Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 2,982 acres of Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area open to hunting in Grundy County, 3 miles from Channahon. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: special hunt permit from Springfield. Hunters took 796 deer in Grundy 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 forestOther IDNR and state landForest preserves, county and city landLand trusts and other open landGoose Lake Prairie State Natural AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,982 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Grundy County |
| Deer harvest unit | Grundy County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer and Turkey |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Deer, CWD season (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | youth hunting |
| Site type (IDNR) | state natural area |
| IDNR region | 2 |
| Nearest towns | Channahon (3 mi), Carbon Hill (3 mi) and Lorenzo (4 mi) |
What is Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area like?
IDNR's records divide the site into 5 hunting areas: Field C, Field E, Field D, Field B, Field A.
From IDNR's land records.
What can you hunt on Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm, muzzleloader and CWD season) and turkey (spring) for Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area.
What are the rules on Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
How each season is hunted here, by IDNR's land records: open at the site for deer archery; special hunt permit from Springfield for deer firearm, deer muzzleloader and deer cwd season; youth hunting for turkey spring.
IDNR's notes: Field C water area. Field A area in between boundary lines.
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 Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area lies in Grundy County. Hunters took 796 deer in Grundy County in 2025-26, against 753 in 2024-25.
| County | Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grundy County | 2,982 | 796 | 753 | 727 |
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 Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
Nearest towns: Channahon (3 miles), Carbon Hill (3 miles), Lorenzo (4 miles) and Minooka (4 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-80, US 6, I-55, IL 113 and IL 47.
What other public land is near Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Heidecke Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area: 1,299 acres, next to it
- Illinois and Michigan Canal: 506 acres, 1.2 miles away
- Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area: 3,933 acres, 2 miles away
- Morris Wetland Mitigation Site: 724 acres, 2.2 miles away
- Des Plaines Game Propagation Center: 145 acres, 5.6 miles away
- Wilmington Shrub Prairie State Natural Area: 343 acres, 7.9 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
Counting Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area itself, 6,129 of the 40,255 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (15.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 4,795 |
| Forest preserves, county and city land | 773 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 559 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
In Grundy County, 3 miles from Channahon.
Can you deer hunt on Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, special hunt permit from Springfield; muzzleloader, special hunt permit from Springfield; CWD season, special hunt permit from Springfield.
How much public land is around Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area?
6,129 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Heidecke Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area (next to it).
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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.