Illinois

Famous Midwest trophy whitetail destination, monster bucks, prime archery, and rich agricultural habitat.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Illinois

Official Regulatory Authority

Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) manages public hunting access across hundreds of state-owned properties, including State Fish and Wildlife Areas (SFWAs), State Forests, and State Parks totaling hundreds of thousands of acres. Supported by the 289,000-acre Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois, the Prairie State is celebrated for producing some of the heaviest Boone & Crockett whitetail bucks and highest-quality green-timber and marsh waterfowl shoots in North America.

Southern Illinois Ozark Uplands | 289,000 Acres

Shawnee National Forest

Spanning the rugged unglaciated hills between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in southern Illinois. Dramatic sandstone bluffs, oak-hickory hollows, and cypress-tupelo wetlands provide exceptional public archery and shotgun hunting for giant whitetail bucks, wild turkeys, and gray squirrels.

Illinois River Delta & Sloughs | 11,000+ Acres Combined

Sanganois & Donnelley State Fish & Wildlife Areas

Sanganois SFWA (10,360 acres) in Cass, Mason, and Schuyler counties is Illinois's premier public green-timber and slough duck hunting destination. Donnelley SFWA (676 acres) in Putnam County offers premier controlled waterfowl blind access along the Illinois River.

South-Central Timber & Water | 13,400+ Acres Combined

Newton Lake & Ten Mile Creek State Fish & Wildlife Areas

Newton Lake (7,600 acres) in Jasper County offers 6,500 huntable acres of hardwood ridges and water shorelines for archery deer and waterfowl. Ten Mile Creek (5,846 acres) in Hamilton and Jefferson counties provides rolling reclaimed grasslands and brush for quail, rabbit, and deer.

Northern Prairie & Marsh | 8,100+ Acres Combined

Des Plaines & Iroquois County State Wildlife Areas

Des Plaines SFWA (5,400 acres) along the Kankakee River and Iroquois County SFWA (2,788 acres) offer premier controlled pheasant hunting, waterfowl sloughs, and archery deer hunting in northeastern Illinois.

Southern Cache River Basin | 8,800+ Acres Combined

Union County & Mermet Lake State Fish & Wildlife Areas

Union County SFWA (6,202 acres) and Mermet Lake (2,625 acres) in Massac County protect sprawling bottomlands, cypress swamps, and grain fields famous for attracting massive flocks of Canada geese, mallards, and heavy whitetail deer.