Pere Marquette State Park: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 5,360 acres of Pere Marquette State Park open to hunting in Jersey County, next to Grafton. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: county permit. Hunters took 1,498 deer in Jersey 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 refugesOther IDNR and state landLand trusts and other open landPere Marquette State ParkCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 5,360 acres in 7 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Jersey County |
| Deer harvest unit | Jersey County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove and Quail |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | county permit |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | county permit, county and Springfield permits and site permit from the site office |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Turkey, fall firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Site type (IDNR) | state park |
| IDNR region | 4 |
| Nearest towns | Grafton (next to it), Brussels (4 mi) and Otterville (5 mi) |
What is Pere Marquette State Park like?
IDNR's records divide the site into 3 hunting areas: East "Open" Hunting Area, West "Open" Hunting Area, Group Camp Area.
From IDNR's land records.
What can you hunt on Pere Marquette State Park?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm and muzzleloader), turkey (spring, fall archery and fall firearm), squirrel, rabbit, dove and quail for Pere Marquette State Park.
What are the rules on Pere Marquette 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 and turkey fall firearm; county permit, county and Springfield permits and site permit from the site office, depending on the hunting area 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 Pere Marquette State Park?
Pere Marquette State Park lies in Jersey County. Hunters took 1,498 deer in Jersey County in 2025-26, against 1,443 in 2024-25.
| County | Pere Marquette State Park acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jersey County | 5,360 | 1,498 | 1,443 | 1,375 |
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 Pere Marquette State Park?
Nearest towns: Grafton (next to it), Brussels (4 miles), Otterville (5 miles) and Elsah (5 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 100, IL 3 and IL 16.
What other public land is near Pere Marquette State Park?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Mississippi River Area - Stump Lake: 2,811 acres, next to it
- Mississippi River Area - Calhoun: 2,105 acres, next to it
- Mississippi River Area - Glades: 1,177 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Mississippi River Area: 2,508 acres, 0.7 miles away
- Mississippi River Area - Twelve Mile Island: 240 acres, 1.1 miles away
- Mississippi River Area - Fuller Lake: 1,015 acres, 1.2 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Pere Marquette State Park
Counting Pere Marquette State Park itself, 15,917 of the 60,648 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 | 13,685 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 1,006 |
| National wildlife refuges | 717 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 509 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Pere Marquette State Park?
In Jersey County, next to Grafton.
Can you deer hunt on Pere Marquette State Park?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, county permit; muzzleloader, county permit.
How much public land is around Pere Marquette State Park?
15,917 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Pere Marquette State Park included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Mississippi River Area - Stump Lake (next to it).
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.