Horseshoe Lake-Madison

INTRODUCTION: The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is responsible for providing outdoor recreational opportunities for the residents of this State. This area is managed by the Department for wildlife enhancement and improving the opportunity for public hunting.

LOCATION:   Two miles  east of Granite City in Madison County, (Route 111 is adjacent to the eastern boundary and Route 162 is adjacent on the northern boundary).

SETTING:  The hunting area consists of 1,000 acres of water with the remaining acreage comprised of row crop and sunflower fields interspersed with small tracts of grassland and forest.

SITE REGULATIONS:
Waterfowl (Regular Duck and Goose Season)

1. All hunters must report to check station to fill out information cards and to present their hunting license or firearm owners identification (F.O.I.D.) cards before proceeding to blinds.
2. Registered blind builders desiring to claim their blinds, must report to the check station one hour before the opening shooting hour each day and occupy that blind for at least one hour.  Blinds not claimed by blind builders by this hour will be available for assignment on a drawing basis. Check station opens at 4:00 a.m.  After this drawing, blinds will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., after which time, the area will be closed to additional hunters.
3. All hunting will be from registered blinds only and hunters must occupy their blinds within one hour after blind is assigned on any specific day.
4. All hunters must check out within one hour of the close of legal shooting hours. At this time all waterfowl and coots bagged must be reported by submitting harvest card.
5. All hunting parties shall hunt over a spread of at least 12 decoys. The decoys shall be staked, placed, or floating and be individually visible, be at least 8 inches long and not be within a boat, blind or container. Decoys may be left overnight or for the season.
6. Only ducks, Mergansers, Coots, and geese can be hunted.
7. It shall be unlawful to trespass upon a designated waterfowl hunting area between sunset of the Sunday immediately receding opening day of regular duck season through the day before regular duck season as posted at the site.
8. No more than 4 persons shall occupy a blind at one time.
9. Blinds shall not be locked.
10. No person shall hunt or attempt to hunt, except from within a registered blind.
11. No person under 16 years of age may hunt or attempt to hunt on this area, unless accompanied by an adult.
12. No person shall fish within 250 yards of an occupied blind within the hunting area.
13. Boats with motors up to 50 h.p. are permitted on the lake.
14. Claiming or attempting to claim a blind which is legally occupied, and/or harassing, in any manner, the occupants of a blind which has been legally occupied, is unlawful.
15. No alcoholic beverages are permitted at check station or in hunting field.

Youth Waterfowl

1. The Youth hunt is typically held on the weekend preceding the Illinois Central Zone duck season opener.
2. Youth hunters must be 17 years of age or younger and must have a hunting license and HIP registration number.
3. Adults may not hunt or shoot any wildlife.
4. All regulations listed under Waterfowl also apply.

Dove

1. Hunting is restricted to the managed fields on the peninsula area of the Park.
2. Registration will be held at the Main Office check station for permit and non-permit holders from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
3. Hunting hours will be from noon to 5:00 p.m. for the entire season which is September 1 through September 30 at this Site.
4. Statewide daily bag limit.
5. For the first 5 days of the season, hunting will be by permit only. Permits will be issued from the Springfield Permit Office prior to the season. A standby drawing will be held to fill all other vacancies.
6. After the first 5 days, a daily drawing will be held each time more hunters than the Site’s daily quota properly register for the daily hunt.
7. All hunters must be present for registration and drawing. Up to four hunters may register on one card.
8. All hunters will be required to check into the Main Office check station prior to hunting and to report their harvest at the end of their hunt.
9. Harvested doves must be kept in separate bags by each hunter.
10. All hunting will be done from numbered stakes. When a dove is downed, hunters are required to leave their gun at their stake while retrieving their bird. Hunters must hunt within 10 feet of assigned stake.
11. No alcoholic beverages are permitted at check station or in the hunting field.
12. No cleaning of doves is permitted at check station or in the hunting field.
13. It is the hunter’s responsibility to remove all refuse, including empty shotgun shells, from the hunting area once they have finished hunting.
14. ONLY NON TOXIC SHELLS ARE PERMITTED AT THIS SITE. Steel shot size No. 6 or No. 7 1/2 bismuth or smaller is allowed.
15. Non-hunters are not allowed in the fields.

