Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area
Below are property specific hunting rules for Willow Slough FWA. For statewide rules, view the Hunting & Trapping Guide.
- Deer
- Deer stands can be placed on Willow Slough FWA starting Sept. 15 at noon CT.
- All stands must be portable in nature and have the owner’s name, address, and phone number, or they may have the hunter’s customer ID number legibly written on them. This information should be legible from the ground.
- Screw-in tree steps, screw-in equipment hangers, or other bark-penetrating devices are prohibited.
- All stands must be removed by Jan. 10.
- All ground blinds are required to follow the state’s blaze orange requirements.
- Hunters are not allowed to place bait or other edible/mineral attractants in the field at any time throughout the year.
- Willow Slough FWA limits the number of deer hunters to the first 300 people daily.
- Bonus antlerless deer permits will not be honored.
- Youth hunters can harvest one buck and one antlerless deer during the youth season.
- A total of three antlerless deer can be harvested per year per person (combined total of archery, crossbow, and muzzleloader tags).
- Only saplings and limbs that are 1 inch in diameter (i.e., the size of a quarter) or smaller may be cut to create shooting lanes or aid in stand placement at any time.
- Hunters must sign the waiver of liability and carry a daily permit card with them while in the field.
- Hunters must complete the daily permit card after each hunt and leave it in one of the property’s drop boxes.
- Hunters failing to report game harvested will have their hunting rights revoked at Willow Slough FWA, TNC, and BLNP for a minimum of one calendar year.
- Please do not field dress deer in parking lots. Please do not leave gut piles within 25 yards of the parking areas.
- All vehicles must be parked in designated lots unless otherwise authorized. Driving beyond parking lots is prohibited.
- An authorization permit must be displayed in the front window of any vehicle parked outside of designated areas.
- People with disabilities must register yearly at the headquarters to receive special privileges.
- Dove hunting
- Hunters may apply for a reserved hunt online.
- Drawn reserved hunters must check in before 11 a.m. and may bring one additional hunter.
- A drawing will be held at 11 a.m. for any unclaimed spots.
- A party can consist of one to five individuals.
- A person/party can only be entered into the draw one time.
- Shooting time will be noon to 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
- Hunters must use non-toxic shot shells. Lead shot is prohibited.
- Hunters are limited to 50 shells while in the field.
- Hunters in the managed field areas are not allowed to switch fields.
- Open-area hunting will be allowed except in the following areas: areas 1, 9, 13, and Unit D on TNC.
- Upland bird/small game hunting (quail, pheasants, dove, woodcock, snipe, rabbit, and squirrel)
- Hunter sign-up will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Hunters must sign the daily waiver sheet and carry a daily permit card with them while in the field. You are not allowed to sign in other hunters.
- Daily permit cards must be filled out and placed in one of the drop boxes after the hunt.
- The property bag limit for quail is two (2) per person per day.
- The bag limits for other bird species follows statewide regulations.
- Rabbit hunting hours are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset during the month of February on FWAs.
- Upland bird hunting may be shut down due to harsh weather conditions.
- Quail season at Willow Slough FWA is closed beginning the first Monday after Thanksgiving.
- Put-take pheasant hunts (roosters only)
- Put-take hunters can sign in for their hunt starting at 8 a.m.
- Hunters must be signed in by 2 p.m.
- Hunters must sign the daily waiver sheet and carry the correct daily permit card with them while in the field. You are not allowed to sign in other hunters.
- Hunters are not allowed to leave the parking areas until 9 a.m. Hunters leaving the parking areas early will be asked to leave the property and forfeit their hunt for the day. No refunds will be given.
- Guns should not be loaded until 9 a.m. and after you leave parking area.
- Daily permit cards must be filled out and placed in one of the drop boxes after the hunt.
- Put-take hunters are only allowed to harvest two (2) rooster pheasants per person per day.
- Put-take hunters are not allowed to harvest quail or any other game species.
- Hunters may switch put-take hunt areas after 1 p.m.
- Clean-up hunting (rooster pheasants only)
- Clean-up hunters may start signing in at 7 a.m.
- Hunter numbers will be restricted to the number of hunters allowed in each unit during the put-take hunts. Fields will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Area 5: 25 hunters
- Area 9: 35 hunters
- Area 13: 40 hunters
- Area 14: 15 hunters
- Clean-up hunts are for two (2) roosters only.
- Put-take units will be managed in accordance with the state and property upland bird hunting rules.
- Hunters may not switch zones until 1 p.m. the first two days of clean-up. Units will not be refilled.
- Quail season at Willow Slough FWA is closed beginning the first Monday after Thanksgiving.
- Other general regulations
- All state and federal hunting regulations are in effect.
- All vehicles must be parked in designated parking areas. Driving off county roads other than to access a parking area is prohibited.
