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81 records · 254,522 acres
Illinois State Fish and Wildlife Areas
Every IDNR state fish and wildlife area, wildlife area and wildlife management area in this guide, with acres, counties, seasons offered and 2025-26 trips.
Photo: jjmusgrove (CC BY 2.0)
How the fish and wildlife areas records are laid out
State fish and wildlife areas are the backbone of IDNR hunting ground, and this hub also holds the state wildlife areas, wildlife management areas, game propagation centers and the Fox River waterfowl blinds. It holds 81 records (65 fish and wildlife area, 10 wildlife mgmt area, 3 wildlife area and 2 propagation center); together they list 254,522 acres in 54 counties. Of the 79 records with a season grid, 68 offer archery deer, 52 offer firearm deer and 57 offer spring turkey. 55 of 81 records are flagged as quota hunts. The most-visited record here in 2025-26 was Mississippi River SFWA at 11,052 trips.
The full list of fish and wildlife areas
Look up a record among the 81 below by name or county.
| Place | Kind | Counties | Acres | Seasons open | Trips 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton, Schuyler | 1,900 | 16 of 22 | 1,460 |
| Banner Marsh SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Peoria, Fulton | 3,000 | 8 of 17 | 1,539 |
| 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 | 1,951 |
| 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 | 1,104 |
| Cape Bend SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 1,380 | 18 of 21 | 98 |
| Carlyle Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fayette, Clinton | 9,868 | 18 of 21 | 4,999 |
| Coffeen Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Montgomery | 3,063 | 15 of 21 | 1,082 |
| 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 | 499 |
| Crawford County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Crawford | 1,100 | 16 of 21 | 877 |
| Des Plaines Game Propagation Center | Propagation center | Will | 134 | 2 of 11 | 1,860 |
| Des Plaines SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Will | 3,500 | 11 of 20 | 1,860 |
| Devil's Island WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Alexander, Union | 2,741 | 19 of 21 | 0 |
| Diamond Hurricane | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 2,617 | 19 of 21 | – |
| Dog Island State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Pope | 221 | 20 of 21 | 47 |
| Donnelley SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Putnam | 676 | 3 of 9 | 275 |
| Donnelley State Fish and Wildlife Area Putnam County Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Putnam | 255 | 2 of 14 | 275 |
| Double T SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton | 460 | 5 of 13 | 216 |
| 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 | 278 |
| Fox River, Kendall County | Hunting site | Kendall | – | – | – |
| 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 | – |
| Green River SWA | Wildlife area | Lee | 2,515 | 15 of 20 | 1,374 |
| Hamilton County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Hamilton, White | 1,530 | 16 of 22 | 899 |
| Heidecke Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Grundy | 6,070 | 11 of 21 | 1,134 |
| Henderson Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson | 800 | 2 of 12 | 80 |
| Horseshoe Lake SFWA, Alexander County | Fish and wildlife area | Alexander | 11,690 | 17 of 20 | 1,023 |
| Iris & Jack Witkowsky SWA | Wildlife area | Jo Daviess | 1,086 | 11 of 18 | 662 |
| Iroquois County SWA | Wildlife area | Iroquois, Kankakee | 2,108 | 14 of 22 | 1,721 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Cass | 16,400 | 19 of 24 | 6,353 |
| Kaskaskia River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair, Randolph + | 14,000 | 18 of 21 | 35 |
| Kinkaid Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jackson | 3,700 | 19 of 21 | 685 |
| Kishwaukee River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | DeKalb | 484 | 5 of 14 | 625 |
| Lake DePue SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Bureau | 1,700 | 4 of 9 | 148 |
| Mackinaw River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,400 | 16 of 20 | 1,234 |
| Marseilles SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | LaSalle | 2,239 | 11 of 18 | 1,829 |
| Marshall SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Marshall, Peoria | 5,807 | 17 of 21 | 804 |
| Mautino SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Bureau | 891 | 8 of 18 | 243 |
| Mazonia SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Grundy | 3,945 | 8 of 18 | 2,395 |
| Meredosia Lake | Fish and wildlife area | Cass, Morgan | 690 | 2 of 8 | 0 |
| Mermet Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Massac | 2,000 | 20 of 21 | 1,953 |
| Middle Fork SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Vermilion | 2,628 | 14 of 21 | 1,270 |
| Mississippi River Pool 16 | Fish and wildlife area | Rock Island | 4,492 | 16 of 22 | 0 |
| Mississippi River Pool 17 | Fish and wildlife area | Mercer, Rock Island | 2,883 | 19 of 22 | 0 |
| Mississippi River Pool 18 | Fish and wildlife area | Henderson, Mercer | 5,173 | 18 of 21 | 0 |
| Mississippi River Pool 21 | Fish and wildlife area | Adams | 8,536 | 17 of 20 | 0 |
| Mississippi River Pool 24 | Fish and wildlife area | Pike, Calhoun | 10,211 | 18 of 21 | 0 |
| Mississippi River SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Rock Island | 18,565 | – | 11,052 |
| Mt. Vernon Game Propagation Center | Propagation center | Jefferson | 650 | 8 of 18 | 538 |
| Newton Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jasper | 6,500 | 18 of 21 | 1,324 |
| Peabody River King SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | St. Clair | 1,000 | 12 of 21 | 953 |
| Pekin Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,200 | 5 of 14 | 32 |
| Piasa Island State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Jersey | 400 | 18 of 20 | – |
| Powerton Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 855 | 2 of 8 | 326 |
| Ray Norbut SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 1,290 | 20 of 21 | 718 |
| Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area Dutch Creek Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 410 | 13 of 18 | 210 |
| Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area East Hannibal Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Pike | 46 | 3 of 14 | 718 |
| Red's Landing State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 737 | 19 of 21 | – |
| Rend Lake Project Lands and Waters | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson, Franklin | 7,740 | 20 of 21 | 8,000 |
| Rend Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson | 7,690 | 19 of 21 | 8,000 |
| Rice Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Fulton | 2,500 | 7 of 18 | 3,072 |
| Rip Rap Landing State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Calhoun | 2,949 | 19 of 21 | – |
| Saline County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Saline, Gallatin | 1,000 | 20 of 21 | 186 |
| Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area | Wildlife mgmt area | De Witt | 40 | 2 of 8 | – |
| Sam Dale Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Wayne | 950 | 13 of 20 | 314 |
| Sam Parr SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jasper | 840 | 13 of 21 | 353 |
| Sanganois SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Cass, Mason + | 7,000 | 16 of 21 | 4,302 |
| Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area Kaskaskia Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Moultrie | 3,597 | 18 of 21 | 0 |
| Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area Okaw Unit | Fish and wildlife area | Moultrie | 2,625 | 18 of 21 | 0 |
| Silver Springs SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Kendall | 1,314 | 6 of 16 | 996 |
| 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 | 414 |
| Spring Lake SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Tazewell | 1,500 | 8 of 21 | 1,788 |
| Stump Lake WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | Jersey | 3,580 | 19 of 21 | – |
| Ten Mile Creek SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Jefferson, Hamilton | 4,995 | 20 of 21 | 1,934 |
| Turkey Bluffs SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Randolph | 2,250 | 19 of 21 | 1,179 |
| Union County SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Union | 6,202 | 15 of 21 | 726 |
| Woodford SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | Woodford, Peoria + | 1,350 | 7 of 18 | 1,510 |
Which seasons the fish and wildlife areas offer
79 of the records here carry a season grid, and the table counts how many of them offer each season line. The most widely offered line is deer – archery (68 of 68), and the least is deer – special cwd (4 of 69).
| Season line | Offered | Not offered | Share offering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer – Archery | 68 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Deer – Firearm | 52 | 18 | 74 percent |
| Deer – Late-Winter Antlerless | 12 | 58 | 17 percent |
| Deer – Muzzleloader | 43 | 27 | 61 percent |
| Deer – Special CWD | 4 | 65 | 6 percent |
| Deer – Youth Firearm | 40 | 30 | 57 percent |
| Turkey – Fall Archery | 57 | 3 | 95 percent |
| Turkey – Fall Shotgun | 35 | 24 | 59 percent |
| Turkey – Spring | 57 | 3 | 95 percent |
| Turkey – Youth Spring | 46 | 14 | 77 percent |
| Waterfowl – Ducks, Coots and Mergansers | 61 | 4 | 94 percent |
| Waterfowl – Geese | 61 | 3 | 95 percent |
| Waterfowl – Snipe and Rail | 42 | 24 | 64 percent |
| Waterfowl – Stake hunting areas | 1 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Waterfowl – Youth | 45 | 21 | 68 percent |
| Upland game birds | 53 | 12 | 82 percent |
| Dove | 56 | 9 | 86 percent |
| Rabbit | 59 | 6 | 91 percent |
| Squirrel | 58 | 7 | 89 percent |
| Woodcock | 43 | 22 | 66 percent |
| Furbearer hunting | 57 | 18 | 76 percent |
| Furbearer trapping | 60 | 12 | 83 percent |
| Crow | 8 | 1 | 89 percent |
| Controlled pheasant hunting | 6 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Falconry | 4 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Youth dove | 1 | 0 | 100 percent |
| Dog training | 1 | 0 | 100 percent |
Counted from the IDNR Hunt Illinois fact sheets in lands.json; checked November 13, 2026.
The fish and wildlife areas on one map
80 pins appear below, one per record with coordinates.
Regional split of the fish and wildlife areas
IDNR files each site under one of five regions; the table counts these 81 records by region.
| IDNR region | Records | Acres listed | Quota-hunt records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | 26 | 48,712 | 18 |
| Northeast | 7 | 16,063 | 4 |
| East Central | 5 | 10,998 | 5 |
| West Central | 23 | 111,030 | 15 |
| South | 20 | 67,719 | 13 |
Top fish and wildlife areas by hunter trips
67 of the 81 records have a row in the 2025-26 report; here are the eight with the most trips.
| Place | Hunter trips | Animals reported | Deer reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River SFWA | 11,052 | 59 | 49 |
| Rend Lake Project Lands and Waters | 8,000 | 207 | 44 |
| Rend Lake SFWA | 8,000 | 207 | 44 |
| Jim Edgar Panther Creek SFWA | 6,353 | 2,330 | 408 |
| Carlyle Lake SFWA | 4,999 | 94 | 40 |
| Sanganois SFWA | 4,302 | 50 | 48 |
| Rice Lake SFWA | 3,072 | 0 | 0 |
| Mazonia SFWA | 2,395 | 27 | 13 |
IDNR Public Hunting Areas Report 2025-26 (report PDF); checked November 13, 2026.
Sunset over the Mississippi River at Buffalo, Iowa, across from Rock Island CountyPhoto: David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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)
Sunset over the Mississippi River with the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch and the Eads BridgePhoto: Bryan Werner (CC BY 2.0)
The fish and wildlife areas, answered
How many fish and wildlife areas can I read about here?
It counts 81 records in 54 counties.
What is the biggest record here?
Mississippi River SFWA has the most listed acres (18,565). Mississippi River SFWA page.
Do I need a permit for these places?
Site permits or drawings appear on 55 of the 81 records. Lottery guide.
Which source marks seasons open or not offered?
Source pages mark lines open or closed; we show them unchanged.
Is Sunday open at the fish and wildlife areas?
Neither the Digest nor IDNR pages mention Sundays; confirm with the site office.