Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area

In this series we examine Illinois state sites benefiting from sportsmen’s contributions through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson or PR) program. One of the largest, and longest running, projects is the Statewide Public Lands Wildlife Habitat Development Project (W-76-D), designed to create wildlife habitat on public lands, provide facility access and recreation opportunities, and establish wildlife management demonstration areas for Illinois citizens.

Located along the Kaskaskia and West Okaw rivers near Sullivan, Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife Area is in the upper reaches of the 34,000-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Lake Shelbyille area, and contains a mix of forests, prairies, restored grasslands, old fields, wetlands, rivers, streams and cropland. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR; then Department of Conservation) has partnered with the COE since the 1960s when the dam creating Lake Shelbyville was constructed.

IDNR leases two tracts—the 3,700-acre Kaskaskia Unit and 2,500-acre West Okaw Unit—from the COE, and manages the property for wildlife and associated recreation, including hunting, trapping and wildlife viewing.

“Our philosophy is to manage the area for native vegetation in the most cost-effective and practical way possible,” explained Illinois Department of Natural Resources District Wildlife Biologist Bryan Eubanks. That philosophy includes the use of prescribed fire on prairie and woodland areas, and controlling the depth and duration of water to maximize the production of moist-soil foods used by millions of waterfowl and shorebirds utilizing the area as a stopover during their annual migrations. The exception to the philosophy is the planting of dove fields, which are planted and maintained by tenant farmers.

“The lands that IDNR and COE manage are very similar, which allows the agencies to have a considerable impact to the local habitat base when we work jointly on projects,” Eubanks continued. “For instance, a recent day of aerial spraying for bush honeysuckle was expanded from a mere 100 acres to 600 acres across the landscape when the agencies coordinated scheduling of a pilot.”

“Few areas exist within east-central Illinois where the sportsman can hunt or trap every species permitted under Illinois game law,” said Eubanks. “Except for fall turkey hunting, the Lake Shelbyville Fish and Wildlife Area offers it all, providing maximal opportunity for the sportsman, which has made this the most hunted site within the region.”

Hunting and Trapping at Shelbyville

Statewide regulations govern hunting at the site.

Available Game Species

Species available are waterfowl, dove, rail, snipe, woodcock, quail, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, deer, turkey, furbearers and crow..

Hunter Fact Sheet and Trapping at Shelbyville

www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/FactSheets/Pages/ShelbyvilleOkawUnit.aspx

About the Site

562 State Hwy 121, Bethany, IL 61914

(217) 665-3112

County: Shelby

Website: https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.shelbyville.html

GPS Coordinates: N: 39.634 W: -88.708

Directions: The Shelbyville Kaskaskia Unit area lies along the Kaskaskia River, 4 miles southeast of Sullivan. The Shelbyville Okaw Unit lies along the West Okaw River, 6 miles southwest of Sullivan and 3 miles southeast of Bethany.

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Kathy Andrews Wright is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of Outdoor Illinois magazine. She is currently the editor of Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal and Illinois Audubon magazine.