Home › Illinois › Public land › Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
National refuge · Williamson County
National wildlife refuge in Williamson County and 2 more counties, 44,415 listed acres.
Photo: Kyra Neal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest 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.
Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge under the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Fish and Wildlife Service sets the hunting terms for the 13 national refuges that appear in this guide; Illinois seasons apply within them. The listed size is 44,415 acres (Fish and Wildlife Service hunt-unit map). County coverage runs through Williamson County, Union County and Jackson County in the South region of IDNR.
Open Area hunts follow state seasons with a signed open-area hunt brochure; Special Hunt Area (restricted area, former Illinois Ordnance Plant, munitions safety brochure) hunts are by permit: deer permits administered through IDNR, spring turkey through the IDNR lottery, a partner-coordinated controlled waterfowl hunt in the Hampton Unit. The managers list this game: deer, turkey, waterfowl, dove, quail, crow, rabbit and squirrel.
Nearby
Access wording for Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge: Refuge headquarters 6987 Headquarters Road, Marion, IL 62959, (618) 997-3344. Open-area waterfowl blinds at least 200 yards apart; Crab Orchard Lake west of North Wolf Creek Road open to waterfowl hunting, east closed.
The statewide rules below apply on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge too, unless the fact sheet says otherwise.
| State rule | Short form |
|---|---|
| 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.
What the fact sheet says about permits and drawings at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge:
The statewide lottery page covers county permits; the managers handle anything specific to this site. Lottery rounds explained.
Quota basis from the record source; lottery rounds from the IDNR lottery page; checked November 13, 2026.
Federal hunt units divide Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge: the table gives each part and its mapped area.
| Hunt area | Open? | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Carterville | Special Regulations Apply | 1,390 |
| Closed | No | 1,120 |
| Group Camp | Special Regulations Apply | 81 |
| Open | Special Regulations Apply | 21,585 |
| Special Permit | Special Regulations Apply | 19,859 |
| West Hampton | Special Regulations Apply | 1,462 |
Fish and Wildlife Service Public Hunt Units layer (GIS acres, 2026) and 50 CFR 32.32 (eCFR); checked November 13, 2026.
The table gives the county-level rules behind a hunt on Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The CWD list does not include the 3 counties shown.
| County | Gun deer | Permits left | CWD status | Turkey zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson | Open | 1,655 | None found | South |
| Union | Open | 120 | None found | South |
| Jackson | Open | 2,227 | None found | South |
County guides with permit counts and harvest tables: Williamson County, Union County and Jackson County.
County rules from the Digest, IDNR CWD counties and the leftover permit list (IDNR permit page); checked November 13, 2026.
Head southwest roughly 9 miles for Giant City State Park. Around it on the map: 3 state parks, 1 land and water reserve and 1 fish and wildlife area.
| Name | Kind | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant City State Park | State park | 2,891 | Jackson | 9 miles | southwest |
| Guthrie Cave L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | 80 | Union | 11 miles | southwest |
| Ferne Clyffe State Park | State park | 450 | Johnson | 11 miles | southeast |
| Burning Star SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | 4,508 | Jackson | 12 miles | northwest |
| Cypress Pond SNA | Natural area | 1,047 | Johnson | 15 miles | south |
| Lake Murphysboro State Park | State park | – | Jackson | 18 miles | west |
Point: FWS Public Hunt Units layer (centroid of the Illinois huntable units of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
6 closed places sit near Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge; the table names them.
| Off limits | Kind | Distance | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Grassy Fish Hatchery | Fish hatchery | 4 miles | Williamson |
| Orient Bottoms | Fish and wildlife area | 17 miles | Franklin |
| Brown Barrens | Natural area | 19 miles | Union |
| Berryville Shale Glade | Natural area | 20 miles | Union |
| Tunnel Hill | State trail | 20 miles | Johnson |
| Union State Tree Nursery | IDNR site | 21 miles | Union |
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.
