Section 590.80  Early and Late Goose (All Species) Hunting Regulations on Department Sites

 

a)         During goose hunting seasons that begin before or extend beyond the regular duck season, statewide regulations and site specific regulations for goose hunting, as indicated in Sections 590.40, 590.50 and 590.60, shall apply to all sites (except those closed in subsections (c), (d), (e) and (f)) with the following exceptions:

 

1)         Check in and check out (or sign in and out) is required only at sites with an asterisk (*).  Sites that require use of windshield cards by hunters as specified in 17 Ill. Adm. Code 510.10 are followed by (2).

 

2)         No fees will be charged for hunting for seasons before duck season or for seasons after the regular Canada goose season.

 

3)         No sites are closed to fishing during seasons before the regular duck season or for seasons after the regular Canada goose season.

 

4)         Hunting from a completed blind or staked site is waived during seasons held before the regular duck season or for seasons held after the regular Canada goose season at sites marked with an @.

 

5)         Hunting from a staked site (blind need not be completed) is required during seasons held before the regular duck season at sites marked with a #.

 

6)         During goose seasons held prior to regular duck season, no hunting is allowed in designated dove management fields or within 100 yards of such fields.

 

7)         During goose seasons held after the Canada goose season all restrictions regarding the use of decoys or the number of shotgun shells that hunters can possess are no longer in force.

 

8)         During goose seasons held after Canada goose season, statewide hunting hours apply.

 

b)         The following sites will be open to all goose hunting seasons:

 

Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area * @

 

Cache River State Natural Area *

 

Carlyle Lake Project Lands and Waters, including North Allen Branch Waterfowl Management Area *

 

Chain O'Lakes State Park #

 

Chauncey Marsh State Natural Area (permit required, available at Red Hills State Park) (2)

 

Clinton Lake State Recreational Area – early season goose hunting in waterfowl hunting areas east of Parnell Bridge and North of Route 54 only.  Any goose hunting seasons after the regular Canada goose seasons will close March 15. (2)

 

Des Plaines State Conservation Area (2) #

 

Devil's Island State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Dog Island State Wildlife Management Area (2) *

 

Embarras River Bottoms State Habitat Area (2)

 

Fort de Chartres State Historic Site

 

Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County) (blind builders or partners must occupy their blinds by 1 hour before opening hunting hour each day in order to claim their blind for the day; attempts to claim blinds by any manner other than actual occupation shall be considered in violation of this Part; the insertion of a boat into the boat hide and/or the spreading of decoys before a blind shall not be considered legal occupation of a blind) # *

 

Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area (Baldwin Lake Waterfowl Rest Area is closed to hunting) *

 

Kinkaid Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area – Sparland and Duck Ranch Units @ (2)

 

Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area – Spring Branch and Marshall Units (hunters must report their harvest via the online windshield card system during early Canada goose and regular Canada goose season after duck hunting is closed) * @

 

Meredosia Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Mississippi River State Fish and Waterfowl Management Area (Pools 25 and 26) (no hunting is allowed in the designated Batchtown Waterfowl Rest Area, Crull Hollow Rest Area and Godar Rest Area; blind builders or partners must occupy their blinds by ½ hour before opening hunting hour each day in order to claim their blind for the day; attempts to claim blinds by any manner other than actual occupation shall be considered in violation of this Part; the insertion of a boat into the boat hide and/or the spreading of decoys before a blind shall not be considered legal occupation of a blind) @

 

Mississippi River Pools 16, 17, and 18 @

 

Mississippi River Pools 21, 22, and 24 @

 

Oakford State Conservation Area (2)

 

Quincy Bay (Mississippi River Pool 21)

 

Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area * (2)

 

Rend Lake Project Lands and Waters (waterfowl hunters must maintain a distance of 200 yards between hunting parties) @

 

Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (goose seasons held prior to regular duck season shall open with teal season and shooting hours are sunrise until 1:00 p.m.) * @

 

