Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area: hunting and access
IDNR's records mark 2,284 acres of Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area open to hunting in Randolph County, 3 miles from Chester. Deer archery: open at the site. Deer firearm: county permit. Hunters took 4,148 deer in Randolph 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 refugesForest preserves, county and city landLand trusts and other open landTurkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 2,284 acres in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Randolph County |
| Deer harvest unit | Randolph County |
| IDNR lists for hunting | Deer, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove, Quail, Woodcock and Waterfowl |
| Deer, archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Deer, firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, muzzleloader (IDNR) | county permit |
| Deer, late-winter antlerless (IDNR) | county permit |
| Turkey, spring (IDNR) | county permit |
| Turkey, fall archery (IDNR) | open at the site |
| Turkey, fall firearm (IDNR) | county permit |
| Site type (IDNR) | state fish and wildlife area |
| IDNR region | 4 |
| Nearest towns | Chester (3 mi), Rockwood (4 mi) and Kaskaskia (7 mi) |
What can you hunt on Turkey Bluffs 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, woodcock and waterfowl (walk-in) for Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area.
What are the rules on Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
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, deer late-winter antlerless, turkey spring and turkey fall firearm.
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 Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area lies in Randolph County. Hunters took 4,148 deer in Randolph County in 2025-26, against 4,253 in 2024-25.
| County | Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph County | 2,284 | 4,148 | 4,253 | 4,056 |
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 Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
Nearest towns: Chester (3 miles), Rockwood (4 miles), Kaskaskia (7 miles) and Steeleville (9 miles). Highways within 5 miles: IL 3, IL 150 and IL 51.
What other public land is near Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
IDNR hunting sites within 10 miles:
- Randolph County State Recreation Area: 869 acres, 5 miles away
- Fort Kaskaskia: 199 acres, 7.9 miles away
- Fort Kaskaskia OWR: 11,943 acres, 9.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area
Counting Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area itself, 4,615 of the 37,556 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (12.3%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 2,284 |
| National wildlife refuges | 1,421 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 845 |
| Forest preserves, county and city land | 63 |
| Other IDNR and state land | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
In Randolph County, 3 miles from Chester.
Can you deer hunt on Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
By IDNR's records: archery, open at the site; firearm, county permit; muzzleloader, county permit; late-winter antlerless, county permit.
How much public land is around Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area?
4,615 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Turkey Bluffs 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 Randolph County State Recreation Area (5 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.