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Newton Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

Site Contact Info

Office phone: (618) 783-3478

Office address:  3490 E. 500th Ave, Newton, IL 62448

Site coordinates: 38.91042, -88.28769

County: Jasper

Site Superintendent

District Wildlife Biologist

Conservation Police

Site Closures List

Site Maps

Digital Map

Printable Map

Site Characteristics

Huntable acres: 6,500

Habitat: Area is generally rolling, with the more or less flat areas being cultivated or occupied in weedy, brushy fields. Cropped fields include tenant farmed cash crop, site staff food patches, and hay fields. About 800 acres of land are managed by IDNR for wildlife and 260 acres in the northeast corner has been dedicated to the preservation of the state-endangered greater prairie-chicken. About 540 acres on the west side of the lake has been developed for public access fishing, picnicking, hiking, equestrian and bike trails.

Active habitat management will be occurring 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. At this site, windshield cards are required for hunting all species but are not required for waterfowl hunting or youth deer and youth turkey hunting. 
  • Fishing and boating shall be prohibited in the east arm of the lake until 1 p.m. during waterfowl season. 
  • Lake Regulations: A 25 h.p. motor is the maximum allowed at the lake. 
  • The lake is open year round, except the lake is closed for the regular firearm deer seasons (weekend before Thanksgiving weekend and the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend). 
  • The east side of the lake is closed until 1 pm daily during waterfowl season (Waterfowl South Zone Dates) 
  • The west arm of the lake is closed to all waterfowl hunting.
  • One non-piercing, portable tree stand is allowed per hunter. Hunters must remove tree stands from the area at the end of the day’s hunt. 
  • No ATV access is allowed. 
  • No hunting by dogs allowed. 
  • Non-toxic shot is required for all upland hunting. 

Deer

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Hunters must park in designated areas only.

Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Firearm deer hunting requires site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery. (Jasper County permits are not valid) 
  • A deer hunter is required to check-in at site office by 5 am each day to validate his or her permit 
  • A drawing will be held to allocate hunting areas to permit holders. 
  • Hunters must check-out and report harvest on harvest cards to be dropped in the drop box at the end of each day’s hunt. 

Late Winter Antlerless

Not available at this site.

Muzzleloader

Not available at this site.

Special CWD

Not available at this site.

Youth Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Youth hunters must possess a valid Jasper County permit. 
  • Youth hunters must check-in at site office by 5 am for a drawing which will allocate hunting areas 
  • Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting parent, guardian, or responsible adult who has in his or her possession a valid firearm owners identification (FOID) card 

Turkey

Permit holders will be mailed a turkey hunter harvest report to be returned at season’s end.

Fall Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Fall Shotgun

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Shotgun turkey hunting in the fall requires site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery 

Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Spring turkey hunting requires a site-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Youth Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Hunters must possess a valid Jasper County permit 
  • Hunters must check-in at site office by 5 am for a drawing which will allocate hunting areas open for youth hunting 
  • Youth hunters must be accompanied by a non-hunting parent, guardian, or responsible adult who has in his or her possession a valid Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card 

Waterfowl

  • Blind sites 1-23 are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis until one hour prior to shooting time. After that time, hunters must wait until 9 a.m. to sign-in and hunt 
  • Sign-in sheets and the map showing the blinds’ locations are located in sign-in box at Newton Lake East Boat Ramp (see map).
  • Blind sites, determined by the IDNR, are marked with numbered stakes (see map). For public safety reason, IDNR may close the lake area to all fishing and all boating activity or may move and/or close blind sites 
  • Hunters may begin to sign-in at 12:01am on the day of the hunt with at least one hunter in the party remaining in the parking lot until the party enters hunting area. 
  • Hunters must occupy the stake they have drawn (selected on the site-in sheet) by legal shooting time or forfeit the right to the staked hunting location. 
  • Blinds 22 and 23 are land sites 
  • Blinds 22 may be hunted on Tuesday and Saturday 
  • Blind 23 may be hunted on Wednesday and Sunday 
  • No more than 4 persons may occupy a blind 
  • Hunters moving to another vacant blind location may do so on a first-come first- serve basis, provided they report change on the harvest card along with their harvest for each blind 
  • Access to water blind sites shall be by boat only. Access to land sites shall be by walk-in only 
  • There will be duly posted waterfowl refuges.
  • All water hunting must be from one portable blind or one anchored portable boat blind located between the assigned numbered stakes, no more than 10 yards from shore. All land hunting must be done from a position within 50 feet of the assigned numbered stake 
  • Each party must hunt over a minimum of 6 decoys, and decoys must be removed at the end of each day’s hunt 
  • Crippled waterfowl that fall on land, other than areas designated as refuge, shall be retrieved by foot. However, a hunter must not carry a gun while attempting to recover such birds 
  • Hunting ends at 1pm, and all hunters must be off water or field by 2:30 pm. 
  • Hunting parties must complete harvest cards and place them in collection box located at Newton Lake East Boat Ramp or at site office (see map) 
  • During the last 3 days of Canada goose season, hunting hours shall close at sunset daily 
  • Waterfowl hunting is closed during the regular firearm hunting seasons 

Ducks/Coots/Mergansers

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Goose

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Snipe/Rail

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Youth Waterfowl

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Upland/Small Game

Controlled Pheasant Hunting

Not available at this site.

Crow

Not available at this site.

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Dove hunters are required to use size 7 1/2, 8, or 9 bismuth shot, or #6 or smaller steel shot. 
  • Hunting hours are 12 noon to 5 p.m. on September 1 – 5; thereafter, statewide hunting hours apply. 
  • Dove hunters must check-in and check-out and report harvest. 

Pheasant/Quail/Partridge

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Blaze orange is required while upland game hunting. 
  • Non-toxic shot is required for all upland hunting.  

Rabbits

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Blaze orange is required while upland game hunting. 

Squirrels

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Squirrel hunting is closed during site’s deer hunting seasons.
  • Hunting with shotguns and bow and arrow only.

Woodcock

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Blaze orange is required while upland game hunting. 
  • Non-toxic shot is required for all upland hunting.  

Furbearers

Furbearer Hunting

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Furbearer hunters must contact the site office. 
  • Statewide regulations for coyote and bobcat may be taken during their respective seasons. If hunting within the archery deer season, they may only be taken by archery deer hunters only (with appropriate permits). 
  • Coyotes may be taken with a shotgun from the day after the archery season closes until February 28. 
  • Bobcats may be taken with shotgun from the day after archery season closes until the end of bobcat hunting season. 
  • No hunting with dogs or night hunting is permitted at this site. 
  • No other hunting allowed. 

Furbearer Trapping

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • A trapper must gain a permit by being selected through a drawing held prior to trapping season. Furbearer trappers must contact the site office. 

Amenities