAA solar formula for this spot.

Regular ducks and geese stop at sunset.

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.

Clinton Lake State Recreation Area hunting questions, answered from the sources