Home › Illinois › Public land › Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge
Illinois national wildlife refuge
National wildlife refuge in Calhoun County and 2 more counties, measured at 8,858 acres.
Photo: 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.
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge counts as a national wildlife refuge, with the Fish and Wildlife Service in charge. Refuge hunting follows the Fish and Wildlife Service rule in 50 CFR 32.32 plus the refuge page, and only part of a refuge may be open. The Fish and Wildlife Service hunt-unit map lists it at 8,858 acres. The land reaches into 3 counties: Calhoun County, Jersey County and Greene County, in the IDNR West Central region.
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). Archery deer at Apple Creek, Batchtown, Calhoun Wetlands, Pohlman Forest, Clarksville Island and Gilbert Lake; firearm deer at Apple Creek, Pohlman Forest and Clarksville Island; waterfowl at Apple Creek, Pohlman Forest and.. Listed quarry: deer, turkey, waterfowl, dove and upland birds.
Nearby
How the managers describe entry: See the refuge hunting and fishing brochure for unit-specific rules.
A few Digest rules that matter at Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge:
| Statewide rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| 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.
The refuge hunt layer lists 7 parts for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge.
| Hunt unit | Huntable | GIS acres |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Creek | Special Regulations Apply | 298 |
| Batchtown | Special Regulations Apply | 2,463 |
| Calhoun Wetlands | Special Regulations Apply | 747 |
| Clarksville Island | Special Regulations Apply | 782 |
| Gilbert Lake | Special Regulations Apply | 688 |
| Pohlman Forest | Special Regulations Apply | 96 |
| Swan Lake Wetlands | Special Regulations Apply | 3,791 |
Fish and Wildlife Service Public Hunt Units layer (GIS acres, 2026) and 50 CFR 32.32 (eCFR); checked November 13, 2026.
Pere Marquette State Park is the closest neighbour, under a mile north of the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge point. Pinned nearby: 3 wildlife management areas, 1 state park and 1 federal tract.
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pere Marquette State Park | State park | 5,000 | Jersey | under a mile | north |
| Calhoun Point Federal Lands | Federal land | 2,215 | Calhoun | 3 miles | east |
| Stump Lake WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | 3,580 | Jersey | 4 miles | north |
| Fuller Lake State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | 1,817 | Calhoun | 5 miles | north |
| Glades State WMA | Wildlife mgmt area | 1,814 | Jersey | 6 miles | north |
| Copperhead Hollow SFWA | Fish and wildlife area | 1,351 | Jersey | 8 miles | north |
Point: FWS Public Hunt Units layer (centroid of the Illinois huntable units of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Illinois has no hunting units; the county is the unit, and Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge touches 3. No CWD confirmations are on file for the 3 counties below.
| County | Deer by gun | Unsold permits | CWD finding | Spring zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun | Open | 287 | None found | North |
| Jersey | Open | 271 | None found | North |
| Greene | Open | 140 | None found | North |
Open a county page for harvest history, towns and more land: Calhoun County, Jersey County and Greene County.
County rules from the Digest, IDNR CWD counties and the leftover permit list (IDNR permit page); checked November 13, 2026.
Close to Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge you will pass places that the records mark closed to hunting.
| Not open to hunting | Type | Miles | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stiritz Landing | IDNR site | 16 miles | Madison |
| McMasters Woods | Natural area | 16 miles | Greene |
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.
Upland bird, dove and rabbit hours are not printed in a form we can read from the Digest table, so none are listed for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Deer window | Regular waterfowl | Gobbler hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Bow season opens | 6:57 a.m. | 6:47 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 7:17 p.m. | 6:27 a.m. to 6:47 p.m. | Not in season |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Youth deer weekend | 7:05 a.m. | 6:33 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 7:03 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 6:33 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Pheasant and quail | 6:35 a.m. | 4:57 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 4:57 p.m. | Not in season |
| Nov 20, 2026 | Shotgun deer opens | 6:50 a.m. | 4:46 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 5:16 p.m. | 6:20 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 11, 2026 | Muzzleloader weekend | 7:11 a.m. | 4:40 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. | 6:41 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. | Not in season |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Year's shortest day | 7:17 a.m. | 4:43 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. | 6:47 a.m. to 4:43 p.m. | Not in season |
| Apr 12, 2027 | Spring turkey opens | 6:31 a.m. | 7:35 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. | 6:01 a.m. to 7:35 p.m. | 6:01 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.
Grafton is the nearest town with a page here, 7 miles from Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge in a straight line. Jerseyville, 16 miles out, is bigger: 8,350 people (2024). Grafton list Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge within ten miles.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | Jersey | 772 | 7 miles | east |
| Hardin | Calhoun | 765 | 14 miles | north |
| Jerseyville | Jersey | 8,350 | 16 miles | northeast |
| Kampsville | Calhoun | 292 | 24 miles | north |
| Carrollton | Greene | 2,374 | 24 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.
From Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge (Illinois units), the nearest pin on the range map is Otter Creek Hunting Club, 8 miles away.
From the IDNR archery and hand-trap page, the Sparta complex pages, club sites and directory listings, checked November 13, 2026.
Chosen to match the game on this page.
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Big sky over a refuge wetland at Two Rivers National Wildlife RefugePhoto: Tina Shaw (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
A white-tailed doe grooming her spotted fawn at Two Rivers National Wildlife RefugePhoto: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
We found no quota hunt or reservation system for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge. Normal Illinois licenses and county permits apply.
The record lists deer, turkey, waterfowl, dove and upland birds. Season dates are set by the statewide Digest.
The source for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge gives no season grid, so the statewide Digest seasons apply. Season calendar.
It covers 8,858 acres in Calhoun County, Jersey County and Greene County. IDNR region: West Central.
Details are published by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The record lists no phone or address. Official page.
The 2025-26 area report has no row for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, so no trip or harvest figures are shown. County totals: Calhoun County.
The closest town on this site is Grafton, 7 miles away. Next: Hardin (14 miles) and Jerseyville (16 miles). Grafton hunting page.
Firearm deer hunters must wear a blaze orange or pink cap plus a garment showing 400 square inches of orange or pink. The rule covers counties open to firearm deer. Source.
The county decides the rules, and Calhoun County is open to firearm deer with no confirmed chronic wasting disease finding is on the list. Leftover either-sex firearm permits after round 3: 287. Calhoun County page.
We found no Sunday statement in the Digest or IDNR pages, so check with the managers. IDNR page.
The closed list has 2 entries within 25 miles, starting with Stiritz Landing. Skip them when you plan.
For deer, shooting light runs half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; spring turkey closes at 1 pm; regular waterfowl stop at sunset. Site rules can be tighter. Hours for every county.
Seasons, permits and closures for Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge change during the year; posted signs and the managing agency outrank this page.
Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3; 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).