Illinois Recreational Access Program

Illinois Recreational Access Program In order to carry on our outdoor traditions, we need to connect youth and families to land and opportunities.

The focus of IRAP is to carry on the outdoor traditions, our goal is to connect youth and families to public access on private land with new hunting and fishing opportunities throughout Illinois. One of the more challenging problems facing the Department of Natural Resources is providing public recreational access and outdoor opportunities to our constituents. Utilizing resources obtained through

a grant from the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Illinoisans have more places to enjoy the great outdoors through IDNR’s new Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP). IRAP will increase public outdoor recreational opportunities on private lands through payments to eligible land owners who agree up to a three-year lease for one or more of the following IRAP activities:

*Youth Turkey Hunting
*Spring seasons 3&4 Turkey Hunting
*Archery Deer Hunting
*Youth Shotgun Deer Hunting
*Small Game Hunting (rabbit, squirrel)
*Upland Game Hunting (quail, pheasant)
*Waterfowl Hunting
*Fishing (ponds, rivers and streams)

In addition, and very important, are incentive payments that will be made for habitat management plans written by IDNR on IRAP-leased property, as well as a stipend to the landowner based on activities. It's a “win-win” for the landowner, wildlife and IRAP participant!

⚠️WANTED: 2026 IRAP turkey hunters🧐🦃If you have been awarded (or want to apply for) a 3rd or 4th season turkey tag and w...
01/12/2026

⚠️WANTED: 2026 IRAP turkey hunters🧐🦃

If you have been awarded (or want to apply for) a 3rd or 4th season turkey tag and would like the chance to hunt on private land, scroll through the charts below to see if an IRAP opportunity still exists for your county!

Be sure to hop on the IRAP website to view the remaining sites after the 1st lottery, fill out the IRAP application, and reference other important turkey season dates and deadlines for 2026.

📸ALSO, if you or someone you know has harvested a bird on an IRAP site in the past, post a picture and tell us your story in the comments!

• Main IRAP turkey webpage:
https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/irap/first-time-adult-turkey-hunting.html

• Application:
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/719278604f114f9cb0d7e7606db6d255

We’ve seen proof of some BIG smiles across Illinois during this past youth season! We hope everyone had a GREAT weekend ...
10/16/2025

We’ve seen proof of some BIG smiles across Illinois during this past youth season! We hope everyone had a GREAT weekend and made some true lifetime memories outdoors🦌

📸Harvest or not, if you and your youth hunter enjoyed your time on IRAP-leased land, please share some pictures with us! The easiest way to do that is by uploading them during your post-hunt survey. You can also email any pictures, videos, stories, etc. to “[email protected]”, message us on Facebook, or post a pic in the comments!

❗️REMEMBER❗️ to remain eligible for the IRAP lottery, you have no more than 15 days after your hunt to complete your MANDATORY post-hunt survey. (https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d2774c8346d34b44a36c7e30bdf96a95)

Good luck to all of the archery hunters out there as IRAP deer season rolls on!

📣❗️WE ARE HIRING❗️📣 Do you want to work outdoors and make a positive impact on native Illinois habitat? IRAP is hiring a...
08/27/2025

📣❗️WE ARE HIRING❗️📣

Do you want to work outdoors and make a positive impact on native Illinois habitat? IRAP is hiring a full-time, experienced Habitat Technician to assist with implementing native habitat enhancement projects across private lands in Illinois.

Duties include:
🔥 Assisting with prescribed burns
🌱 Removal of non-native/invasive species
🪵 Conducting Timber Stand Improvement
🚜 Establishing new prairie ecosystems
🗺️ Utilizing ArcGIS Pro to map and manage program data
➕ and so much more!

Work OUTSIDE in some of the WILDEST places and get hands-on with the environment!

APPLY AT⤵️
https://www.conservationjobboard.com/job-listing-habitat-technician-ii-springfield-illinois/7408120002

🦆WATERFOWL HUNTERS❗️ Now is your chance to apply for a FREE place to duck and goose hunt on private land this year! Foll...
08/18/2025

🦆WATERFOWL HUNTERS❗️ Now is your chance to apply for a FREE place to duck and goose hunt on private land this year! Follow the link below to find the online application, participating counties, FAQ’s, and more info.

