Announcements
Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area
Site Contact Info
Office phone: 815-423-5326
Office address: 28163 N. River Road, Wilmington, IL 60481
Site coordinates: 41.376582 -88.20749
County: Will
Site Maps
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres: 3,500
Habitat: Includes 1,550 acres of timber, 3,400 acres of grasslands and 380 acres of wetlands. A tranquil setting, flowing rivers and natural prairie land with an abundance of wildlife. Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area is open habitats such as native prairie, cool season grasses and agricultural fields. Woodlands, wetlands & river (Des Plaines & Kankakee) frontage account for the balance of the site. Active habitat management will occur throughout the year on the site, including prescribed burning.
Site Specific Regulations
Statewide and associated Species regulations in accordance with the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping 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.
IMPORTANT: Areas open to hunting & dog training are also open to field trials. Use extreme caution to avoid user group conflicts.
Parking is only allowed in open numbered IDNR parking lots and along the entrance drive. Not all parking lots will be open during all hunting seasons. No parking allowed along roadways.
Tree Stands: Only portable non-piercing tree stands/steps allowed, must be removed daily.
Scouting is allowed, but the dog training area and areas that are open to hunting are open to the public. Use extreme caution to avoid user group conflicts.
Deer
Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except during Controlled Pheasant Permit Hunting and non-permit seasons, archery deer hunting is only open on Mondays and Tuesdays during that time.
Archery deer hunters may take coyotes during archery deer season.
Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Only open first season.
- Permits allocated through the statewide lottery.
- Hunters must register by 5 a.m. each day of the season, check out daily, and report harvest at the site. Harvest must also be reported according to statewide regulations.
- Vacancies will be filled by drawing from any person with a valid hunting license, habitat stamp, & valid FOID card. Standby hunters will be issued a one-day site-specific deer permit and charged $5.00.
Late Winter Antlerless
Not available at this site.
Muzzleloader
Not available at this site.
Special CWD
Not available at this site.
Youth Firearm
Not available at this site.
Turkey
Not available at this site.
Waterfowl
Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply except:
- A windshield card is required.
- Blind winners will be provided forms of the purpose of maintaining waterfowl harvest records. The forms must be completed and returned by February 15 or the blind builders and partners for that blind will not be allowed to be a blind builder or partner at this site for the following year.
- Teal hunting is only allowed from numbered blind sites, and blinds do not have to be completed.
Blind construction, allocation and regulations:
- Blind sites shall be determined by the Department and marked by numbers.
- All blinds shall be allocated for a one-year period by a public drawing. The time and place for the drawing will be publicly announced by the Department.
- Registrants for the drawing must be at least 16 years old and possess a current or preceding year’s Illinois hunting license, and a current or preceding year’s Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp. Applicants must be present at the time of registration and drawing to be eligible to receive a blind at the drawing.
- Blinds must be placed at or within 10 feet of an IDNR marked site, be at least 4′ by 8′, sturdy enough to withstand daily usage, and must be maintained in good condition by the blind builders throughout the season. Boat hides are required and must be 18′ by 6′ and shall be sturdy enough to withstand daily use, and must also be maintained in good condition throughout the season. All blinds must be final brushed with the following allowable materials: Cattails, phragmites (with seed heads removed), native grasses and commercial blind covering. No trees, tree branches, logs or pine bowes will be allowed. The use of unallowable materials will result in forfeiture of blind.
- Blinds built over water must be of platform construction with the platform constructed above normal water conditions or they may be floating blinds.
- Blinds must be completed, including final brushing, 3 weeks in advance of the opening date of the duck season, after which time the Department of Natural Resources will inspect all blinds and blind sties and issue Blind Registration Cards to those which pass inspection. Blind builders must post the Blind Registration Card in the blind prior to the first day of duck season. If adverse water conditions make compliance with this rule difficult, the District Wildlife Biologist may grant exceptions to the schedule. Failure to comply with guidelines may result in loss of blind rights and use.
- Sites on which blinds have not been built, as well as sites on which blinds of an unsatisfactory quality have been built, will be reassigned to alternates selected at the drawing. All reassigned blinds and boats hides must be completed, including final brushing, in advance of the opening date of the waterfowl season.
- Previous year’s blind builders shall have until Feb. 1 to salvage materials from the blind sites, otherwise blind materials on site become property of the Department or the new blind builders.
- No more than 3 persons shall be registered for assignment at any one blind site. Blind builders shall submit partner names on a blind registration form as directed by August 31. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of blind. After August 31 no changes will be accepted.
- No person shall be allowed to be a blind builder or partner on more than one Waterfowl Management Area in Illinois.
