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Monroe Lake - Hunting and Trapping
4850 South State Road 446
Bloomington, IN 47401
812-837-9546
Paynetown SRA, Fairfax SRA, Allen's Creek SRA, Cutright SRA, Moore's Creek SRA, Salt Creek SRA
Hunting and Trapping
Monroe Lake provides a wide variety of hunting options. Woodland species such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrels, and grouse are hunted on over 7,000 acres of woodlands. Upland fields and early successional habitats of over 3,500 acres provide rabbit, woodcock and mourning dove hunting. Night hunting for raccoon, fox and coyote is permitted. State hunting regulations apply to all legal species. The 10,750 acre lake and the over 400 acres of managed wetlands offer waterfowl hunters the chance to hunt open water, streams and marshes for migrating waterfowl. Special hunts are held in managed seasonal Waterfowl Resting Areas and selected mourning dove fields on a draw basis. Reserve waterfowl draws are offered through the online application process. Contact the property office for additional information. Archery and firearms shooting ranges are not available. Safety Zones are closed to all hunting. Wildlife viewing areas are abundant.
Monroe Lake allows the use of bonus county antlerless deer tags.
Trapping opportunities are available through a sealed bidding process for specific trapping units. Contact the property office in late summer for details on the bidding process.
All hunters must register and sign the waiver of liability at one of the nineteen hunter sign-in stations on the property. Hunter sign-in is mandatory, and failure to sign in and out properly may result in a fine. All game taken must be recorded on a required one-day hunter permit card that is carried with you as you hunt and turned in at the end of the day. At some properties, the card must be returned to the same hunter sign-in station where the waiver of liability was signed; please look for that requirement when you check-in. Take and use only one card per day. This system provides valuable wildlife management information.
2020 Waterfowl Season
Early Duck Season, Oct. 31– Nov. 8, 2020
Open Areas
Main lake, Crooked Creek and the Crooked Creek marshes are open to hunting during legal shooting hours, mandatory check-in and possession of one-day waterfowl hunting permit required, hunting parties must hunt at least 300 yards away from Safety Zones, Recreation Areas, Resting Areas, and other hunting parties.
Waterfowl Resting Areas
Stillwater-Northfork Resting Area: Marshes will be hunted as public draw hunts on the following days; Oct. 31, Nov. 2, 4, 6, 8, (Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 will be drawn at 5:30 a.m. and will hunt until noon). All other hunts will draw at 10:30 a.m. and will hunt from noon to sunset. All early season hunts will be public draw, parties of two or three drawn first. The Oct. 31 hunt will be EDT. All hunting sites in the area north of the south boundary of the Northfork Resting area to the Kent Bridge on the Northfork of Salt Creek and the Stevens Creek Bridge on Friendship Road will be by drawing at the Northfork check station. Waterfowl hunting will be permitted only from designated sites in this area. Some areas may not be flooded, check with Paynetown Office for sites available. A shell limit of 25 shot shells per hunter will be in effect for all Stillwater- Northfork hunts.
Middlefork Resting Area will hunt during legal shooting times on the same day as Stillwater for all day hunts during the early season. Hunting parties must hunt at least 300 yards from another hunting party. Middlefork is divided into two relatively equal zones with Zone 1 checking in at the Crooked Creek Check Station and Zone 2 checking in at the Paynetown Office or Cutright check station.
Southfork Marshes will hunt on the same days and times as Middlefork Resting Area. Hunting parties must hunt at least 300 yards from another hunting party. All hunters must check in and out at the Robertson Cemetery hunter check-in station.
In all resting area hunts parties of two or three are drawn first, and solo parties drawn last.
Late Duck Season, Nov. 21, 2020-Jan. 10, 2021
All areas of the lake not in Waterfowl Resting Areas or under special restrictions, including the Crooked Creek marshes, are open hunt zones, mandatory self check-in, first come-first served, legal shooting times, check-in at designated check station for area to be hunted. Hunters must stay at least 300 yards from Resting Area lines, Recreation and Safety Zones, and other occupied hunting sites. All times for the late season will be EST.