Application deadline is September 12th for November hunts, and October 3rd for December hunts.

(📷: Alex Lourash)

https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/irap/waterfowl-hunting.html

ATTENTION DEER HUNTERS! The deadline to apply for IRAP Youth Firearm Season and IRAP Archery Deer Season is today at 5pm...
08/08/2025

ATTENTION DEER HUNTERS! The deadline to apply for IRAP Youth Firearm Season and IRAP Archery Deer Season is today at 5pm. The online application is available at

One of the more challenging issues facing the Department of Natural Resources is providing public outdoor recreational access and opportunities. Illinois ranks 46th in the nation for publicly-owned land with more than 97% of the land is privately owned

DON’T MISS OUT on your chance to help a youth hunter make lifelong memories this fall! IDNR’s Illinois Recreational Acc...
07/16/2025

DON’T MISS OUT on your chance to help a youth hunter make lifelong memories this fall! IDNR’s Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP) works with dozens of generous landowners across the state who open their properties up to help youth engage with the outdoors on private land. 2025 Youth Firearm Season applications are OPEN and ready for guardians/mentors to help youth hunters apply NOW!
•
Apply for IRAP youth hunts at: https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/irap/youth-shotgun-deer.html
•
All IRAP deer hunting applications, youth and adult, close August 8th at 5:00pm CDT.
•
If you or someone you know may be interested in providing access to hunting opportunities in a county not highlighted in the picture below, please contact IRAP Staff at: (217) 782-0137 or email “[email protected]”.

Good luck to all of the North Zone, 4th-season hunters that are heading out this weekend! If you had 3rd-season tags, ...
05/02/2025

Good luck to all of the North Zone, 4th-season hunters that are heading out this weekend! If you had 3rd-season tags, or your 4th-season hunt is already over, DON’T FORGET to submit your mandatory IRAP survey. We are loving all the great turkey pictures this year - keep them coming!
•
Link to survey:
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/2d1339ad31de4d54a21a4303040eec2a

03/30/2025

Let’s see those youth turkey hunting pictures

TURKEY SEASON UPDATES:• 3rd season turkey packets are being mailed out TODAY, and should arrive to awarded participants ...
03/19/2025

TURKEY SEASON UPDATES:
• 3rd season turkey packets are being mailed out TODAY, and should arrive to awarded participants next week!
• This is “last call” on remaining 4th season turkey sites. Applications must be received before 5pm TODAY - Wednesday, March 19th - in order to be considered for a remaining 4th season site.

TURKEY SEASON update for YOUTH turkey hunters! IRAP has placed Youth Season packets in the mail and should be delivere...
02/27/2025

TURKEY SEASON update for YOUTH turkey hunters! IRAP has placed Youth Season packets in the mail and should be delivered next week. 3rd and 4th Season packets will be mailed approximately 3 weeks prior to the start of each respective season.

New adult hunters….check out Learn to Hunt’s deer camp
10/14/2024

New adult hunters….check out Learn to Hunt’s deer camp

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Springfield, IL
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One of the more challenging problems facing the Department of Natural Resources is providing public recreational access and outdoor opportunities to our constituents. In order to carry on our outdoor traditions, we need to connect youth and families to land and opportunities. Utilizing resources obtained through a grant from the US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, Illinoisans have more places to enjoy the great outdoors through IDNR’s new Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP). IRAP will increase public outdoor recreational opportunities on private lands through payments to eligible land owners who agree up to a three-year lease for one or more of the following IRAP activities: *Youth Turkey Hunting *Adult Turkey Hunting *Archery Deer Hunting *Small Game Hunting (rabbit, squirrel) *Upland Game Hunting (quail, pheasant) *Waterfowl Hunting *Fishing (ponds, rivers and streams) *Non-motorized Boat access on public waterways *Outdoor Naturalist - birding and outdoor photography. In addition, and very important, are incentive payments that will be made for habitat management plans written by IDNR on IRAP-leased property, as well as a stipend to the landowner based on activities. It's a “win-win” for the landowner, wildlife and IRAP participant!