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Deer Firearm & Muzzleloader 1st Lottery opens March 4! Spring Turkey OTC Permits available on March 11!
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Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area

Site Contact Info

Office phone: 217-452-7741

Office address: 10149 Highway 11, Chandlerville, IL 62627

Site coordinates: 40.02358 -90.11447

County: Cass

Site Superintendent

District Wildlife Biologist

Conservation Police

Site Closures List

Site Map

Digital Map

Printable Map

Site Specific Application

Non-resident Archery Deer Hunt Application

Site Characteristics

Huntable Acres: 16,400

Habitat: Jim Edgar Panther Creek is characterized by rolling to steeply rolling uplands; 3,615 acres of crop land; 6,500 acres of timberland; with the balance of acres in native grass, food plots, or idled farmland. 

Active habitat management will be occurring throughout the year on the site.

Site/Species 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.

Hunters can leave stands in the tree but must tag them with their name, address, and phone number. They must remove any stands at the end of the season. Stands not removed are subject to confiscation 

Deer

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Non-residents must obtain a special permit to hunt during the period 28 days before the first statewide firearm deer season. Contact site office for details.
  • The Open Unit is closed to archery hunting during the Youth Firearm Deer season.

Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except requires a site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Late Winter Antlerless

Not available at this site.

Muzzleloader

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.
  • Hunting is allowed in the Open Unit only.

Special CWD

Not available at this site.

Youth Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a site-specific permit obtained through statewide lottery.
  • Youth hunters must submit name to the site office by August 31.
  • Permits are available over the counter at License Vendors.
  • Hunting is allowed in the Open Units only.

Turkey

Fall Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Fall Shotgun

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except requires site-specific permit obtained via the statewide lottery.

Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except requires site-specific permit obtained via the statewide lottery.

Youth Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except requires site-specific permit obtained via the statewide lottery.

Waterfowl

Ducks/Coots/Mergansers

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Blind sites area allocated at the hunter check station at 5:10 a.m. Closed on Christmas Day.
  • Hunting on Prairie Lake is allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Coincides with the controlled pheasant hunting season.
  • Required to hunt with at least 6 decoys, which must be removed after the hunt.
  • Hunting within agricultural fields in the Controlled Hunting Unit allowed on Mondays and Tuesdays beginning the opening day of the controlled pheasant hunting season until the close of the statewide waterfowl season.

Goose

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Hunting within agricultural fields in the Controlled Hunting Unit allowed on Mondays and Tuesdays beginning the opening day of the controlled pheasant hunting season until the close of the statewide waterfowl season.
  • The Open Unit and Quail Unit allow Conservation Order snow goose hunting after the close of the regular Canada goose season.

Snipe/Rail

Not available at this site.

Youth Waterfowl

Not available at this site.

Upland/Small Game

Controlled Pheasant Hunting

Available at this site. For further information, see the Controlled Pheasant Hunting webpage.

Crow

Not available at this site.

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • September 1-5 requires a permit through the Permit Lottery System.
  • Hunter registration is from 8 to 10 AM, with the drawing at 10 AM. Stand-by drawing at 11 AM.
  • September 11-October 31 all units are open to statewide regulations.
  • In Controlled Hunting Unit only, those hunters engaged in the controlled pheasant hunting program may take doves during the November portion of the dove season. In the Upland Game Management Unit only, those hunters with an Upland Game Management permit may take doves during the November portion of the dove season.
  • A one-day youth/adult dove hunt will be held the first weekend day in September or Labor Day, whichever comes first, where both the youth and adult will be permitted to hunt.

Pheasant/Quail/Partridge

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Non-toxic shot is required in all units.
  • Open Unit is statewide regulations.
  • Quail Unit requires a Free Upland Game permit. Controlled Unit requires a controlled pheasant hunting permit (see Controlled Pheasant Hunting section above).

Rabbits

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Non-toxic shot is required in all units.
  • Open Unit is statewide regulations.
  • Quail Unit requires a Free Upland Game permit. Controlled Unit requires a controlled pheasant hunting permit (see Controlled Pheasant Hunting section above).

Squirrels

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Hunting is allowed in the Controlled Unit and Quail Game Unit from August 1- October 31.
  • Quail Game Management Unit is closed to squirrel hunting from November 1 until the close of the rabbit season unless in in possession of special permit. Contact site office for details.
  • Hunting in the Open Unit follows statewide regulations.

Woodcock

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Restricted to the Open Units portion of the site during the controlled pheasant season, except those hunters who possess a valid Free Upland Game permit.
  • Windshield card required.

Youth Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

A one-day youth/adult dove hunt will be held the first weekend day in September or Labor Day, whichever comes first, where both the youth and adult will be permitted to hunt. 

Furbearers

Furbearer Hunting

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Rimfire rifles .22 caliber and smaller may be used from sunset to sunrise.
  • Furbearer hunting closed during Firearm Deer Season except hunters with a valid, unfilled firearm deer permit for the hunt area may take coyotes during legal hours of the firearm deer season. Otherwise, the use of shotgun slugs to take furbearing mammals is prohibited on state sites
  • Statewide seasons for coyote and striped skunk.
  • Centerfire rifle coyote hunting hours are from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise during the controlled pheasant hunting season.
  • Windshield Card required.

Furbearer Trapping

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except requires site-specific permit. Contact site office for more details.

Amenities

Archery range

Fishing

Boat access

Bike trails

More information