- Blind builders or partners must occupy their blinds 1/2 hour before opening shooting time each day in order to claim their blind.
- Attempts to claim blinds by any manner other than actual occupation shall be considered in violation of this part, and shall be cause for arrest. 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.
- A blind not legally occupied by 1/2 hour before opening shooting hour each day may be claimed by anyone on a first come basis.
- No person shall fish within 250 yards of an occupied blind within the hunting area.
- No person shall hunt, or attempt to hunt, waterfowl and coots except from within a registered blind.
- No person under 16 years of age shall hunt, or attempt to hunt, unless accompanied by an adult.
- All hunting parties shall hunt with at least 12 decoys. Decoys shall be staked, placed, or floating, be individually visible, be at least 8 inches long, and not be within a boat, blind or container.
- No person shall trespass, for any purpose, on areas posted as Refuge or Waterfowl Rest Areas.
- Not more than 4 persons shall occupy a blind at one time.
- Blinds shall not be locked.
- Claiming or attempting to claim a blind which is legally occupied, and/or to harass, in any manner, the occupants of a blind which has been legally occupied is unlawful.
- Blinds must include a dog hide that is on the same level as the blind. The dog hide can either be incorporated into the blind by providing a hole at floor level that measures at least 20 inches high by 20 inches wide or by providing a separate compartment that is attached to the blind. Hides attached to the blind should have a minimum floor space that measures 2 feet by 2 feet and should be at least 2.5 feet high with two openings. One opening should be between the blind and the dog hide, should measure at least 20 inches by 20 inches, and should be constructed at the same level at the blind floor. The water access opening should be at least 20 inches wide and 20 inches high. Hides either within the blind or attached should have an enforced ramp to water level that is at least 15 inches wide with cleats every 12 inches. Openings in the blind must be capable of being closed when not in use.
Goose
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply except:
- A windshield card is required.
- During special goose season prior to regular waterfowl season, hunting is only allowed from numbered blind sites only and blinds do not have to be completed.
Snipe & Rail
Not available at this site.
Youth Waterfowl
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Youth Waterfowl season is held the weekend preceding the duck season opener.
Upland & Small Game
Controlled Pheasant Hunting
Available at this site. For further information on controlled pheasant hunting at this site, see the Controlled Pheasant Hunting webpage.
Dove
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Please note:
- Non-toxic shot only; #6 steel or #7 bismuth & tungsten or smaller
- Hunters must hunt within 10 feet of an IDNR marked stake and their firearm will remain at their chair, when leaving the stake is necessary (retrieving birds, etc.)
- No loaded guns to or from the hunting area.
- No guns allowed in field when retrieving birds.
Permit Hunting Sept 1-5
- Hunting Sept. 1-5 is by statewide lottery-issued permit only
- Hunting hours:12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Permit holders must register at the site office/check station prior to 11:00 am
- Permitted hunters who fail to complete their registration by 11:00 am shall have their permit voided.
- Following registration, a daily stand-by drawing, if needed, will be conducted for unclaimed or voided permits
- Field and stake selection will be made at the site office/check station through randomized draw following the standby draw
- All hunters must wear an IDNR issued backpatch.
- Hunters must sign out and report harvest at the site office/check station/sign-out box immediately following their exit from the field
- Hunters may bring 1 non-hunting, unarmed observer
- See the Free Dove Permit One Stop for more information
Non-permit Hunting Sept 6-30
- Season from September 6 – 30.
- Hunting hours:12:00 pm to sunset.
- Hunter quotas will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rabbit
Available at this site except only during the 5 days following the close of the site’s permit pheasant season excluding Mondays, Tuesdays and Christmas.
Squirrel
Not available at this site.
Upland Birds
Available at this site except only during the 5 days following the close of the site’s permit pheasant season excluding Mondays, Tuesdays and Christmas.
Woodcock
Not available at this site.
Dog Training
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply except :
- Closed during the site’s upland game season.
- The use of horses for dog training purposes is allowed.
- Only handguns and shotguns with blank cartridges shall be used on Department sites except shotguns with shot shells may be used only for shoot-to-retrieve training using domestic pigeons and/or captive-reared ring-necked pheasants, bobwhite quail, chukar partridge, and mallard ducks.
Furbearers
Hunting
Coyotes may be taken with a shotgun from the day after archery deer season closes until February 28.
Pursuit of coyotes with dogs is prohibited.
Archery deer hunters may take coyotes during archery deer season.
Trapping
Not available at this site.
Amenities
Archery Range
Boat access
Field trails
Fishing
Hand Trap Ranges
Wingshooting Clinics