Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area: deer harvest, rules and map
Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area is 324 acres of public hunting land in Sequoyah County, managed by ODWC. Hunters took 6 deer on it in 2025-26, by ODWC's Big Game Harvest Report, and 8 a season on average over the 6 seasons ODWC published. Deer gun, by ODWC's 2026-27 rules for the area: Youth Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader, Deer Gun, Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun: Archery equipment only. Archery equipment can be used to fill a youth deer, deer muzzleloader, deer gun or holiday antlerless deer gun license.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: ODWC's Big Game Harvest Reports. Rules: ODWC's 2026-27 special area regulations. Boundary: ODWC's WMA map.
This areaOther wildlife management areaOLAP walk-in tractCounty lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 324 acres (ODWC) |
|---|---|
| County | Sequoyah |
| ODWC region | Northeast |
| Deer harvested, 2025-26 | 6 |
| Deer per 1,000 acres, 2025-26 | 18.5 (worked out from ODWC's two figures) |
| Deer gun season | Youth Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader, Deer Gun, Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun: Archery equipment only. Archery equipment can be used to fill a youth deer, deer muzzleloader, deer gun or holiday antlerless deer gun license. |
| Camping | No camping allowed. |
| Area contact | (918) 316-2281 |
| Towns | Paradise Hill (2 mi), Gore (3 mi) and Webbers Falls (6 mi) |
How many deer are harvested on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
ODWC's count of deer taken on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area, season by season, from its WMA harvest table.
| Season | Deer harvested | Antlered | Antlerless | Archery | Gun | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6 | |||||
| 2024-25 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2021-22 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| 2020-21 | 9 |
Source: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports (2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21), Table 2, WMA harvest by sex and method. A season missing from the table had no row for the area or its table did not reconcile. Method and sex columns are left blank for 2025-26 and 2020-21: that year's table adds up row by row and to its printed total, but its columns do not match the printed column totals, so only the totals are used.
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
- All hunting is restricted to shotguns with pellets or archery equipment only.
Closed seasons: Turkey Fall Gun.
Same as statewide: Dove, Deer Archery, Rail, Gallinule, Crow, Waterfowl, Turkey Fall Archery, Trapping, Quail, Snipe, Woodcock, Rabbit, Squirrel, Pursuit with hounds for Furbearers and Predator/ Furbearer Calling.
Seasons with special restrictions
- Youth Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader, Deer Gun, Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun: Archery equipment only. Archery equipment can be used to fill a youth deer, deer muzzleloader, deer gun or holiday antlerless deer gun license.
- Turkey Spring, Youth Turkey Spring: One-tom limit; seasons combined.
Other restrictions
- No camping allowed.
Source: ODWC 2026-27 special area regulations, Lower Illinois River PFHA.
How do you get to Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area lies in Sequoyah County. Nearest towns: Paradise Hill (2 miles), Gore (3 miles), Webbers Falls (6 miles) and Vian (7 miles). Highways within 5 miles: OK 100 (it crosses or touches the area), OK 10 (3.1 miles), US 64 (3.5 miles) and OK 82 (4.3 miles).
Which wildlife management areas are near Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
| Area | Distance | Deer harvested, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan-Kerr WMA | 1.3 mi | 107 |
| Tenkiller WMA | 3.3 mi | 11 |
| Cherokee WMA | 4 mi | 257 |
| Cookson WMA | 13.1 mi | 58 |
| Eufaula WMA | 21.5 mi | 227 |
OLAP walk-in hunting tracts within 20 miles: Sequoyah_H002 (485 acres, 1.6 mi).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer are killed on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
ODWC counts 6 deer on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area in 2025-26. Its seasons on record: 2025-26 6, 2024-25 6, 2023-24 7, 2022-23 10, 2021-22 10 and 2020-21 9.
Is deer gun season open on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
Yes, with limits. ODWC's 2026-27 rule: Youth Deer Gun, Deer Muzzleloader, Deer Gun, Holiday Antlerless Deer Gun: Archery equipment only. Archery equipment can be used to fill a youth deer, deer muzzleloader, deer gun or holiday antlerless deer gun license.
Can you camp on Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
No camping allowed, by ODWC's 2026-27 regulations.
Where is Lower Illinois River Public Fishing and Hunting Area?
In Sequoyah County. Nearest towns: Paradise Hill (2 miles), Gore (3 miles) and Webbers Falls (6 miles).
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Where these facts come from
- Deer harvest: ODWC Big Game Harvest Reports, 2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, WMA table.
- Seasons and rules: ODWC 2026-27 hunting regulations, special area regulations.
- Boundary and acres: ODWC Public WMA Boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024. Water: USGS NHD.
FilledTag is not part of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. ODWC's regulations and posted signs are the final word.
Oklahoma hunting Sequoyah County McClellan-Kerr WMA Tenkiller WMA Cherokee WMA