Starved Rock State Park: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 2,719 acres of Starved Rock State Park open to hunting in LaSalle County, next to Oglesby. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: special hunt permit from Springfield and hunts for disabled hunters. Hunters took 1,561 deer in LaSalle 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 huntingOther IDNR and state landForest preserves, county and city landStarved Rock State ParkCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,719 acres in 13 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | LaSalle County |
| Deer harvest unit | LaSalle County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Dove and Waterfowl |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield and hunts for disabled hunters |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Deer, CWD season (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | special hunt permit from Springfield |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Site type (IDNR) | state park |
| IDNR region | 1 |
| Nearest towns | Oglesby (next to it), North Utica (2 mi) and LaSalle (2 mi) |
What is Starved Rock State Park like?
IDNR's records divide the site into 12 hunting areas: 4A, 4B, C, Blinds 4-12, 24, DOO, Primitive Campground, Zone A, 16, Nature Preserve and more.
From IDNR's land records.
What can you hunt on Starved Rock State Park?
IDNR's records list deer (archery, firearm, muzzleloader and CWD season), turkey (spring and fall archery), dove, waterfowl (walk-in) and waterfowl (blinds) for Starved Rock State Park.
What are the rules on Starved Rock 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 and hunts for disabled hunters, depending on the hunting area for deer firearm; special hunt permit from Springfield for deer muzzleloader, deer cwd season and turkey spring.
IDNR's notes: Starved Rock Nature Preserve.
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 Starved Rock State Park?
Starved Rock State Park lies in LaSalle County. Hunters took 1,561 deer in LaSalle County in 2025-26, against 1,504 in 2024-25.
| County | Starved Rock State Park acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaSalle County | 2,719 | 1,561 | 1,504 | 1,713 |
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 Starved Rock State Park?
Nearest towns: Oglesby (next to it), North Utica (2 miles), LaSalle (2 miles) and Naplate (3 miles). Highways within 5 miles: I-80, US 51, I-39, IL 71 and US 6.
What other public land is near Starved Rock State Park?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Matthiessen State Park: 1,596 acres, next to it
- Buffalo Rock State Park: 194 acres, next to it
- Illinois and Michigan Canal: 506 acres, 0.5 miles away
- Pecumsaugan Creek/Blackball Mines State Natural Area: 199 acres, 1.1 miles away
- Mitchell's Grove State Natural Area: 173 acres, 3.9 miles away
- Sandy Ford State Natural Area: 195 acres, 7.1 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Starved Rock State Park
Counting Starved Rock State Park itself, 5,785 of the 51,783 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (11.2%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 4,115 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 1,560 |
| Forest preserves, county and city land | 110 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Starved Rock State Park?
In LaSalle County, next to Oglesby.
Can you deer hunt on Starved Rock State Park?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, special hunt permit from Springfield and hunts for disabled hunters; muzzleloader, special hunt permit from Springfield; CWD season, special hunt permit from Springfield.
How much public land is around Starved Rock State Park?
5,785 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Starved Rock State Park included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records. The closest other IDNR hunting site is Matthiessen State Park (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.