- Hunters failing to report game harvested will have their hunting rights revoked at Willow Slough FWA for a minimum of one calendar year. As a secondary option, harvest can be reported by calling the property within 24 hours.
- Hunters who violate these general regulations or applicable state or federal regulations will forfeit their right to hunt on this property.
- No alcoholic beverages or illegal substances are allowed in the fields.
Kankakee Sands
Kankakee Sands is 8,400 acres of prairies and wetlands, owned and managed by the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a non-profit organization working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
Kankakee Sands is situated between Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife area (FWA), Beaver Lake Nature Preserve (BLNP), Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve, and TNC’s Conrad Station Savanna. Together, these natural areas total more than 20,000 acres of dry, mesic, and wet sand prairies; sand blows; sedge meadows; wetlands; and black oak savannas in northwest Indiana. These natural areas are home to more than 86 rare, threatened, and endangered species. Most of the site falls under a Wetland Reserve Program Easement administered by the NRCS.
In December 1996, The Nature Conservancy purchased 7,200 acres of agricultural ground in Newton County. At that time, the Division of Fish & Wildlife provided funding toward the acquisition in exchange for the hunting rights on approximately 6,000 of the purchased acres. Hunting rights are administered through Willow Slough FWA. All grounds maintenance and habitat work are performed by TNC staff.
- Deer, quail, rabbit, squirrel, dove, woodcock, waterfowl, and wild turkey hunting are common at Kankakee Sands.
- Daily check-in is required at Willow Slough FWA headquarters.
- All hunting seasons and bag limits apply. See Hunting Regulations for details.
- Map of Kankakee Sands public hunting areas.
- Deer
- All hunting is self-served except for the firearms season. A daily drawing will be held at 5 a.m. CT to allocate hunting locations only during the firearms season.
- Hunting opportunities not allocated through the draw may be claimed until 8 a.m. CT. Spots still vacant after 8 a.m. will be rested.
- Hunter quotas for each unit will be posted at the time of the draw.
- Deer stands must be portable in nature, may not penetrate the bark of the tree in which they are placed more than ½ inch, and may not be left unattended overnight.
- Screw-in tree steps, screw-in equipment hangers, or other bark-penetrating devices are prohibited.
- No cutting of trees, limbs, saplings, or brush to create shooting lanes or aid in stand placement is allowed.
- Bonus antlerless deer permits will not be honored.
- Hunters are not allowed to place bait or other edible/mineral attractants in the field at any time throughout the year.
- Youth hunters can harvest one buck and one antlerless deer during the youth season.
- A grand total of three antlerless deer can be harvested per year per person (combined total of archery, crossbow, and muzzleloader tags).
- Hunters must sign the waiver of liability located at Willow Slough FWA headquarters daily and carry a daily permit card with them while in the field.
- Hunters must fill out the daily permit card after each hunt and drop it in one of the property drop boxes.
- Hunters failing to report game harvested will have their hunting rights revoked at Willow Slough FWA, TNC, and BLNP for a minimum of one calendar year.
- Please do not field dress deer in parking lots or leave gut piles within 25 yards of the parking areas.
- All vehicles must be parked in designated lots unless displaying a valid authorization permit to park elsewhere in the front window. No driving beyond parking lots is allowed.
- All other state laws/rules apply.
- Turkey
- Hunting opportunities are administered with opportunities offered at Willow Slough FWA.
- Hunters may register for a reserved hunt at Willow Slough FWA and claim a unit at Kankakee Sands on their hunt day.
- Reserve hunters and standby hunters must be signed in before the assigned draw time of 4:30 a.m. CT at Willow Slough FWA headquarters.
- One hunter per unit is allowed during the turkey season.
- Hunters must stop hunting at noon CT and be out of the field by 1 p.m. CT.
- Dove
- Dove hunting is administered through the draw at Willow Slough FWA.
- Reserve hunters and standby hunters must be signed in before the assigned draw time of 11 a.m. CT.
- Upland (Quail, Pheasant, Rabbit)
- A daily drawing will be held at 7:30 a.m. CT to allocate hunting locations for the first week of November.
- Hunting opportunities not allocated through the draw may be claimed until 9 a.m. CT.
- Hunter quotas for each unit will be posted at the time of the draw.
- After the first week of November, hunting will be self-served with sign-in at Willow Slough FWA headquarters.
- Hunters can harvest the state bag limit for pheasants and rabbits but are only allowed two quail daily.
- Quail hunting ends the first Sunday after Thanksgiving.
- Hunting hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT.
- Waterfowl
- During waterfowl season, daily drawings begin at 4:30 a.m. CT. See waterfowl hunting rules for details.
- Advance registration is required for some waterfowl season dates.
- Reserve hunters and standby hunters must be signed in before the assigned draw time of 4:30 a.m. CT.
- Motor restrictions: Electric only; no outboard motors.
- 2020/2021 Waterfowl: