Franklin County, Illinois
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey
- Group
- Southern Illinois
- Area
- N/A
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 2,638
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for White-tailed Deer so far. Wild Turkey also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedFranklin County in southern Illinois bridges the agricultural heartland and the southern Illinois timber country, with Rend Lake anchoring the western portion and Shawnee National Forest influence felt in the southern and eastern reaches. The county supports excellent deer and turkey hunting bolstered by significant habitat diversity unavailable in central Illinois counties. Rend Lake and surrounding Corps of Engineers land provide some of the best combined public land hunting in the state.
Rolling southern Illinois terrain transitioning from row-crop agriculture in the north to more continuous hardwood timber in the south; Rend Lake occupies a large portion of the western county; numerous creek drainages and bottomland hardwood stands distributed throughout.
Moderate — Rend Lake public land draws pressure during waterfowl and deer seasons; the broader county offers good hunting with manageable access competition.
Illinois OTC archery, firearms, and muzzleloader tags; southern deer management zone.
Wild turkey hunting is excellent in the timber-heavy southern portions; Rend Lake provides notable waterfowl hunting for ducks and geese; some small game and dove hunting available in agricultural transition areas.
Rend Lake is a major southern Illinois waterfowl destination with surrounding public land deer hunting opportunity; proximity to Shawnee National Forest influence brings quality continuous timber habitat uncommon across most of Illinois.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Franklin County— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about Franklin County.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: IDNR county-based deer management units. Community info last updated 15d ago.