Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area
Site Contact Info
Office phone: 309-963-5969
Office address: 15470 Nelson Rd., Mackinaw, IL 61755
Site coordinates: 40.55115 -89.29432
County: Tazewell
Site Map
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres:1,400
Habitat: Rolling terrain dominated by two miles of Mackinaw River frontage, comprised of timbered land, open meadow, and agricultural field with two interior ponds.
Active habitat management will be occurring throughout the year on the site, including prescribed burning.
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 for some hunting opportunities. When in use card must be displayed on vehicle dashboard, and report hunting effort and harvest by 15 February.
It is unlawful to ride horses on this site or allow horses to enter this site.
Deer
Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Must obtain a windshield card and must report.
- One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind allowed per hunter. Tree stands and ground blinds may be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31, but must be legibly marked with the owner’s name, address and telephone number, or a site assigned identification number.
Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Requires a site-specific permit. Permit available through lottery drawing from the Springfield permit office.
- Permit holders must register at the check station by 5 am the day of the hunt.
- Invalidated permits are void after 5 am.
- Vacancies each day will be filled by a drawing held at 5 am. Vacancies may be filled by any person holding a valid hunting license, habitat stamp and firearm owner identification card, unless exempt.
- Standby hunters will be issued a one-day site-specific deer permit at the check station and charged a permit fee of $5.00.
- All hunters must check out and report harvest.
- One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind allowed per hunter. Tree stands and ground blinds may be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31, but must be legibly marked with the owner’s name, address and telephone number, or a site assigned identification number.
Late Winter Antlerless
Not available at this site.
Muzzleloader
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Requires a site-specific permit. Permit available through lottery drawing from the Springfield permit office.
- Closed during the second firearm deer season.
- Check-in, check-out and reporting of harvest is required.
- One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind allowed per hunter. Tree stands and ground blinds may be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31, but must be legibly marked with the owner’s name, address and telephone number, or a site assigned identification number.
Special CWD
Not available at this site.
Youth Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Youth hunters must obtain a windshield card and report harvest online prior to Feb 15.
One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind allowed per hunter. Tree stands and ground blinds may be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31, but must be legibly marked with the owner’s name, address and telephone number, or a site assigned identification number.
Turkey
Fall Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Must have windshield card and report harvest online prior to Feb 15.
Fall Shotgun
Not available at this site.
Spring
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Requires a site-specific permit. Permits for spring shotgun turkey season will be issued through lottery drawing from the Springfield office.
- Must obtain a windshield card and report harvest online prior to Feb 15.
Youth Spring
Available at this site to holders of a valid Youth Turkey Hunt Permit for Tazewell County. Must have windshield card and report harvest online prior to Feb 15.
Waterfowl
Not available at this site.
Upland/Small Game
Controlled Pheasant
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Hunt will be held on the Saturday after the opening of the statewide upland game season.
- Applicants must contact the DNR to obtain a permit reservation. Methods for making reservations are available on the Controlled Pheasant Hunting Program website, by email at: dnr.pheasant@illinois.gov, or by writing to the Department’s Division of Parks and Recreation.
- All hunters must be between the ages of 10 and 17 inclusive.
- Hunters with reservations or permits are required to check in at the check station between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m.
- Hunting hours are from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Supervising adults are required to wear a cap and upper outer garment of solid and vivid blaze orange of a least 400 square inches. Hunters must wear a back patch issued by the check station.
- All hunting must be done with shotguns.
- Non-toxic shot is required.
Crow
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Windshield card required.
Dove
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
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.)
Sept 1-5
- Hunting Sept. 1-5 is by Springfield lottery-issued permit, only.
- Hunting hours are from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
- Permit holders must register at the site office 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 through randomized draw following the standby draw
- Hunters may be required to wear back patches while in the field
- Hunters must sign out and report harvest at the site office/sign-out box immediately following their exit from the field
- Hunters may bring 1 hunting partner, and/or 1 non-hunting, unarmed observer
- Free Dove Permit One Stop
Sep 6-30
- Permit not required
- Hunting hours: Sunrise-Sunset
- Must sign-in at the site office sign-in box
- Stakes will be issued first-come first-served.
