ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

J.B. Pritzker, Governor | illinois.gov

Wildlife Illinois

Hunt Planner

Announcements

Apply now for a Deer Firearm/Muzzleloader Permit!

Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area

Site Contact Info

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.
  • Digital Map
  • Printable Map

Site Specific Regulations

  • All statewide hunting 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.
  • Use Hunt Planner to find hunting seasons open at this site.
  • All hunting, other than squirrel hunting, is restricted to shotgun or bow, except that muzzle loading rifles and handguns are permitted during the firearm deer season. Handguns allowed are centerfire revolvers or centerfire single shot .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches.
  • It is unlawful to ride horses on this site or allow horses to enter this site.
  • Species-specific rules:

Deer

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.

Archery

Firearm

  • 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. 

Muzzleloader

  • 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.

Youth

  • Youth hunters must obtain a windshield card and report harvest online prior to Feb 15.

Turkey

  • Fall Archery
  • Spring
    • 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.

Waterfowl

  • Waterfowl hunting not permitted

Squirrels/Rabbits

  • Squirrels
    • 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 March 15.
    • Squirrel hunters are allowed to use shotguns, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, .25 caliber or smaller air rifles, or muzzleloading black powder rifles.
  • Rabbits
    • 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.
    • 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.  

Upland

Quail and Pheasant

  • 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.

Youth Pheasant

  • 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.

Dove

Regular Dove Season

  • Must use non-toxic shot
  • Sept. 1-5:
    • Requires a permit issued through lottery drawing from the Springfield office. Permit holders must check in at the site office/check station prior to 11 am.
    • Permits are void after 11 am
    • Permit holders may bring 1 hunting partner.
    • Daily drawing for unclaimed permits will be held at 11 am.
    • Hours are from 12 pm – 5 pm.
    • Must check-out at the site office/check station.
  • Hunting after Sept. 6:
    • Must sign-in at the site office sign-in box
    • Stakes will be issued first-come first-served.
    • Hours are sunrise to sunset.
    • Hunters must sign-out at the sign-out box at site office/check station. 

Youth Dove

  • Applicants must be between the ages of 10-17 (inclusive), with a valid Illinois hunting license.
  • Each youth must be accompanied by a supervising adult. If the hunter does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card, the supervising adult is required to have a FOID card.
  • Applicants must contact the Department to obtain a permit reservation. Starting dates and methods for making reservations will be publicly announced.
  • 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.
  • All hunters must have a hunting permit and wear a back patch while hunting. Stand-by permits will be available at the site by lottery drawing if vacancies occur.
  • Nontoxic shot only – #6 steel shot or #7½ bismuth shot or smaller may be possessed.
  • Hours:
    • Check-in: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
    • Hunting: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Woodcock

  • Statewide Regulations
  • Closed during firearm deer season
  • Windshield card required

Crow

Furbearers

Trapping

  • Muskrat, Mink, Raccoon, Opossum, Striped Skunk, Weasel, Gray Fox, Red Fox, Coyote, Badger, River Otter, Beaver, Bobcat, and Woodchuck (Groundhog)
    • Statewide regulations
    • 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

Hunting

  • Raccoon, opossum open to statewide regulations; skunk, red fox, gray 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

Amenities