Crainville, 5 miles off, is the closest town on this site. Marion, 8 miles out, is bigger: 17,021 people (2024). Base towns within ten miles: Crainville, Makanda and Marion.
| Place | County | Population | Distance | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crainville | Williamson | 1,493 | 5 miles | north |
| Marion | Williamson | 17,021 | 8 miles | northeast |
| Makanda | Jackson | 539 | 10 miles | southwest |
| Goreville | Johnson | 1,054 | 10 miles | southeast |
| Hurst | Williamson | 750 | 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.
Hunters in Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge must be done by 1 p.m. in the spring turkey season, even though deer hunters keep shooting light until after dark.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Antlered or not | Blind hours | Spring hunt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Bow season opens | 6:50 a.m. | 6:41 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 6:41 p.m. | Not in season |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Youth deer weekend | 6:59 a.m. | 6:28 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:58 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 6:28 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Pheasant and quail | 6:27 a.m. | 4:53 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 4:53 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 20, 2026 | Shotgun deer opens | 6:41 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 11, 2026 | Muzzleloader weekend | 7:01 a.m. | 4:38 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 5:08 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 4:38 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:07 a.m. | 4:41 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 5:11 p.m. | 6:37 a.m. to 4:41 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 31, 2026 | Late-winter days | 7:11 a.m. | 4:47 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:17 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 4:47 p.m. | Not in season |
| Apr 5, 2027 | Spring turkey opens | 6:37 a.m. | 7:22 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 6:07 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. | 6:07 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.
3 dates ahead around this ground on November 13, 2026, starting with Williamson County Dinner – 50th Anniversary. Tickets for the 3 banquet nights come from each chapter.
| When | Title | Miles off | Location | Tickets or sign-up | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 12, 2026 | Williamson County Dinner – 50th Anniversary listing type DU banquet | 8 | Sweet Magnolia – Wedding and Event Center, 11442 Plumville Road | Tickets | Source |
| Feb 20, 2027 | RMEF Shawnee Chapter Banquet listing type RMEF banquet | 6 | Carterville | Tickets | Source |
| Mar 6, 2027 | Little Egypt Longbeards ’2nd Amendment’ Bash NWTF Banquet listing type NWTF banquet | 8 | 1305 Crane Dr | Tickets | Source |
The listed range closest to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is Egyptian Rifle & Pistol Club, about 6 miles in a straight line.
From the IDNR archery and hand-trap page, the Sparta complex pages, club sites and directory listings, checked November 13, 2026.
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Cornfield edges give little cover, so most hunters climb into a hardwood draw.
A river otter sliding across snow at Crab Orchard National Wildlife RefugePhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
A northern bobwhite walking through short grassPhoto: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The data marks Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge as a quota hunt. Special Hunt Area deer: permits administered through IDNR. Lottery guide.
The managers name deer, turkey, waterfowl, dove, quail, crow, rabbit, squirrel, bobcat and coyote. Check the species pages for limits.
IDNR dates apply here, and the source page lists no site changes. Season calendar.
You will find it in Williamson County, Union County and Jackson County; the listed size is 44,415 acres. IDNR region: South.
The Fish and Wildlife Service handles it. The record lists no phone or address. Official page.
This site has no line in the 2025-26 report; county harvest tables are on the county page. County totals: Williamson County.
Straight-line, Crainville is the nearest at 5 miles. Next: Marion (8 miles) and Makanda (10 miles). Crainville hunting page.
Wear a blaze orange or pink cap and an outer garment with 400 square inches of solid orange or pink in firearm deer seasons. IDNR land adds a rule for ground blinds. Source.
Deer rules follow the county: Williamson County is open to firearm deer, and no confirmed chronic wasting disease finding is on the list. Leftover either-sex firearm permits after round 3: 1,655. Williamson County page.
Sunday hunting is not addressed in the sources read; confirm with IDNR. IDNR page.
Not all of it: 6 nearby sites are closed, including Little Grassy Fish Hatchery. Check the closed table above.
Hours by game: deer half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset, spring turkey until 1 pm, regular waterfowl until sunset. Site rules can be tighter. Hours for every county.
Look up weather, flooding and road closures affecting Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge before you set off.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4; statewide seasons from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest. Checked November 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).