Fort de Chartes: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 1,021 acres of Fort de Chartes open to hunting in Randolph County, 3 miles from Prairie du Rocher. Deer archery: open at the site. Hunters took 4,148 deer in Randolph 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 huntingOther IDNR and state landLand trusts and other open landFort de ChartesCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,021 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Randolph County |
| Deer harvest unit | Randolph County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove, Quail, Woodcock and Waterfowl |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| 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 |
| Nearest towns | Prairie du Rocher (3 mi), Fults (6 mi) and Ruma (9 mi) |
What can you hunt on Fort de Chartes?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, muzzleloader and late-winter antlerless), turkey (spring, fall archery and fall firearm), squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail, woodcock and waterfowl (walk-in) for Fort de Chartes.
What are the rules on Fort de Chartes?
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 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 Fort de Chartes?
Fort de Chartes lies in Randolph County. Hunters took 4,148 deer in Randolph County in 2025-26, against 4,253 in 2024-25.
| County | Fort de Chartes acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County | 879 | 4,148 | 4,253 | 4,056 |
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 Fort de Chartes?
Nearest towns: Prairie du Rocher (3 miles), Fults (6 miles), Ruma (9 miles) and Maeystown (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 155.
What other public land is near Fort de Chartes?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Kidd Lake Marsh State Natural Area: 536 acres, 3.5 miles away
- Fort Kaskaskia OWR: 11,943 acres, 8.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Fort de Chartes
Counting Fort de Chartes itself, 1,538 of the 29,095 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (5.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 1,021 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 493 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 24 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Fort de Chartes?
In Randolph County, 3 miles from Prairie du Rocher.
Can you deer hunt on Fort de Chartes?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; muzzleloader, county permit; late-winter antlerless, county permit.
How much public land is around Fort de Chartes?
1,538 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Fort de Chartes included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Kidd Lake Marsh State Natural Area (3.5 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.