Hunting Land in Union County, IL: State Forest & Shawnee

Union County sits in the part of Illinois where public hunting land is genuinely abundant -- a dedicated 5,114-acre state forest and a share of the largest publicly owned landholding in the state. Here's what that means if you're evaluating land specifically for its hunting or recreational value.

This page covers what's specific to Union County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

Trail of Tears State Forest: 5,114 acres of managed public hunting ground

Trail of Tears State Forest, established in 1929 and located roughly five miles northwest of Jonesboro in western Union County, covers 5,114 acres managed as a multiple-use site for timber production, wildlife habitat, ecosystem preservation, watershed protection, and recreation. Squirrel, deer, turkey, and raccoon are the common game species. Hunting is not allowed everywhere on the property -- it's prohibited in the 222-acre Ozark Hills Nature Preserve, in the compartment adjoining the picnic area, on slopes facing into nursery beds, and within 200 yards of any site buildings -- and hunters must hold standard Illinois state hunting and firearm permits, sign in and out, and report any harvest at the property's registration boxes before leaving.

If you're buying land specifically for proximity to this state forest, keep in mind that the forest's own boundary rules (the no-hunting nature preserve, building buffers) mean adjacent private land doesn't automatically inherit the same hunting character as the interior of the property -- confirm exactly where a specific parcel sits relative to the forest boundary and any restricted zones before assuming unrestricted hunting access nearby.

The Shawnee National Forest: a stretch of Illinois's largest public landholding

Union County also holds a portion of the Shawnee National Forest, which at roughly 280,000 acres spread across 13 of Illinois's southernmost counties is the single largest publicly owned landholding in the state, with over 146 miles of rivers and more than 200 individual lakes. A U.S. Forest Service property carries its own federal hunting regulations, permit requirements, and seasonal access rules, layered on top of standard Illinois hunting law -- these are managed separately from the state-forest rules at Trail of Tears, so don't assume the same access conditions apply to both.

For a buyer specifically drawn to Union County for hunting or outdoor recreation, the combination of a large dedicated state forest plus a Shawnee National Forest presence gives this county meaningfully more public-land recreational context than most Illinois counties -- but it also means more of the surrounding land is federal or state property rather than available for private purchase, so plan a land search around the specific parcels that border these properties rather than assuming broad availability.

What to check before buying near either property

Confirm a specific parcel's actual boundary relationship to Trail of Tears State Forest or the Shawnee National Forest with Illinois DNR (for the state forest) or the U.S. Forest Service Shawnee National Forest office (for the national forest) -- adjacency on a map isn't the same as confirmed legal access, and neither property's internal hunting rules automatically extend onto private land nearby. Also confirm current-year hunting seasons, permit requirements, and any site-specific closures directly with the managing agency rather than relying on this page, since regulations are updated annually.

And remember Union County's own general zoning picture: this research pass found no evidence of a comprehensive county zoning ordinance for unincorporated Union County land (see our Union County hub page for the full context) -- meaning a hunting-camp cabin, seasonal structure, or small residence on private land near either property is likely governed more by building-code and floodplain/septic requirements than by a zoning-district use restriction, but confirm this directly with the county before building anything on a specific parcel.

Hunting Land in Union County, Illinois

Trail of Tears State Forest: 5,114 acres of managed public hunting ground

The Shawnee National Forest: a stretch of Illinois's largest public landholding

What to check before buying near either property

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