Ten Mile Creek Hunter Fact Sheet

2012 - 2013 Season

MAP

Location: Headquarters 4 miles west of McLeansboro on State Highway 14

*Rest Area closed during regular Canada Goose season only

Ten Mile Creek FWA is located in Hamilton and Jefferson counties. Four hunting units are managed for public hunting. The two Jefferson county tracts were mined prior to acquisition. The Belle Rive unit (1460 acres) contains a Waterfowl Rest Area and the Quality Deer Management Area. It is approximately 56% mined land with new mine law reclamation completed. The Eads unit (1550 acres) was approximately 83% mined and reclaimed under pre-law standards. A 250-acre tract serves as a Waterfowl Rest Area at the west end of this unit. The two Hamilton county tracts remain unmined. The Dahlgren unit (1120 acres) contains a good mix of farm fields and forest habitats typical to this part of Illinois. It ranges from high and dry, to low and wet. Much of the wetland had been prior converted to cropland in the Big Creek watershed. The Goshen Trail unit is the southernmost unit (1690 acres) and is mostly upland. A very good mix of cropland, woodland, and open fields makes this area very attractive to a wide variety of wildlife.

In addition to the strip pit lakes, numerous ponds dot the landscape of this area. Many are stocked with bass, bluegill, and channel catfish, and some of the strip lakes contain crappie, as well.

Available Game Species:

Deer    Dove  Furbearers    Quail    Rabbit    Squirrel   Turkey    Waterfowl   Crow

Other Facilities Available:

Fishing, boating (10 hp maximum), picnic areas; hiking trails; firearms range, archery range, and hand trap range.

Area Regulations:

1. Free site Hunting Permits (windshield cards) are required for species as noted. These are available online at www.dnr.illinois.gov. Navigate to "hunting/trapping: and then "public hunting areas" to print these permits. Hunters will be required to return to this website prior to February 15th each year to record harvest information. Failure to submit data will result in loss of hunting privileges for the following year.
2. Hunting is permitted in all areas except within 100 yards of developed day use areas, occupied dwellings; or on the Waterfowl Rest Area during the Canada Goose Season.
3. Hunters must park in designated areas only.
4. No permanent tree stands may be constructed, nor may any hunting be done from a permanent stand. Portable tree stands left overnight unattended between 15 September and 31 January must be legibly marked with the owner's name, address, and phone number. No screw-in steps allowed.
5. All hunting must be done with shotgun, bow & arrow, muzzle-loading rifles, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, or legal handguns for deer. No other rifles are permitted while hunting on this area.
6. The Belle Rive unit has been designated as a Quality Deer Management Area. Only antlerless deer or deer having at least four or more points on one side may be harvested.
7. Dove hunting hours are sunrise to 11:30am daily to Septmeber 1st - 5th; thereafter statewide regulations apply. Only non-toxic shot may be used in areas posted as "Waterfowl Rest Areas" in the Belle Rive and Eads Units.

For more information, contact Site Superintendent, Ten Mile Creek FWA, RR #1 Box 179, McLeansboro, IL 62859, phone 618/643-2862; or, District Wildlife Biologist, 13999 E. Game Farm Rd., Mt. Vernon, IL 62864, 618/242-2062.

Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies is available to all individuals regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion or other non-merit factors. If you believe you have been discriminated against, contact the funding source's civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Office, IDNR, 1 Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271; 217/785-0067; TTY 217/782-9175.