Cache River State Natural Area: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 15,651 acres of Cache River State Natural Area open to hunting in Johnson, Pulaski and Massac counties, next to Karnak. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: county permit. Hunters took 1,993 deer in Johnson County in 2025-26.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: IDNR's IDNR hunting site data, read 2026-10. Harvest: IDNR county summaries, 2021-22 to 2025-26.
IDNR sites open to huntingNational forestNational wildlife refugesOther IDNR and state landLand trusts and other open landCache River State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 15,651 acres in 28 pieces |
|---|---|
| Counties | Johnson County, Pulaski County and Massac County |
| Deer harvest unit | Johnson County, Pulaski County, Massac County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove, Quail, Pheasant, Woodcock and Waterfowl |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, late-winter antlerless (IDNR) | county permit |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | county permit |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Turkey, fall firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Site type (IDNR) | state natural area |
| IDNR region | 5 |
| Nearest towns | Karnak (next to it), Belknap (next to it) and Cypress (next to it) |
What is Cache River State Natural Area like?
IDNR's records divide the site into 13 hunting areas: Rt. 45 South, Rt. 169 South, Big Cypress, West Eden, Glass Hill, Heron Pond, East Bluff, Rt. 45 North, Rt. 37 North, East Karnak and more.
From IDNR's land records.
What can you hunt on Cache River State Natural Area?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm, muzzleloader and late-winter antlerless), turkey (spring, fall archery and fall firearm), squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail, pheasant, woodcock and waterfowl (walk-in) for Cache River State Natural Area.
What are the rules on Cache River State Natural Area?
How each season is hunted here, by IDNR's land records: open at the site for deer archery and turkey fall archery; county permit for deer firearm, deer muzzleloader, deer late-winter antlerless, turkey spring and turkey fall firearm.
Site-specific rules are in IDNR's Hunting Digest and the site's hunter fact sheet; IDNR's public hunting areas list has the site's permit details.
How many deer are taken around Cache River State Natural Area?
Cache River State Natural Area lies in 3 counties. Hunters took 1,993 deer in Johnson County in 2025-26, against 2,015 in 2024-25.
| County | Cache River State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County | 12,803 | 1,993 | 2,015 | 2,017 |
| Pulaski County | 2,195 | 588 | 623 | 602 |
| Massac County | 653 | 734 | 834 | 808 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the hunting site alone: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons).
How do you get to Cache River State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Karnak (next to it), Belknap (next to it), Cypress (next to it) and New Grand Chain (2 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 37, I-24, IL 146, I-57 and US 51.
What other public land is near Cache River State Natural Area?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Deer Pond State Natural Area: 197 acres, 2.4 miles away
- Skinner Farm State Habitat Area: 100 acres, 2.5 miles away
- Mermet Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 1,317 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Cypress Pond State Natural Area: 1,056 acres, 3.6 miles away
- Ferne Clyffe State Park: 1,807 acres, 6.9 miles away
- Sielbeck Forest: 394 acres, 8.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Cache River State Natural Area
Counting Cache River State Natural Area itself, 26,980 of the 116,534 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (23.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 15,926 |
| National wildlife refuges | 7,929 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 3,015 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 110 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Cache River State Natural Area?
In Johnson, Pulaski and Massac counties, next to Karnak.
Can you deer hunt on Cache River State Natural Area?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, county permit; muzzleloader, county permit; late-winter antlerless, county permit.
How much public land is around Cache River State Natural Area?
26,980 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Cache River State Natural Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Deer Pond State Natural Area (2.4 miles).
Get a Illinois hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Illinois are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Illinois included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: IDNR land records: sites and hunting areas (OMLP, Prairie Research Institute).
- Boundary and acres: IDNR's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and IDNR's hunting area records.
- Deer harvest: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons).
FilledTag is not part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Check IDNR's rules and posted signs before you go.
Illinois hunting Johnson County Pulaski County Massac County