- Hunters must sign-out at the sign-out box at site office/check station.
A youth hunt is scheduled annually for the first weekend day in Sept. or Labor Day, whichever comes first, and is by Springfield lottery-issued permit, only.
- Applicants must be between the ages of 10-17, with a valid Illinois hunting license.
- Each youth must be accompanied by a supervising adult. If the youth hunter does not have a valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card, the supervising adult is required to have a FOID card
- The supervising adult may actively hunt with the youth hunter
- Hunting hours are from 12:00pm to 5:00pm
- Permit holders must register at the site office 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 through randomized draw following the standby draw
- Hunters may be required to wear back patches while in the field
- Hunters must sign out and report harvest at the site office/sign-out box immediately following their exit from the field
- Free Dove Permit One Stop
Pheasant/Quail/Partridge
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Not permitted during firearm deer season
- A free site permit is required to hunt quail and pheasant. Site permits are issued through a lottery from the Springfield Office.
- Hunting will be permitted on the first and second day of the statewide upland game season and on each subsequent Wednesday and Saturday in November and on each Thursday and Sunday in December, through December 24, except closed during the firearm and muzzleloader deer seasons and open December 27 and 29.
- The permit holders may bring no more than 5 hunting partners, which allows for a maximum of 6 hunters.
- Non-toxic shot required
- Quail and pheasant hunters must wear a cap and upper garment of solid and vivid blaze orange of at least 400 square inches.
Rabbits
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Not permitted during firearm deer season
- A free site permit is required to hunt rabbit. Site permits are issued through a lottery drawing from the Springfield Office. Hunting will be permitted on the first and second day of the statewide upland game season and on each subsequent Wednesday and Saturday in November and on each Thursday and Sunday in December, through December 24, except closed during the firearm and muzzleloader deer seasons and open December 27 and 29.
- Permit holders may bring no more than 5 hunting partners, which allows for a maximum of 6 hunters.
- Non-toxic shot required
- Must wear a cap and upper garment of solid and vivid blaze orange of at least 400 square inches.
Squirrels
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Permitted from Aug 1 – Sept 30. After closing on Sept 30, squirrel hunting season reopens on the day after the archery deer season closes and remains open until the end of the statewide season.
- Must obtain a windshield card and report harvest online prior to February 21st.
- Squirrel hunters are allowed to use shotguns, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, .25 caliber or smaller air rifles, or muzzleloading black powder rifles, or bow and arrow.
Woodcock
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Closed during firearm deer season
- Windshield card required
Furbearers
Furbearer Hunting
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Raccoon, opossum open to statewide regulations; skunk, red fox, coyote, and woodchuck open to archery during the archery deer season and statewide regulations after the close of archery deer season.
- .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms permitted from sunset to sunrise.
- Use of a shotgun with slugs to take furbearing mammals is prohibited except coyotes may be taken by persons in possession of a valid unfilled firearm deer permit during firearm deer seasons.
- Windshield card required
Furbearer Trapping
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Muskrat, Mink, Raccoon, Opossum, Striped Skunk, Weasel, Gray Fox, Red Fox, Coyote, Badger, River Otter, Beaver, Bobcat, and Woodchuck (Groundhog)
- A site-specific permit is required and must be in possession while trapping on the area.
- Trappers must stay within assigned areas.
- Trappers must submit a trapping report within two weeks after the trapping season closes.
- A drawing shall be held prior to the opening of the season. The date of the drawing shall be announced by the Department by public announcement here and the drawing shall be held at the site. Persons participating in the drawing must have either a current or previous year trapping license.
- Only Egg Traps®, D-P (Dog-Proof) Traps®, Lil Grizz Get’rz®, box traps, cage traps, and traps of similar design may be used for land sets.
- Only body-gripping traps with a jaw spread of 5 inches or less, foothold traps with a jaw spread of 4.5 inches or less, and square body gripping traps with a 10 inch jaw spread may be used for water sets.
- Snares may be used for water sets.
- .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms permitted unless otherwise specified
Amenities
Fishing
Hiking Trail
Hunting