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13 records · 128,212 acres
Illinois National Wildlife Refuges
Thirteen Illinois national wildlife refuge records with Fish and Wildlife Service hunting terms: open units, species and acres. Meredosia is closed.
Photo: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Overview of the national wildlife refuges
Refuge hunting is the most restricted of the big public categories: parts of a refuge may be open, others closed, and each refuge sets its own species list. Records: 13 (13 national refuge). Acres: 128,212. Counties: 22. Quota-hunt wording appears on 3 of 13 records.
The national wildlife refuges table
Narrow the 13-record table with a name or county.
| Place | Kind | Counties | Acres | Seasons open | Trips 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | – | – |
Refuge hunt units and game at a glance
Refuge hunting rules come from the Fish and Wildlife Service rule for Illinois refuges (50 CFR 32.32) and each refuge page. The hunt-unit layer splits several refuges into parts with different status, so part of a refuge may be closed while the rest is open with special regulations. Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is closed to hunting: the rule lists hunting as reserved, and the closed table on the public land hub names it.
| Refuge | Counties | Hunt units mapped | Units not closed | Game listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crab Orchard NWR | Williamson, Union | 6 | 5 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge | Carroll, Jo Daviess | 3 | 3 | waterfowl, deer, turkey |
| Cypress Creek NWR | Pulaski, Union | 3 | 2 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Two Rivers NWR | Calhoun, Jersey | 7 | 7 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Great River NWR | Adams, Pike | 2 | 2 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
| Lost Mound Unit | Jo Daviess | 1 | 0 | deer |
| Middle Mississippi River NWR | Randolph, Jackson | 6 | 6 | deer, turkey |
| Port Louisa NWR | Mercer | 1 | 1 | deer, turkey, upland birds |
| Emiquon NWR | Fulton | 2 | 1 | deer, turkey, dove |
| Chautauqua NWR | Mason | 2 | 1 | waterfowl, upland birds |
| Hackmatack NWR | McHenry | 2 | 1 | deer, turkey, upland birds |
| Clarence Cannon NWR | Calhoun | 1 | 1 | waterfowl, dove, crow |
| Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area | Iroquois | 1 | 1 | deer, turkey, waterfowl |
Map of the national wildlife refuges
Pins mark 13 records; the rest have no single point.
IDNR regions and the national wildlife refuges
Here is how the 13 records divide among IDNR's five regions.
| IDNR region | Records | Acres listed | Quota-hunt records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | 4 | 41,966 | 1 |
| Northeast | 1 | 569 | 0 |
| East Central | 1 | 66 | 0 |
| West Central | 5 | 24,438 | 1 |
| South | 2 | 61,173 | 1 |
A line from every source: the national wildlife refuges
One line from the source pages for each of the 13 records, with a link to the full page.
Crab Orchard NWR
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…
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge
Illinois pools 12, 13 and 14 are part of the refuge (IDNR Mississippi River Pools fact sheet); hunters are asked to respect marked voluntary waterfowl avoidance areas mid-October to mid-November; 50 CFR 32.32 refers to 32.42(r)…
Cypress Creek NWR
"The refuge includes 15,000 acres open to hunting"; state seasons and regulations apply in the open area (deer archery, firearm, muzzleloader, youth); trailing hounds permitted during raccoon / opossum season; deer hunting with…
Two Rivers NWR
Illinois units in the FWS hunt-unit layer: Apple Creek, Batchtown, Calhoun Wetlands, Gilbert Lake, Pohlman Forest, Swan Lake Wetlands and Clarksville Island (Portage Island is in Missouri).
Great River NWR
Illinois divisions: Long Island Division (Adams County; open to all public hunting, waterfowl only from blinds on sites posted by IDNR) and Delair Division (Pike County; closed to the public all year except the annual deer hunt…
Lost Mound Unit
Only two managed deer hunts, in designated Closed Areas: a youth hunt (ages 10-17, November 22-23) and a hunt for adults with disability (18 and older, November 15-16), 35 hunt sites drawn at random (applications July 1-31).
Middle Mississippi River NWR
Illinois divisions: Beaver Island, Horse Island and Rockwood Island (Randolph County), Crains Island (Randolph County, IL and Perry County, MO), Meissner Island (Monroe County), Wilkinson Island (Jackson County, IL and Perry…
Port Louisa NWR
Only the Keithsburg Division (Mercer County) lies in Illinois. White-tailed deer and spring turkey in accordance with state seasons; upland game (small game, furbearers, game birds) in accordance with state seasons; no nighttime…
Emiquon NWR
Open Unit only (Forgotten Road, Wilder and Oxbow Units); Illinois state seasons with harvest limits; not open for the conservation order light goose season; non-toxic shot required for migratory birds.
Chautauqua NWR
Open to waterfowl hunting only in the Liverpool Lake area (boat access only); upland game follows the state waterfowl season; refuge is not open to deer or turkey hunting; no special permit or lottery.
Hackmatack NWR
State regulations apply; archery deer and turkey, firearm deer (Illinois), muzzleloader deer, upland game and migratory birds, firearm turkey, small game including furbearer (no nighttime furbearer hunting); non-toxic shot…
Clarence Cannon NWR
Only the McCoy Island Unit lies in Illinois (open under Illinois state seasons and regulations); the West and Riverside Units are in Missouri. Feral hogs may be taken only while attempting to fill an unfilled deer tag.
Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area
State seasons, shooting hours and regulations apply to deer (archery, muzzleloader, shotgun), migratory birds, turkey (archery fall, shotgun spring and fall) and upland game; no trapping; only non-toxic shot; no permanent stands…
Wording from each record’s source page; checked November 13, 2026.
Snow on the bank of the Ohio River at Locks and Dam 53 near Grand ChainPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District (CC BY 2.0)
Morning light reflecting on the Ohio River at Paducah, across from Massac CountyPhoto: jjmusgrove (CC BY 2.0)
Sunset over the Mississippi River with the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch and the Eads BridgePhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
Answers about the national wildlife refuges
How many records are on the national wildlife refuges hub?
The hub holds 13 records and 128,212 listed acres.
Which of the national wildlife refuges covers the most ground?
Size leader: Crab Orchard NWR. Crab Orchard NWR page.
How common are site permits here?
3 of the 13 carry permit wording. Lottery guide.
Are the season grids official?
Grids come from IDNR fact sheets (or the federal page for federal records) and are shown with their exceptions.
Do these sites allow Sunday hunting?
No Sunday rule appears in the sources read.