 Youth Dove

1. A one-day hunt will be held the first weekend day in September or Labor Day, whichever comes first.
2. All youth hunters and supervising adults must be present at the Main Office check station for a drawing to determine hunting stakes.
3. Check in time is from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Hunting hours are from noon to 5:00 p.m.
4. All youth hunters must have a valid Illinois hunting license and HIP number.
5. Each youth must be accompanied by a supervising adult.  If the hunter does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card, the supervising adult must have a current F.O.I.D. card.
6. Hunting is by permit. A standby draw may be available if permit holders do not show up.
7. All youth must be between the ages of 10 and 17.
8. All regulations listed under Dove also apply.
   

Youth Pheasant

1. Applicants can obtain a permit from the Department. The dates and methods for making reservations will be publicly announced. There is no fee for the youth pheasant hunting permit.   Standby spots are available.
2. The hunting date may vary from year to year (a one-day hunt typically occurring in November).
3. Hunting hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Check-in time is from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. at the Main Office.
4. All hunters must be between the ages of ten (10) and seventeen (17) and have a hunting license. Habitat stamps and HIP numbers are not required
5. All hunters are required to present their hunting licenses at the check station before hunting. Each permit holder must be accompanied by a non-hunting supervisory adult. If the hunter does not have a valid F.O.I.D. card, the supervisory adult is required to have a valid F.O.I.D. card. Only one supervisory adult in a hunting party is required to have an F.O.I.D. card if the hunters in the hunting party stay under the immediate control of the supervisory adult possessing the valid card.
6. All youth hunters and supervisory adults must wear a hat and vest of solid blaze orange while in the field.
7. Anyone who has killed game previously and has it in his possession or in his vehicle must declare it with the person in charge of the area prior to hunting on the area. Any other game found in the hunter’s possession after he has started hunting on the area will be considered illegally taken if the hunter has not declared it prior to going into the field.
8. All hunting must be done with shotguns.ONLY SHOT SHELLS APPROVED AS NON-TOXIC BY THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE with a shot size ballistically equivalent to No. 5 lead may be used.
9. The daily limit is 2 pheasants of either sex. No other game may be harvested.
10. All pheasants must be affixed with a department tag before they are removed from the area. The tag must remain on the leg of the pheasant until the pheasants are finally prepared for consumption.

Early/Late Goose and Teal Season

1. All hunting must be done from a staked blind. Blind need not be completed.
2. Blind builders wishing to hunt their blind must claim their blind no later than 1 hour before shooting time.
3. All hunters must sign in before hunting and sign out and report their harvest at the end of hunt. The sign-in box is located at the Main Office.
4. No more than 4 persons can occupy a blind at one time
5. Persons under 16 years of age shall not hunt or attempt to hunt unless accompanied by an adult.
6. Blinds not claimed by blind builders are available on a first come, first serve basis.
7. Hunting hours for teal are sunrise to sunset.
8. Hunting hours for early Canada goose season are ½ hour before sunrise to sunset.
9. Hunting hours for goose season, following the close of duck season, are ½ hour before sunrise to 3:30 p.m. The hunting hours the last three days will extend to sunset.
10. A minimum of 12 goose decoys must be used by each hunting blind.

Conservation Order Snow Goose Season

1. Statewide regulations and site specific regulations apply.
2. All hunters must sign in before hunt and sign out and report their results at the end of hunt. The sign-in box is located at  the Main Office.

Wild Turkey (Spring)

1. Hunters must apply to Springfield Permit Office for permits.
2. Three (3) hunters per season will be allowed.
3. Hunting will be allowed on the peninsula Bend Road only.
4. Hunters are required to report harvest to the Site.

Deer Archery

1. A Special Permit is required to archery hunt deer at this Site.  Applications are available on-line or at the Park office. Applications will be accepted from March 1 to March 30 and must be in the Park office by the close of business March 30.  A drawing will be held on the first weekday in April at the Park office to determine successful applicants.  Only successful applicants will be notified by mail once the drawing is complete.
2. Twelve (12) archery hunting permits are allocated per week via the Site drawing for each of the nine (15) one-week sessions. There are two separate hunting areas.  Eight (8) hunting permits will be allocated for Bend Road per week and four (4) hunting permits will be allocated for Walker’s Island and adjoining area.   There are separate applications for these areas.
3. It will be unlawful to construct or to use any tree stand using nails, screws, wire or any device which pierces or cuts the bark of the tree on which it is installed. All tree stands must be portable.  One stand per hunter.   Any stand left unattended during the week hunted must be tagged and labeled with name, address and telephone number.
   NO PERMANENT TREE STANDS ALLOWED
4. All deer harvested must be reported to the IL Check System per Statewide regulations and reported to the Park office.   The harvest sheet must be returned to the Park office by December 31 or privileges for the next year will be forfeited.  There is no limit on the number of antlerless deer that may be harvested with the proper permits.
5. Open during the Youth and Regular Firearm Deer Seasons. All hunters must wear a solid blaze orange cap and vest as required for firearm deer hunting during these seasons.
6. Permits are not transferable.
7. Statewide hunting hours are in effect.
8. It will be unlawful to possess or consume any alcoholic beverages on the Site.
9. There will be fifteen (15) hunting sessions available as listed below. Hunters will need to prioritize the hunting date selections they are interested in hunting.
   

