Will County, Illinois: deer harvest and public hunting land
Will County covers 849 square miles around Joliet. Hunters took 1,063 deer here in the 2025-26 season, all seasons together, by IDNR's county summary; the county record is 1,435 (1995). That is up 3% from 2024, and the most in the 5 years shown. 9.2% of Will County is public land open to the public, the largest share national forest (18,217 acres), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: IDNR's county summaries, 2021-22 to 2025-26. Land: PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's land records.
IDNR sites open to huntingNational forestOther IDNR and state landForest preserves, county and city landLand trusts and other open landWill CountyNeighboring countiesLakeHighway
| Size | 543,512 acres (849 square miles) |
|---|---|
| Deer taken, 2025-26 | 1,063 (ten-year average 1,057) |
| Record harvest (IDNR) | 1,435 in 1995 |
| CWD detected (IDNR) | Yes |
| Public land | 9.2% (49,955 acres) |
| IDNR hunting sites | 6 (7,065 acres inside Will County) |
| Towns in and near it | Joliet, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Steger, Diamond and Woodridge |
How many deer are harvested in Will County?
Hunters took 1,063 deer in Will County in the 2025-26 season, against a ten-year average of 1,057. IDNR's firearm permit quota was 1,500 and its muzzleloader quota 350. Chronic wasting disease has been detected in the county.
| Season | Deer taken | Ten-year average | Firearm permits / quota | Muzzleloader permits / quota | CWD detected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,063 | 1,057 | 1,186 / 1,500 | 188 / 350 | Yes |
| 2024-25 | 1,032 | 1,068 | 1,239 / 1,500 | 223 / 350 | Yes |
| 2023-24 | 1,022 | 1,074 | 1,222 / 1,450 | 220 / 350 | Yes |
| 2022-23 | 1,018 | 1,101 | 1,110 / 1,450 | 240 / 350 | Yes |
| 2021-22 | 981 | 1,124 | 1,149 / 1,450 | 226 / 350 | Yes |
Source: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons), Will County. Permit counts exclude landowner permits; archery and youth permits are statewide.
How much public land is in Will County?
49,955 of Will County's 543,512 acres are public land open to the public (9.2%). The biggest share is national forest: 18,217 acres.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Will County |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 18,217 | 3.4% |
| Forest preserves, county and city land | 14,764 | 2.7% |
| Land trusts and other open land | 7,933 | 1.5% |
| IDNR sites open to hunting | 7,065 | 1.3% |
| Other IDNR and state land | 1,976 | 0.4% |
| All public land open to the public | 49,955 | 9.2% |
Measured by FilledTag inside the county line from USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and IDNR's hunting area records. Hunting rules differ by manager: IDNR sites allow the seasons IDNR lists for each, some by permit or lottery only; national forest is open; refuges follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rules; Corps of Engineers land is open in many places under each project's own rules; forest preserves and city land are closed to most hunting.
IDNR hunting sites in Will County
IDNR hunting sites in Will County, largest first, with the acres of each inside it:
- Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area: 3,933 acres
- Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area: 1,401 acres
- Kankakee River State Park: 1,024 acres
- Wilmington Shrub Prairie State Natural Area: 343 acres
- Illinois and Michigan Canal: 219 acres
- Des Plaines Game Propagation Center: 145 acres
Other large public areas here, by PAD-US: Midewin Other (18,229 acres).
How do you get to Will County?
Highways through it: I-55 (about 72 miles inside), IL 53 (about 53 miles inside), I-80 (about 52 miles inside), US 30 (about 35 miles inside) and US 52 (about 32 miles inside). Towns inside: Joliet, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Homer Glen, Romeoville and New Lenox. Nearby: Steger (on the line), Diamond (on the line), Woodridge (on the line) and Channahon (on the line).
Which counties border Will County?
Will County touches 6 other counties. Their latest IDNR harvest and public land, for comparison:
| County | Deer harvested | Year | Public land |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 149 | 2025 | 5% |
| Kane County | 413 | 2025 | 7.3% |
| DuPage County | 29 | 2025 | 10.9% |
| Grundy County | 796 | 2025 | 3.1% |
| Kendall County | 269 | 2025 | 2.7% |
| Kankakee County | 749 | 2025 | 1.5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were harvested in Will County in 2025-26?
1,063, all seasons together (IDNR). In 2024-25: 1,032. The county record is 1,435, set in 1995.
Has chronic wasting disease been found in Will County?
Yes, by IDNR's 2025-26 county summary. Counties where CWD is found are usually open to IDNR's CWD deer season; IDNR's deer pages list the counties each year.
Is there public hunting land in Will County?
49,955 acres, 9.2% of the county, are public land open to the public by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and IDNR's hunting area records, the largest share national forest (18,217 acres). IDNR's records show 6 sites open to hunting here.
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 numbers come from
- Deer harvest: IDNR white-tailed deer county summaries (2021-22 to 2025-26 seasons).
- Public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and IDNR's hunting area records. IDNR hunting sites: IDNR land records: sites and hunting areas (OMLP, Prairie Research Institute).
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 cartographic county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Numbers are copied from IDNR and the federal sources above, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Illinois hunting Cook County Kane County DuPage County Grundy County Kendall County Kankakee County