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43 records · 37,771 acres
Illinois Natural Areas and Nature Preserves
State natural areas, nature preserves and land and water reserves that IDNR fact sheets open to some hunting, with acres, counties and seasons offered.
Photo: Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0)
What the natural areas and nature preserves hub covers
Most natural areas and nature preserves are closed to hunting, so the ones on this hub are the exceptions that have a fact sheet. There are 43 records here (31 natural area, 7 nature preserve and 5 land and water reserve), with 37,771 acres on the books in 31 counties. 43 records carry season grids; archery deer shows as open on 40, firearm deer on 29, spring turkey on 23. 29 records out of 43 carry quota-hunt wording, which means a permit step. Top of the 2025-26 trip table: Zoeller State Natural Area, 145,746 trips.
43 natural areas and nature preserves, listed
Search the 43 records by place or county.
| Place | Kind | Counties | Acres | Seasons open | Trips 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Grand Pierre Glade SNA | Natural area | Pope | 318 | 10 of 18 | 2 |
| Black Crown Marsh SNA | Natural area | McHenry, Lake | 136 | 2 of 7 | 110 |
| Bohm Woods Nature Preserve | Nature preserve | Madison | 90 | 1 of 11 | 47 |
| Cache River SNA | Natural area | Johnson, Pulaski + | 15,425 | 18 of 20 | 2,710 |
| Cedar Glen SNA | Natural area | Hancock | 1,150 | 4 of 11 | 184 |
| Chauncey Marsh NP | Nature preserve | Crawford, Lawrence | 1,314 | 16 of 21 | 373 |
| Cretaceous Hills SNA | Natural area | Pope | 264 | 14 of 18 | 54 |
| Cypress Pond SNA | Natural area | Johnson, Union | 1,047 | 20 of 21 | 290 |
| Deer Pond SNA | Natural area | Johnson | 190 | 20 of 21 | 169 |
| Embarras River SNA | Natural area | Lawrence | 1,360 | 15 of 21 | 639 |
| Flag Pond SNA | Natural area | Clay | 255 | 6 of 17 | 35 |
| Franklin Creek SNA | Natural area | Lee | 635 | 4 of 14 | 375 |
| Franklin Creek-Nachusa Prairie SNA | Natural area | Ogle | 72 | 2 of 10 | 375 |
| French Bluff SNA | Natural area | Carroll | 342 | 7 of 18 | 218 |
| George S. Park SNA | Natural area | Putnam | 80 | 4 of 11 | 39 |
| Goode's Woods NP | Nature preserve | Macoupin | 40 | 1 of 11 | 32 |
| Goose Lake Prairie SNA | Natural area | Grundy | 6,070 | 11 of 21 | 1,134 |
| Guthrie Cave L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Union | 80 | 1 of 11 | – |
| Hanover Bluff SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 500 | 11 of 18 | 235 |
| Harry Babe Woodyard SNA | Natural area | Vermilion | 1,150 | 13 of 18 | 613 |
| Henry Allen Gleason NP | Nature preserve | Mason | 120 | 1 of 11 | 0 |
| Illinois Caverns SNA | Natural area | Monroe | 116 | 1 of 10 | – |
| Kidd Lake SNA | Natural area | Monroe | 465 | 4 of 14 | 103 |
| Maxine Loy L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Marion | 213 | 3 of 14 | 55 |
| Miller-Anderson Woods SNA | Natural area | Bureau, Putnam | 524 | 4 of 10 | 279 |
| Mitchell's Grove NP | Nature preserve | LaSalle | 185 | 4 of 10 | 119 |
| Momence Wetlands L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Kankakee | 460 | 8 of 21 | 381 |
| Prairie Ridge SNA | Natural area | Jasper | 455 | 4 of 11 | 107 |
| Rall Woods SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 283 | 12 of 18 | 130 |
| Ralph Clover SNA | Natural area | Jackson | 60 | 10 of 18 | – |
| Redwing Slough/Deer Lake SNA | Natural area | Lake | 155 | 3 of 12 | 0 |
| Revis Hill Prairie NP | Nature preserve | Mason | 420 | 2 of 10 | 102 |
| Rockton Bog SNA | Natural area | Winnebago | 156 | 3 of 13 | 129 |
| Sandy Ford L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | LaSalle | 203 | 7 of 16 | 240 |
| Sielbeck Forest SNA | Natural area | Massac | 385 | 20 of 21 | 105 |
| Sparks Pond L&W Reserve | Land and water reserve | Mason | 230 | 4 of 17 | 60 |
| Tapley Woods SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 259 | 11 of 18 | 105 |
| Vesely/Wilmington Shrub Prairie SNA | Natural area | Will | 305 | 3 of 13 | 88 |
| Volo Bog SNA | Natural area | Lake, McHenry | 1,000 | 3 of 14 | 0 |
| Ward's Grove NP | Nature preserve | Jo Daviess | 337 | 5 of 11 | 60 |
| Winston Tunnel SNA | Natural area | Jo Daviess | 207 | 12 of 18 | 77 |
| Wise Ridge SNA | Natural area | Johnson | 555 | 16 of 18 | 0 |
| Zoeller State Natural Area | Natural area | St. Clair | 160 | 4 of 14 | 145,746 |
Season availability across the natural areas and nature preserves
Of 43 records with grids, the table shows how many open each season. Broadest: deer – archery (40). Narrowest: deer – late-winter antlerless (7).
