Waterfowl blind drawings set for July 20 at Twin Oaks Sportsman’s Club and IDNR office in Pittsfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Drawings for waterfowl blinds along the Mississippi River in Adams and Pike County will take place July 20 and for Meredosia Lake on July 27.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, blinds in Mississippi River Pools 21 and 22 in Adams County and Pool 24 in Pike County will be allotted for two years. Blinds on Meredosia Lake also will be allotted for two years.

The drawing for Mississippi RIver Pools 21 and 22 will take place at noon July 20 at Twin Oaks Sportsman’s Club, located at 2707 Bonansinga Drive. Registration will be open from 10 a.m. to noon. The drawing for Pool 24 will take place at the IDNR office on Route 6 West in Pittsfield. Registration will be from 10 a.m. to noon with the draw beginning at noon.

The Meredosia Lake draw will take place at the Jim Edgar Panther Creek hunter check-in building located adjacent to the site office, about 7 miles southeast of Chandlerville. Registration is from noon to 2 p.m. July 29 with the draw taking place immediately afterward.

Waterfowl hunters must register in person for blind site drawings and must be present at the drawing held at each location designated below immediately after the registration period to claim their blind sites. Mail-in or pre-registrations are not accepted. Blind allocations for these sites are good for one year.

To participate in a drawing, all applicants must present a 2024 or 2025 regular Illinois hunting license; a 2024 or 2025 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp at the time they register, unless exempted by law; and valid photo identification. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by the date of the drawing. No apprentice licenses and no youth licenses will be accepted unless the youth license holder also presents hunter safety certification.

Applicants needing to purchase licenses and stamps should do so prior to the drawing. Most blind drawing locations will not have license sales available. Licenses and stamps are available at any IDNR license and permit vendor or through IDNR’s exploremoreil.com website. 

Registrants are no longer required to possess a valid Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card from the Illinois State Police to participate in blind drawings. Also, to be an eligible applicant for the drawing, participants must not have their hunting privileges suspended or revoked by IDNR or any other jurisdiction at the time of the drawing. Out-of-state residents must have an annual 2024 or 2025 non-resident hunting license for Illinois and a 2024 or 2025 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp. Five-day licenses will not be accepted.

Visit the IDNR hunting site at huntillinois.org to access additional hunting information and maps on the above sites.