Announcements
Batchtown State Fish and Wildlife Area
Site Contact Info
Office Phone: 618-376-3303
Office Address: 17836 State Hwy 100 North, Grafton, IL 62037
Site Coordinates: 39.05054 -90.67704
County: Calhoun
Site Maps
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres: 2,436
Habitat: The Mississippi State Fish and Wildlife Area is primarily a waterfowl management area. The site offers waterfowl, forest game and furbearer hunting with limited upland game opportunities. The area is a typical bottomland complex of sloughs, backwater lakes, timbered ponds, bottomland timber comprised largely of willow, maple, and cottonwood, and open river. Waterfowl hunting is restricted to marked blind sites and a designated walk-in area.
Active habitat management will be occurring throughout the year on the site, including prescribed burning.
Site Specific Regulations
Statewide and associated species regulations, in accordance with the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, apply at site unless noted hereafter.
Walk-in Hunting: Allowed in all interior lakes and sloughs of Turner Island.
It is unlawful to trespass on areas designated as waterfowl rest areas 14 days prior to duck season and until the end of the conservation light goose season.at Godar Refuge, Crull Impoundment Refuge, Dan Hudgins Rest Area, and Batchtown Refuge. (Areas indicated by dotted line on site-specific maps below.)
Parking only allowed along roadways and in parking areas. No driving off roadway.
No ATV’s allowed on site
No camping allowed
Fishing is permitted, except on waterfowl rest areas (until the end of waterfowl season), waterfowl areas as posted during waterfowl season, or within 250 yards of an occupied blind on the open river.
Commercial fishing allowed by permit only.
There is no restriction on outboard motor size.
Dog training permits are required for training purposes and may be obtained from the Headquarters during regular business hours. The permits are valid from Apr 1 – Mar 31 annually. Hunting of all game species is permitted in all areas according to statewide, Federal and site specific regulations as listed, except in access areas, waterfowl rest areas, or within 200 yards of occupied waterfowl blinds during waterfowl season.
During duck season, no one is allowed to access the designated duck hunting areas by launching a boat at certain specifically posted boat ramps except waterfowl hunters. Boat ramps re-open to other hunters the day after duck season closes.
No hunting within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind.
Deer
Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Deer hunting in Turner Island Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season.
- Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (close 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of occupied duck blind.
- It is unlawful to drive deer.
- One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with hunter’s name, address and telephone number.
- It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.
Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Deer hunting in Turner Island Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season.
- Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (close 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of occupied duck blind.
- Requires county permit
- It is unlawful to drive deer.
- One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with hunter’s name, address and telephone number.
- It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.
- Deer hunters using a ground blind during any firearm deer season must display at least 400 inches of solid blaze orange material attached to the upper most portion of the blind and a substantial amount of orange must be visible for 360 degrees.
Late Winter Antlerless
Not available at this site.
Muzzleloader
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Deer hunting in Turner Island Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season.
- Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (close 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of occupied duck blind.
- Requires county permit
- It is unlawful to drive deer.
- One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with hunter’s name, address and telephone number.
- It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.
- Deer hunters using a ground blind during any firearm deer season must display at least 400 inches of solid blaze orange material attached to the upper most portion of the blind and a substantial amount of orange must be visible for 360 degrees.
Special CWD
Not available at this site.
Youth Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Deer hunting in Turner Island Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season.
- Deer hunting (Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, Youth Firearm and Late Winter Seasons) is allowed in all areas except access areas, waterfowl rest areas (close 15 days prior to duck season) during duck season, or within 200 yards of occupied duck blind.
- It is unlawful to drive deer.
- One non-piercing, portable stand per hunter. Hunters may leave stands unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 21, but stands must be legibly labeled with hunter’s name, address and telephone number.
- It is unlawful to track deer with dogs on any Department-owned/managed site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted. Dogs must be certified as deer tracking dogs by a national dog tracking organization.
- Deer hunters using a ground blind during any firearm deer season must display at least 400 inches of solid blaze orange material attached to the upper most portion of the blind and a substantial amount of orange must be visible for 360 degrees.
Turkey
Fall Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Fall Shotgun
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Requires county permit
Spring
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Requires county permit
Area could be under water during Spring Season due to spring flooding
Youth Spring
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Area could be under water during Spring Season due to spring flooding
Waterfowl
Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Season and bag limits determined by state and federal regulations.
- Hunting times will be from legal opening to 3:30 pm except at Turner Island Walk-in Area close is at 12 pm.
- All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind except at Turner Island where walk-ins are provided.
Teal season
- Statewide regulations apply.
- Blind builders must claim their blind ½ hour before shooting time or the blind is open for that day’s hunt.
- No hunting allowed in the designated Batchtown Waterfowl rest area.
- There is no requirement to hunt from blind sites during teal season.
Blinds
- Blinds are allocated by public drawing for a three-year period.
- Blinds must be built to site specifications and maintained in a safe usable condition.
- Blind builders are re-registered annually and any blinds not registered or constructed are re-allocated.
- No more than 4 persons may occupy a blind at one time.
- Hunters are required to hunt over a minimum of 12 decoys.
- Blind builders must claim their blinds ½ hour before shooting time for teal, early goose and the conservation order light goose seasons. If blind is not claimed then it is open to first-come, first-serve. There is no requirement to hunt from the blind sites during these seasons.
- No person under 16 years old may hunt unless accompanied by an adult
Goose
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Early and Late Goose(Conservation Order, Snow Goose)
- Blind builders must claim their blind ½ hour before shooting time or the blind is open for that day’s hunt. See blind information listed in the duck section above.
- No hunting allowed in the designated Batchtown Waterfowl rest area.
- There is no requirement to hunt from blind sites during Early and Late Goose seasons.
Snipe & Rail
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Youth Waterfowl
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Held the weekend before the duck season opener.
Upland & Small Game
Dove
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except: only non-toxic shells permitted. Steel shot size #6 or smaller is allowed.
Rabbits
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Squirrels
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply. Shotgun, .22 caliber or smaller rimfire and air rifles are allowed.
Upland Birds
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Woodcock
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Furbearers
Hunting
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Rimfire rifles .22 caliber and smaller may be used from sunset to sunrise.
- Furbearer hunting closed during Firearm Deer Season
- Hunters with a valid, unfilled firearm deer permit for the hunt area may take coyotes during legal hours of the firearm deer season. Otherwise, the use of shotgun slugs to take furbearing mammals is prohibited on state sites.
- Coyote and striped skunk season coincides with the statewide fox season.
Trapping
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Site-specific permit required. Permit is issued via public drawing at site office on the first Wednesday following the opener of duck season.
- A limited number of permits issued
- Must have a current trapping license and habitat stamp
- Only Egg Traps, D-P (Dog-Proof) Traps, box traps, cage traps and traps of similar design may be used for land sets prior to the end of the regular duck season.
- Trapping will be permitted from the statewide opener. . All trapping will be permitted after the close of regular duck season.
- Trappers are required to report harvest to the site office by April 15.