10. Hunt 1	Oct. 1 – Oct. 7, 2022	Hunt 9	Nov. 26 – Dec. 2, 2022
    Hunt 2	Oct. 8 – Oct. 14, 2022	Hunt 10	Dec. 3 – Dec. 9, 2022
    Hunt 3	Oct. 15 – Oct. 21, 2022	Hunt 11	Dec. 10 – Dec. 16, 2022
    Hunt 4	Oct. 22 – Oct. 28, 2022	Hunt 12	Dec. 17 – Dec. 23, 2022
    Hunt 5	Oct. 29 – Nov. 4, 2022	Hunt 13	Dec. 24 – Dec. 30, 2022
    Hunt 6	Nov. 5 - Nov. 14, 2022	Hunt 14	Dec. 31 – Jan 6, 2022
    Hunt 7	Nov. 12 – Nov. 18, 2022	Hunt 15	Jan. 7 – Jan. 15, 2022
    Hunt 8	Nov. 19 - Nov. 25, 2022		​

    
    
11. Archery deer permit holders will be allowed to harvest furbearers during their designated hunting week.
12. Harvest must be reported on the archery deer harvest sheet along with hunter trips and deer harvested.

Deer Muzzleloader 

1. Open only during the three day muzzleloader only season.
2. Site-specific permits issued through the Regular Muzzleloader Firearm deer application process in Springfield.
3. It will be unlawful to construct or to use any tree stand using nails, screws, wire or any device which pierces or cuts the bark of the tree on which it is installed. All tree stands must be portable.  One stand per hunter.   Any stand left unattended during the week hunted must be tagged and labeled with name, address and telephone number.  NO PERMANENT TREE STANDS ALLOWED.
4. All deer harvested must be reported to the IL Check System per Statewide regulations and reported to the Park office.
5. A hunter with a valid Horseshoe Lake – Madison County Muzzleloader only permit may hunt on Bend Road or the southern half of Walker’s Island (south of the group camp).   All other areas are closed to deer hunting.
   

Furbearer Trapping
A total of four trapping permits will be awarded per season through a public drawing to be held at the Site office during the last week of October. Registration for the drawing will begin at 10:00 a.m., and the drawing will be held at 11:00 a.m.  Interested participants must possess a current or previous year’s trapping license. Trapping area maps will be available at the Site. Statewide trapping regulations will be in effect, with the following Site specific regulations in effect:

1. A permit is required.
2. Only Egg Traps, D-P (Dog-Proof) Traps, box traps, cage traps, and traps of similar design may be used for land sets.
3. Only body gripping traps with a jaw spread of 4 ½ inches or less and square body-gripping traps with a 10-inch jaw spread may be used for water sets.
4. Trapping will be permitted from the statewide opening, except during the waterfowl season live traps and land sets only.
   All trapping will be permitted after the close of waterfowl season.
5. No traps are to be set without tags.
6. Trappers are required to report harvest to the Site by April 1.

Crow and Furbearer

1. Hunters are required to obtain a Site permit and harvest sheet from the Site office prior to hunting.
2. Harvest sheets, including hunter trips, are to be returned to the Site office by March 15 or forfeit hunting privileges the following year.
3. Hunting begins February 1st through February 28th .
4. Hunting is restricted to the peninsula area of the park (Bend Road).
5. Crow hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to sunset. Furbearer hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset.
6. All harvested crows and furbearers must be removed from State property and disposed of properly.
7. There is no shot-size restriction or non-toxic shot requirement. No centerfire rifles or shotgun slugs allowed.

SEASONS, HOURS, LIMITS:

1. During the regular duck and regular goose seasons, hunting hours for the last three days of the season will extend to sunset.
2. During the late goose season, hunting hours the last three days of the season will extend to sunset.

OTHER SITE FACILITIES:  Fishing, camping, picnicking, and hiking.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:  Horseshoe Lake State park at (618) 931-0270.​​​​​​