Announcements
Public Duck and Goose Hunting Area Permit First Lottery Begins August 16!
Castle Rock State Park
Site Contact Info
- Office phone: 815-732-7329
- Office address: 1365 W. Castle Rd., Oregon, IL 61061
- Site coordinates: 41.97793 -89.36353
- County: Ogle
- Site Superintendent
- District Wildlife Biologist
- Conservation Police
Site Map
- Digital Map
- Printable Map
- Printable Map – Firearm Deer Season
Site Characteristics
- Huntable acres: 1,620
- Habitat: Area has rolling topography, sandstone bluffs and rock formations, ravines and unique northern plant associations. Active habitat management will be occurring throughout the year on the site.


Site Specific Regulations
- All statewide hunting regulations apply at site unless noted hereafter.
- Site requires use of windshield card displayed on vehicle dashboard to report hunting effort and harvest by 15 February.
- Use Hunt Planner to find hunting seasons open at this site.
- Hunters must possess a permit issued specifically for Castle Rock SP, for the season they are hunting, to hunt this site.
- Species-specific rules:
Deer
- Archery
- Statewide regulations, but closed during all firearm deer seasons.
- Submission of ALL archery harvested deer heads is required within 48 hours of harvest to test for the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease.
- Firearm
- Open during the first and second firearm seasons
- Hunters must possess a site-specific permit available through statewide lottery.
- Hunters must check in and deposit their hunting license at the check station by 5 am. Registration will open at 4 am. Vacancies remaining at 5 am during registration will be filled by a drawing to allocate standby permits during firearm season only.
- Stand-by site permits available, but only good on daily basis.
- Non-resident stand-by hunters are required to have a non-resident hunting license and current habitat stamp.
- Deer permits for the Castle Rock Firearm seasons will be either sex permits.
- Hunters must check out from the park daily when finished. Firearm deer hunters are required to check deer at the county check station.
- Muzzleloader and CWD
- Castle Rock site specific permit is required to hunt the Muzzleloader or CWD season. Permits may be applied for online . The application period will be publicly announced.
- Required to register in and check out on the clipboard located at the Castle Rock workshop for the available parking lots.
- May not arrive earlier than 2 hours before legal shooting time or exceed the posted number of hunters allowed per parking lot at one time.
- Standby permits will not be issued for the Muzzleloader or CWD season. Left over permits cannot be used.
- All hunters must wear blaze orange.
- CWD Season: A maximum or 30 antlerless permits will be sold for the entire season and unfilled permits from any other season will not be valid. Stand-by permits will not be available.
- Hunting is allowed with any type equipment that is legal for statewide deer hunting during the specific season being hunted.
- Hunters must check out from the park daily when finished. Hunters must check in/report harvested deer to the site prior to leaving and at the county check station.
- One non-piercing, portable tree stand may be used per person. Stand may be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31 when marked with the hunter’s name, address, and phone number.
- Deer stands and marking ribbons/flagging must be removed by February 1.
Turkey
- Fall Archery
- Closed during all firearm deer seasons
- Allowed in Zone A only
- Spring
- Hunters must possess a site-specific permit
- Hunters must submit a harvest report
Waterfowl
- Waterfowl hunting not permitted
Squirrels/Rabbits
- Squirrels
- Squirrel hunting is only allowed in Zone A and only with a shotgun or bow and arrow.
- Squirrel hunting is allowed Aug 1 – Sept 30
- Must park in any of the 4 designated parking lots: Lot 7, along Wilderness Road; Lot 8, along IL Hwy 2; Lot 6 along Ridge Road; or Lot 9 along IL Hwy 2 Wetland lot.
- Squirrel hunting is not allowed in the Nature Preserve, Zone B.
- Rabbits
- Rabbit hunting not permitted
Upland Birds
- Upland bird hunting not permitted
Furbearers
- Trapping
- Trapping not permitted
- Hunting
- Furbearer hunting not permitted
Amenities
- Boat ramp
- More information