Announcements
More InfoKishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Site Contact Info
Office phone: 815-824-2106
Office address: Shabbona Lake SRA, 4201 Shabbona Grove Rd., Shabbona, IL 60550
Site coordinates: 42.09385 -88.86509
County: DeKalb
Site Superintendent (Shabbona Lake SRA parent site)
Site Map
Printable Map – Spring Turkey
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres: 484
Habitat: As a satellite of Shabbona Lake SP, this area is part of the unique mix of grass-covered meadows, upland mesic and bottom woodlands, a native fen, and a man-made lake. The area borders the Kishwaukee River and consists of hardwood forest with grassy open areas, wetlands, and agricultural acreage.
Active habitat management will be occurring throughout the year at this 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 must not enter onto any private property, including the adjacent DeKalb County Forest Preserve property.
Deer
Blaze orange clothing is required for all firearm seasons.
Deer hunting is allowed with any type of equipment that is legal for statewide deer hunting during the specific season the hunter is hunting.
Hunters must not bait deer nor engage in “driving” deer.
Portable non-piercing stands may be used but must be removed from the site at the end of each day.
Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Closed on this site during the firearm deer seasons.
- On-site submission of all archery harvested deer heads along with corresponding harvest information is required within 48 hours of harvest to test for the presence of chronic wasting disease.
Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Site-specific permit required. Hunters may apply for the permit by selecting Kishwaukee River SFWA as their choice of hunting area on their firearm deer permit application.
- Stand-by permits will not be available.
- Deer harvested must be reported via the windshield card harvest reporting system and
- be checked-in at the county check station. Phone-in registration is not required while county check stations are operational.
Late Winter Antlerless
Not available at this site.
Muzzleloader
Not available at this site.
Special CWD
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Site-specific permit required. Online applications will be accepted beginning in late Oct through late Nov. Paper applications will not be available.
- Hunters should check for exact dates as season approaches.
- Unfilled permits are not valid. Stand-by permits will not be available.
- Hunters report harvest via the windshield card harvest reporting system and via phone-in registration.
Youth Firearm
Not available at this site.
Turkey
Fall Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Closed during the firearm deer seasons.
- Portable non-piercing stands may be used but must be removed from the site at the end of each day.
Fall Shotgun
Not available at this site.
Spring
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Must have a site-specific turkey permit issued specifically for the season to be hunted. Hunters may apply by selecting the Kishwaukee River SFWA as their choice of hunting area on their turkey permit application. Applications are submitted to the Springfield Permit Office.
- Hunters must sign-in at site’s station.
- Must report turkeys harvested on the site’s sign-in/sign-out sheets and report harvest via the statewide telephone reporting system as outlined on the hunter’s turkey hunting permit. Report the turkey as harvested on the Special Hunt Area of Kishwaukee River and not as DeKalb County.
Youth Spring
Not available at this site.
Waterfowl
Not available at this site.
Upland/Small Game
Not available at this site.
Furbearers
Not available at this site.
Amenities
None