Skyline, Visitor's Center and Parking Lot. 
Goose Lake Prairie Partners, Inc.
Volunteers at Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
5010 N. Jugtown Road off Pine Bluff Road, Morris, IL 60450

Site Index:
 
Park Programs
Fundraisers
Prairie Partner Activities
   
Cabin Festival
   
Nature Photo Contest
   
Prairie Day
   
Holiday Party
   
Gift Shop
Hiking Trails
Nature Study
Fishing & Hunting
Donors & Donations
Tallgrass Journal

   Take only Memories.   Leave only Footprints.    Thank You Very Kindly.GOOSE IN THE GRASS

Review:
 

2010-2011 Hunting Season, a review by CPO Dave Wollgast can be found on the Tallgrass Journal page in the excerpts.





Hunting Downloads














Waterfowl
Downloads

IDNR Hunting Website  http://www.dnr.state.il.us/admin/

 


 




Archery Deer
Hunting


Parking Permit Change






































Archery Practice

Season Dates:

We recommend visitors to our website search the IDNR Hunting pages for dates of upcoming seasons.

Deer Archery Permit Windshield Cards are required prior to hunting.  Cards  are available on the website at http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/programs/windshieldcard/   
The windshield cards are available at that site free.  
You will need to know the customer number from your hunting license to fill out the permit.  Select Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area and then select print.

            NOTE:    Permits can no longer be picked up in the visitors center.

Parking permits must be displayed on the dash of your car when archery hunting.  There should be a parking permit on the dash for ever hunter that rode in the vehicle.

Please call 815-942-2899 if you have questions. 

For the Morris Wetlands:   the following rules are special to the Morris Wetlands State Fish and Wildlife Area.

  1. You must first obtain a site parking permit on line.  http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/programs/windshieldcard/ 

  2. Sign in starts at 3:00 a.m.  You may not sign in prior to the beginning of your hunt. (No signing in the night before).  Sign in/sign out for yourself only.

  3. You must sign in and sign out each trip.  If you leave the site for any reason you must sign out.  When you leave the site, your hunt is over and you must
    re-sign to hunt again.

  4. Access is by foot.  Bicycles allowed only on Main Road to 2nd bridge.  Watercraft not allowed in the Mazon River.  Access permitted from Illinois River.

  5. There is no hunter restrictions limit at this location.  You must sign in and sign out each trip.

There is unlimited Deer Archery Hunting at all three locations:   Goose Lake Prairie, Heidecke and Morris Wetlands,

Deer Stands can be set up 1/2 hours before sunrise.  They must be taken down the day you set them up.  They cannot stay on park property overnight.

At the end of the season Archery Deer Harvest information needs to be reported on line by Feb. 15th, 
This is required in order to obtain a hunting permit for next season.  Fill in all of the blanks.  This will also be done on line.  Go to: http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/programs/windshieldcard/index.htm  You can use your customer number and date of birth.

The Archery Platform is open during park hours - dawn to dusk.




Firearms - Only Deer Hunting
& Muzzleloader

Special Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Season Dates:

We recommend visitors to our website search the IDNR Hunting pages for dates of upcoming seasons.





Waterfowl Hunting
Season Dates:
We recommend visitors to our website search the IDNR
Hunting pages for dates of upcoming seasons.

On Wednesdays through Sundays during the waterfowl season, water sites are allocated by a lottery drawing 90 minutes before sunrise.

Shooting hours are on a half-hour before sunrise to 1 p.m.  The lake is closed to hunting Mondays and Tuesdays.

For waterfowl hunting, boats must be at least 16 feet in length and have at least a
60-inch beam
with the blind built on the boat.


Licensing & Permits              Illinois Department of Licensing information: Click here.

Poaching Message: 
Click here.



Fishing Downloads
IDNR Fishing website:  http://www.dnr.state.il.us/fish/

Please check the IDNR Website for dates for the fishing season at Heidecke Lake.

 

Heidecke Lake Fishing Season Dates:
   Please check the IDNR website for season dates.
 

Boating access  is open from 6:00 a.m. to Sunset, seven days a week. 

    
Heidecke Lake is a total water area of 1,955 Acres. 
     Of this area, 1,300 acres are fishable.  Heidecke is a sport fishing lake. 
     No recreational boats, etc are permitted on this lake.

  Heidecke Lake Bank fishing access is open from 6:30 a.m. to Sunset seven days a week. 

Morris Wetland Fishing  is open from Sun-up to Sunset, seven days a week.

Links updated August 8, 2014.  If a link is broken, send an email to the webmaster here
.