Announcements

Deer Firearm & Muzzleloader Lottery opens 3/3! Spring Turkey Permits available OTC 3/10!
More Info

Mississippi River Pool 16

Site Contact Info

Office phone: (815) 273-2733

Office address: c/o District Wildlife Biologist, 16327A IL Rt 84, Savanna, IL 61074

Site coordinates: 41.44473 -90.8385

County: Rock Island

Site Superintendent

District Wildlife Biologist

Conservation Police 

Site Closures List

Site Maps

Digital Map

Printable Map

Site Characteristics

Huntable acres: 4,492

Habitat: Timbered islands with sheltered shallow bays, channels and potholes which provide hunting for puddle ducks. Diving ducks frequent the deeper waters and main channel. Bottomland forests exist, which provide deer and squirrel hunting. Most access is by boat only.

Location: On the Illinois side of the Mississippi River from Lock and Dam 16 to the I-280 bridge. Upper Pool Area consists of Pool 16 above Velie Chute (RM 466 on north and RM 468.4 on south) excluding Goose Pond and Sunfish Slough (Blinds 257-274) and Milan Bottoms (shoreline areas above RM 475). Andalusia Refuge is west of Loud Thunder Forest Preserve next to and including Dead Slough between river miles 462 and 463.

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. 

Andalusia Refuge: No fishing, hunting, trapping or walking on this area from Oct 1- Dec 31.

Except for waterfowl, no hunting within 100 yards of occupied duck blinds.

No fishing allowed within 250 yards of occupied duck blinds during the waterfowl season

Deer

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind per hunter. Stand must be identified with hunter’s name and address. May be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31 

Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind per hunter. Stand must be identified with hunter’s name and address. May be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31 

Late Winter Antlerless

Not available at this site.

Muzzleloader

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

One non-piercing, portable tree stand or ground blind per hunter. Stand must be identified with hunter’s name and address. May be left unattended from Sept 15 – Jan 31 

Special CWD

Not available at this site.

Youth Firearm

Not available at this site.

Turkey

Fall Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Fall Shotgun

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Youth Spring

Not available at this site.

Waterfowl

Ducks/Coots/Mergansers

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Waterfowl hunting restricted to legal registered blind sites, except scull boat hunting allowed pool wide; Open hunting allowed in the Upper Pool Area only
  • Maintain minimum distance of 200 yards between hunting parties
  • All hunting parties shall hunt over a spread of at least 12 decoys. Decoys will be staked, placed, or floating; individually visible; at least 8 inches long; and not within a boat, blind or container.
  • Blind construction and maintenance info is available in the Waterfowl Specific Regulations section or contact the site.
  • No weed or brush control around any blind without receiving prior approval from IDNR.
  • Blind builders must occupy their blind site ½ hour before the opening shooting hour each day to claim the blind site for that day; After this time, unoccupied blind sites will be available to anyone.
  • No hunting party shall remain in a blind after having taken its daily bag limit of ducks or more than 15 minutes after close of shooting hours on the area.
  • No person shall lock a blind.
  • No person shall claim, or attempt to claim, a blind which is legally occupied or harass, in any manner, the occupants of a blind which has been legally occupied.
  • Blind sites are determined by IDNR; after which it is the blind builder’s responsibility to see that the blind site has a visible number.
  • Blind sites will be allocated for a 2 year period.
  • Time and place of the public drawing for blind sites will be publicly announced by IDNR.
  • Registrants for a drawing must be at least 16 years of age, possess a current or preceding year’s Illinois hunting license or sportsman’s license (not youth license), a current or preceding year’s Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp (unless exempted by law), and photo ID.
  • Persons exempted by law from possessing a hunting license or waterfowl stamp must have a valid photo identification (examples: current FOID Card or driver’s license). 
  • Applicants must be present for the registration and drawing to be eligible for allocation of a duck blind site.
  • The 1st name drawn shall have 1st choice of available sites, 2nd name 2nd choice, etc. until all sites are allocated.
  • Blind sites not allocated at the public drawing will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the District office on the Monday following the public drawing from 8 am – 12 pm. Phone: (815) 273-2733. After this, unregistered blind/hunting sites will be re-allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
  • If building a traditional blind, blinds must be completed, including final brushing, 3 weeks before opening day.
  • Blind builders shall have until 7 days after the next season’s blind drawing date to salvage materials from blind sites. After that date, blind materials on the site become the property of the new builder(s).
  • No more than 3 people can register for 1 blind
  • May not register as a blind builder or as a partner for more than 1 blind site on all waterfowl management areas managed by IDNR.
  • Flood rules for allocation blind areas will be determines from the Rock Island gauge. At 15.0 feet hunters will retain blind/blind site hunting privileges, and hunting may take place from blinds/blind sites. At 20.0 feet hunting may take place from any location, first-come, first serve, hunting parties must stay 200 yards apart.
  • Teal hunting: Statewide regulations except that teal hunting is not restricted to blind sites.

Goose

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

Early goose hunting from a completed blind or staked site is waved 

Snipe/Rail

Youth Waterfowl

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Youth 16 years or younger shall be under direct supervision of a non-hunting adult.

Upland/Small Game

Controlled Pheasant Hunting

Not available at this site.

Crow

Not available at this site.

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Non-toxic shot required.

Pheasant/Quail/Partridge

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Although hunting is allowed, habitat suitable for these species is virtually nonexistent and hunting of these species is considered very poor. 

Rabbits

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Squirrels

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Hunting with .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, .25 caliber or smaller air rifles, or muzzleloading black powder rifles is allowed. 

Woodcock

Not available at this site.

Falconry

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Furbearers

Furbearer Hunting

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

  • 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.
  • Groundhog hunting permitted
  • No hunting within 100 yards of occupied blind

Furbearer Trapping

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

No hunting within 100 yards of occupied blind 

Amenities

More information