Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area
Below are property specific hunting rules for Willow Slough FWA. For statewide rules, view the Hunting & Trapping Guide.
Kankakee Sands
Kankakee Sands is 8,400 acres of prairies and wetlands, owned and managed by the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a non-profit organization working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.
Kankakee Sands is situated between Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife area (FWA), Beaver Lake Nature Preserve (BLNP), Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve, and TNC’s Conrad Station Savanna. Together, these natural areas total more than 20,000 acres of dry, mesic, and wet sand prairies; sand blows; sedge meadows; wetlands; and black oak savannas in northwest Indiana. These natural areas are home to more than 86 rare, threatened, and endangered species. Most of the site falls under a Wetland Reserve Program Easement administered by the NRCS.
In December 1996, The Nature Conservancy purchased 7,200 acres of agricultural ground in Newton County. At that time, the Division of Fish & Wildlife provided funding toward the acquisition in exchange for the hunting rights on approximately 6,000 of the purchased acres. Hunting rights are administered through Willow Slough FWA. All grounds maintenance and habitat work are performed by TNC staff.
- Deer, quail, rabbit, squirrel, dove, woodcock, waterfowl, and wild turkey hunting are common at Kankakee Sands.
- Daily check-in is required at Willow Slough FWA headquarters.
- All hunting seasons and bag limits apply. See Hunting Regulations for details.
- Map of Kankakee Sands public hunting areas.