Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 10,399 acres of Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area open to hunting in Alexander County, next to Unity. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: open at the site and special hunt permit from Springfield. Hunters took 602 deer in Alexander 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 landHorseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 10,399 acres in 6 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Alexander County |
| Deer harvest unit | Alexander 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) | open at the site and special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, late-winter antlerless (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | county permit and county and Springfield permits |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Turkey, fall firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Site type (IDNR) | state fish and wildlife area |
| IDNR region | 5 |
| Nearest towns | Unity (next to it), Olive Branch (next to it) and Mounds (3 mi) |
What is Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area like?
IDNR's records divide the site into 9 hunting areas: Controlled Hunting Area, Public Hunting Area, Public Hunting Area Big Fill Bottoms, Public Hunting Area Section 11 Woods, Public Hunting Area Poor Farm, Public Hunting Area Gentle, Public Hunting Area Parks Tract, Public Hunting Area Owens Tract, Refuge.
From IDNR's land records.
What can you hunt on Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife 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, waterfowl (walk-in) and waterfowl (blinds) for Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area.
What are the rules on Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
How each season is hunted here, by IDNR's land records: open at the site for deer archery, deer late-winter antlerless and turkey fall archery; open at the site and special hunt permit from Springfield, depending on the hunting area for deer firearm; county permit for deer muzzleloader and turkey fall firearm; county permit and county and Springfield permits, depending on the hunting area for turkey spring.
Part of the site is marked as a wildlife refuge in IDNR's records.
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 Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area lies in Alexander County. Hunters took 602 deer in Alexander County in 2025-26, against 597 in 2024-25.
| County | Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander County | 10,399 | 602 | 597 | 538 |
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 Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Unity (next to it), Olive Branch (next to it), Mounds (3 miles) and Mound City (6 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 3, US 51, I-57, IL 127 and IL 37.
What other public land is near Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area: 1,185 acres, 7.8 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area
Counting Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area itself, 17,380 of the 66,276 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (26.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 10,399 |
| National wildlife refuges | 5,164 |
| National forest | 1,688 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 129 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
In Alexander County, next to Unity.
Can you deer hunt on Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, open at the site and special hunt permit from Springfield; muzzleloader, county permit; late-winter antlerless, open at the site.
How much public land is around Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area?
17,380 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Horseshoe Lake-Alexander State Fish and Wildlife Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area (7.8 miles).
Get a Illinois hunt plan when they open
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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.