Saline County State Conservation Area * (2)

 

Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area * @

 

Shawnee Forest, LaRue Scatters

 

Shawnee Forest, Oakwood Bottoms

 

Shawnee Forest, Upper Bluff Lake

 

Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area (2)

 

Ten Mile Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (rest areas open to hunting during goose season before and after the regular goose season) (2)

 

Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area *

 

Weinberg-King State Park – Spunky Bottoms Unit *

 

Woodford State Fish and Wildlife Area * @ (2)

 

c)         The following sites will be open to any goose hunting seasons that occur before the regular duck season through the end of the regular Canada goose season:

 

Apple River Canyon State Park – Salem and Thompson Units (2)

 

Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (hunting north of County Road N6^th only; no fishing north of County Road N6^th during this season) * #

 

Eagle Creek State Park (land hunting only allowed along the shoreline of Lake Shelbyville)

 

Lake Shelbyville − West Okaw and Kaskaskia State Fish and Wildlife Area (must have site specific permit)

 

Siloam Springs State Park (open prior to regular duck season only; permit issued through on-site drawing) * #

 

Starved Rock State Park #

 

Wolf Creek State Park (land hunting only allowed along the shoreline of Lake Shelbyville)

 

d)         The following sites will be open to all goose hunting during any Canada goose hunting seasons that occur after the regular duck season:

 

Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area * @

 

Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area (when duck season is closed, goose hunters may not possess more than 5 shot shells for every Canada goose allowed in the daily bag limit) *

 

Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area (hunters must check in and out at the self‑check box on the site; hunting from stakes or pits only; 4 persons per stake; hunters cannot check in before 5:00 a.m. the day of the hunt; stakes or pots allocated on a first come-first served basis) *

 

Freeman Mine State Habitat Area *

 

Heidecke State Fish and Wildlife Area *

 

Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (Open Unit, West Open Unit, and Quail Management Unit only)

 

Kankakee River State Park (2)

 

Lake DePue State Fish and Wildlife Area *

 

Lake Sinnissippi State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area * @

 

Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (2) *

 

Pekin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (hunting from registered blinds or within 10 yards of staked blind sites is permitted after the close of the duck season) *

 

William W. Powers State Conservation Area *

 

e)         The following sites will be open to any goose hunting seasons that occur after the regular Canada goose hunting season:

 

Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area (from pits or staked blind sites only) *

 

Freeman Mine State Habitat Area *

 

Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (public hunting areas) * @

 

Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County) – Gabaret, Mosenthein, Chouteau Island Units (site permit and harvest report required)

 

Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area (Open Unit, West Open Unit, Quail Management Unit only)

 

Peabody River King State Fish and Wildlife Area (East Subunit only; no hunting on or adjacent to lakes or within 200 yards of roads, developed recreation areas, public use facilities and construction or industrial sites; hunting is on a first-come, first-served basis; no entry before 4:30 a.m.; waterfowl hunters must maintain a distance of 200 yards between hunting parties; no permanent blinds allowed; all blinds must be of a portable nature and/or constructed with natural vegetation at the blind site; no pits can be dug; all materials must be removed or dismantled at the end of the day's hunt; all waterfowl hunting parties must use at least 12 decoys that must be attended at all times and must be picked up at the end of each day's hunt) *

 

Pyramid State Park – Captain, Denmark, East Conant and Galum Units (no hunting in Waterfowl Rest Areas) @ (2)

 

Sangchris Lake State Park *

 

Stephen A. Forbes State Recreation Area *

 

Snakeden Hollow State Fish and Wildlife Area (from pits only) *

 

Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area (Firing Line and Controlled Hunting Area) * @

 

f)         The following sites will be closed to all goose hunting seasons that occur outside the regular duck season dates:

 

Donnelley State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Kidd Lake State Natural Area (units west of the railroad tracks only)

 

Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area *

 

Powerton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

 

Redwing Slough/Deer Lake State Natural Area

 

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 3899, effective March 1, 2024)