| Season line | Offered | Not offered | Share offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer – Archery | 40 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Deer – Firearm | 29 | 11 | 72 percent |
| Deer – Late-Winter Antlerless | 7 | 33 | 18 percent |
| Deer – Muzzleloader | 22 | 18 | 55 percent |
| Deer – Special CWD | 9 | 31 | 22 percent |
| Deer – Youth Firearm | 17 | 23 | 42 percent |
| Turkey – Fall Archery | 23 | 3 | 88 percent |
| Turkey – Fall Shotgun | 13 | 13 | 50 percent |
| Turkey – Spring | 23 | 3 | 88 percent |
| Turkey – Youth Spring | 17 | 9 | 65 percent |
| Waterfowl – Ducks, Coots and Mergansers | 11 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Waterfowl – Geese | 10 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Waterfowl – Snipe and Rail | 5 | 6 | 45 percent |
| Waterfowl – Youth | 7 | 3 | 70 percent |
| Upland game birds | 12 | 12 | 50 percent |
| Dove | 7 | 16 | 30 percent |
| Rabbit | 16 | 8 | 67 percent |
| Squirrel | 20 | 4 | 83 percent |
| Woodcock | 8 | 16 | 33 percent |
| Furbearer hunting | 17 | 15 | 53 percent |
| Furbearer trapping | 11 | 21 | 34 percent |
Counted from the IDNR Hunt Illinois fact sheets in lands.json; checked November 13, 2026.
Locating the natural areas and nature preserves
43 of the 43 records have a map point; pins link to the record pages.
Counting the natural areas and nature preserves by IDNR region
Region by region, the 43 records fall as follows.
| IDNR region | Records | Acres listed | Quota-hunt records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | 13 | 3,783 | 11 |
| Northeast | 6 | 8,126 | 6 |
| East Central | 1 | 1,150 | 1 |
| West Central | 9 | 2,791 | 6 |
| South | 14 | 21,921 | 5 |
Hunter trip leaders, 2025-26
Among the 40 records with report rows, these eight drew the most trips.
| Place | Hunter trips | Animals reported | Deer reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoeller State Natural Area | 145,746 | 24,669 | 1,828 |
| Cache River SNA | 2,710 | 267 | 99 |
| Goose Lake Prairie SNA | 1,134 | 138 | 65 |
| Embarras River SNA | 639 | 43 | 41 |
| Harry Babe Woodyard SNA | 613 | 199 | 96 |
| Momence Wetlands L&W Reserve | 381 | 48 | 25 |
| Franklin Creek SNA | 375 | 65 | 37 |
| Franklin Creek-Nachusa Prairie SNA | 375 | 65 | 37 |
IDNR Public Hunting Areas Report 2025-26 (report PDF); checked November 13, 2026.
Illinois Route 180 between green wooded hills in Stark CountyPhoto: Adam Moss (CC BY-SA 2.0)
A prescribed burn creeping across dry prairie grass in Champaign CountyPhoto: Philip Brewer (CC BY 2.0)
A mowed path between fall woods and restored prairie in Champaign CountyPhoto: Philip Brewer (CC BY 2.0)
What hunters ask about the natural areas and nature preserves
How many natural areas and nature preserves does this guide list?
43 records with 37,771 acres between them.
What is the top record by size?
Cache River SNA is biggest at 15,425 acres. Cache River SNA page.
Are permits required on the natural areas and nature preserves?
A permit step is described on 29 of 43 records. Lottery guide.
Who says which seasons are open?
The managers publish availability by season line, and each record page shows it with their conditions.
Can I hunt on Sundays at the natural areas and nature preserves?
Nothing in the Digest or fact sheets covers Sunday; ask the managers.