Giant City State Park: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 2,949 acres of Giant City State Park open to hunting in Union and Jackson counties, 2 miles from Makanda. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: county permit. Hunters took 2,109 deer in Union 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 landGiant City State ParkCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,949 acres |
|---|---|
| Counties | Union County and Jackson County |
| Deer harvest unit | Union County, Jackson County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove, Quail, Pheasant and Woodcock |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, muzzleloader (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 park |
| IDNR region | 5 |
| Nearest towns | Makanda (2 mi), Cobden (4 mi) and Alto Pass (6 mi) |
What can you hunt on Giant City State Park?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm and muzzleloader), turkey (spring, fall archery and fall firearm), squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail, pheasant and woodcock for Giant City State Park.
What are the rules on Giant City State Park?
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, 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 Giant City State Park?
Giant City State Park lies in 2 counties. Hunters took 2,109 deer in Union County in 2025-26, against 2,162 in 2024-25.
| County | Giant City State Park acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 1,684 | 2,109 | 2,162 | 2,098 |
| Jackson County | 1,264 | 3,340 | 3,403 | 3,220 |
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 Giant City State Park?
Nearest towns: Makanda (2 miles), Cobden (4 miles), Alto Pass (6 miles) and Carbondale (8 miles). Highways within 5 miles: US 51.
What other public land is near Giant City State Park?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Guthrie Cave State Natural Area: 81 acres, 0.8 miles away
- Ferne Clyffe State Park: 1,807 acres, 6.8 miles away
- Trail of Tears State Forest: 4,628 acres, 7 miles away
- Cypress Pond State Natural Area: 1,056 acres, 9.3 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Giant City State Park
Counting Giant City State Park itself, 11,644 of the 41,521 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (28%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| National wildlife refuges | 5,379 |
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 3,029 |
| National forest | 1,926 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 928 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 382 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Giant City State Park?
In Union and Jackson counties, 2 miles from Makanda.
Can you deer hunt on Giant City State Park?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, county permit; muzzleloader, county permit.
How much public land is around Giant City State Park?
11,644 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Giant City State Park included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Guthrie Cave State Natural Area (0.8 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.