Announcements

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/Species Specific Regulations

Statewide and associated species regulations, in accordance with the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, apply at site unless noted hereafter.

No hunting within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind.

Deer

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

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 (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 (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 (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.

Requires county permit.

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.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind.

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.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind.
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 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.

Teal

Statewide regulations apply.
Blind builders must claim their blind ½ hour before shooting time or the blind is open for that day’s hunt.
There is no requirement to hunt from blind sites during teal season.

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.
There is no requirement to hunt from blind sites during Early and Late Goose seasons.
Season and bag limits determined by state and federal regulations.
Hunting times will be from legal opening to 3:30 pm.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind.

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.
All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind.
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 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.

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

Controlled Pheasant

Not available at this site.

Crow

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Only non-toxic shells permitted. Steel shot size #6 or smaller is allowed.

Pheasant/Quail/Partridge

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

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

Woodcock

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Furbearers

Furbearer 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.

Furbearer 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.

Amenities

Boat ramps

More information