South Zone

About South Zone

South Zone is a duck zone in Illinois, United States, set by Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It covers about 34,636 km² (13,373 mi²). Towns inside it include Carbondale, Marion, Mount Vernon, Effingham, Herrin and Centralia.

HuntGrid draws its boundary from Illinois Department of Natural Resources's data for the 2026 season. The agency uses this unit system for waterfowl.

Unit code

South

Area

34,636 km²

Area (miles)

13,373 mi²

Boundaries

2026

Public and protected land mapped inside it

HuntGrid's public land layers map about 2,640 km² of public or protected land inside it, 8% of the unit. Some protected land is privately owned (a conservation group's, for one). By manager, as the source names it:

Boundaries are approximate and aren't legal descriptions. Public land doesn't always mean you can hunt there: check your local regulations and posted signs.

Public land: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2025, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 4.1

Seasons and regulations

Seasons for this unit that a person has checked against Illinois Department of Natural Resources's regulations:

The official regulations have the final word: check them before you hunt.

Official regulations: Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Units around it

Next to it in the same unit system

• Central Zone

Other hunting units that cover part of it

• Late-Winter Antlerless-Only Deer Season counties (late-winter deer season area)
• Fall shotgun turkey counties (fall gun turkey season area)
• South Zone (goose zone)
• South Zone (upland game zone)
• South Zone (spring turkey zone)

What HuntGrid shows for South Zone

• Its boundary on the map; tap inside it for the unit's card with the agency's regulations link.
• Public land and the other hunting units in the same view, each with its source.
• Season dates once a person has checked them, and legal shooting hours where the rule is checked.
• Hourly wind with a scent cone for every stand, and official weather alerts.
• Offline maps: download the area and use the map, your pins and the forecast with no signal.

Open in HuntGrid

Questions

How big is South Zone (duck zone)?

About 34,636 km² (13,373 mi²), as HuntGrid maps Illinois Department of Natural Resources's boundary.

How much public or protected land is in South Zone?

HuntGrid's public land layers map about 2,640 km² of public or protected land, 8% of the unit; the largest share is managed by Forest Service Region 09 Eastern. Public land doesn't always mean you can hunt there.

Where are the season dates for South Zone?

This page lists 118 seasons a person has checked against Illinois Department of Natural Resources's regulations; the official regulations have the final word.

Which units are next to South Zone?

In the same unit system: Central Zone.

More on huntgrid.net

• Hunting map of Illinois
• Duck and goose hunting
• HuntGrid, the hunting app

Sources

Unit boundary: Illinois DNR (zone definition); U.S. Census Bureau. Licence: Zone defined in the 2026-2027 Illinois Digest and the federal frameworks; geometry public domain (U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line). Boundaries for the 2026 season.

• The agency's boundary data
• Official regulations

HuntGrid isn't affiliated with Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The official regulations and maps have the final word.