Mississippi Palisades State Park: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 1,807 acres of Mississippi Palisades State Park open to hunting in Carroll County, next to Savanna. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: special hunt permit from Springfield. Hunters took 1,282 deer in Carroll 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 wildlife refugesFederal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakesOther IDNR and state landForest preserves, county and city landLand trusts and other open landMississippi Palisades State ParkCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 1,807 acres |
|---|---|
| County | Carroll County |
| Deer harvest unit | Carroll County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer and Turkey |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Deer, CWD season (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | disabled hunters, Springfield permit |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Site type (IDNR) | state park |
| IDNR region | 1 |
| Nearest towns | Savanna (next to it), Hanover (8 mi) and Mount Carroll (9 mi) |
What can you hunt on Mississippi Palisades State Park?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm and CWD season) and turkey (spring and fall archery) for Mississippi Palisades State Park.
What are the rules on Mississippi Palisades State Park?
How each season is hunted here, by IDNR's land records: open at the site for deer archery and turkey fall archery; special hunt permit from Springfield for deer firearm and deer cwd season; disabled hunters, Springfield permit for turkey spring.
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 Mississippi Palisades State Park?
Mississippi Palisades State Park lies in Carroll County. Hunters took 1,282 deer in Carroll County in 2025-26, against 1,184 in 2024-25.
| County | Mississippi Palisades State Park acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll County | 1,807 | 1,282 | 1,184 | 1,155 |
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 Mississippi Palisades State Park?
Nearest towns: Savanna (next to it), Hanover (8 miles), Mount Carroll (9 miles) and Thomson (10 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 84, US 52 and IL 64.
What other public land is near Mississippi Palisades State Park?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Rall Woods State Natural Area: 280 acres, 2.7 miles away
- Lost Mound Unit: 12,341 acres, 2.8 miles away
- Hanover Bluff State Natural Area: 493 acres, 6.5 miles away
- Primm's Pond State Natural Area: 168 acres, 8.5 miles away
- French Bluff State Natural Area: 344 acres, 9.6 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Mississippi Palisades State Park
Counting Mississippi Palisades State Park itself, 5,024 of the 38,514 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (13%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 1,850 |
| Federal land, mostly Corps of Engineers lakes | 1,766 |
| National wildlife refuges | 1,241 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 111 |
| Forest preserves, county and city land | 56 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Mississippi Palisades State Park?
In Carroll County, next to Savanna.
Can you deer hunt on Mississippi Palisades State Park?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, special hunt permit from Springfield; CWD season, special hunt permit from Springfield.
How much public land is around Mississippi Palisades State Park?
5,024 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Mississippi Palisades State Park included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Rall Woods State Natural Area (2.7 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.