Waterfowl Resting Areas
Stillwater-Northfork marshes will be hunted as public draw hunts on Nov. 21, 24, Dec.1, 4,6,12, 15, 20, 26, 29, 2020 and Jan. 2, 8, and 10, 2021. The Reserve hunts will be held on Nov. 28, Dec. 9, 18, 23, 2020 and Jan. 5, 2021. The hunt times for public draw hunts will be listed on the waterfowl calendar. The calendar of dates and times is available at the Paynetown office, online and at all manned waterfowl check stations. Parties of two or three are drawn first, and a party of two or three hunters is required to claim a reserve hunt. All reserve hunts are afternoon hunts with a 10:30 a.m. draw. A shell limit of 25 shot shells per hunter will be in effect for all Stillwater-Northfork hunts.
Middlefork Resting Area will be open to hunting on the same day of the late season that Stillwater-Northfork is hunted, for all day hunts. Hunting parties must hunt at least 300 yards from another hunting party. Middlefork is divided into two relatively equal zones with Zone 1 checking in at the Crooked Creek check station and Zone 2 checking in at the Paynetown Office or Cutright check station.
Southfork Marshes will hunt on the same schedule as Middlefork Resting Area. Hunting parties must hunt at least 300 yards from another hunting party. All hunters must check in and out at the Robertson Cemetery hunter check-in station.
In all resting area hunts, parties of two or three are drawn first, and solo parties drawn last.
Goose hunting, Sept. 12 through 20, Oct. 31 through Nov. 8, 2020 and Nov. 21, 2020 through Feb. 14 , 2021, will be permitted during open seasons on the main lake and in the Crooked Creek area within state and federal regulations. Goose hunting in Waterfowl Resting Areas will be during drawn hunt days only through the duck season. From Jan. 11 until Feb. 9, 2020 limited blinds in the Stillwater-Northfork Resting Area will be open, first-come, mandatory self-check at the Stillwater-Northfork Check Station, on Wed. and Sat. only. Self-check-in from 4:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., hunt during legal shooting hours. Information on other hunting opportunities will be available at the Paynetown office, 812-837-9546.
2020 Youth Duck Hunt
A special hunt will be held on Oct. 24 and 25, 2020 for hunters 17 years old and younger, accompanied by an adult (not allowed to hunt ducks on that day). Youth hunters 16 years old or older are required to have a federal Waterfowl Stamp and are required to abide by all harvest restrictions and bag limits. For these youth hunt days, all open hunt areas of the lake will be hunted within the regular season restrictions. A special drawing will be held for resting area hunts. On Oct. 24, Stillwater-Northfork will draw at 5:30 a.m. and will hunt from legal shooting time until 12:00 noon. On Oct. 25, Stillwater- Northfork will draw at 10:30 a.m. and will hunt from 12:00 noon till sunset. Times are EDT- Daylight Saving Time. Southfork will hunt on both days for all day hunts. Self-check at the Robertson Cemetery hunter check-in station, self check-in is required. For these hunts only, at least one youth hunter required per party. Youth hunters will not have a shell limit for Resting Area hunts. Some areas may not be flooded, check with the Paynetown Visitor Center for areas and blinds available. Middlefork will hunt on the same schedule as Southfork with mandatory self-check at either Crooked Creek, Cutright or Paynetown Office check stations only.
Veterans Special Waterfowl Hunts
Military Veterans may hunt waterfowl on Oct. 24 and 25, 2020 within regular waterfowl hunting regulations on these dates, during legal hunting hours. Mandatory self-check-in applies, and the Middlefork Waterfowl Resting Area will be open for this hunt. The Northfork Waterfowl Area will be closed for the special youth waterfowl hunts.
Directions to Stillwater-Northfork and Southfork Check-in Stations
Stillwater-Northfork: East on Highway 46 from Bloomington to Kent Road. (4.1 miles from Highway 446 light, orange check station on right), turn right on Kent Rd. and cross the bridge, check-in station on right. Should this area be under construction, continue east to Belmont, turn right (south) then right (west) again on Kent Rd., continue to check station on left. Address: 8550 E. Kent Rd., Bloomington, IN 47401, (GPS 39.149534, - 86.397285). Check with Paynetown Office for changing road conditions and road work. 812-837-9546
Southfork: South on highway 446 to Tower Ridge Road ( Deam Wilderness, Maumee Scout Camp), turn left (east) on Tower Ridge Road and take every left turn past the fire tower. This brings you to Robertson Cemetery; turn left again, check-in station on the right. (GPS 39.038393, - 86.276822)