Mississippi River Pool 17
Site Contact Info
Office phone: (309) 215-8195
Office address: Contact the Regional Wildlife Office
Site coordinates: 41.24313 -91.09485
County: Mercer and Rock Island (spans both counties)
Site Maps
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres: 2,883
Habitat: Deep water and main channel as well as timbered islands with sheltered shallow bays, channels, and potholes. Bottomland forests, with the majority of this habitat located on islands and shorelines with extremely limited land access. Most access is by boat only.
Active habitat management will occur throughout the year on the site, including prescribed burning.
Site Specific Regulations
Statewide and associated species regulations apply at the site unless noted hereafter.
Except for waterfowl, no hunting within 100 yards of occupied duck blinds
No fishing within 250 yards of occupied duck blinds during waterfowl season.
Be mindful that Pool 17 boundaries do NOT correlate with County boundaries.
Tree stands and ground blinds may be left unattended from September 15 through January 31. Any tree stand or ground blind left unattended must be legibly marked with the owner’s name, address, and telephone number, or site-assigned identification number.
Deer
Archery
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Late Winter Antlerless
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- The season is only open if the county is declared open by October 1, via public announcement, for the season.
- A county-specific permit, obtained through the statewide permit lottery, is required.
Muzzleloader
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Special CWD
Not available at this site.
Youth Firearm
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
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 the site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Hunting is restricted to marked blind/hunting sites except during teal or early/late goose seasons. Scull boat hunting is allowed.
- Blind/hunting sites are allocated through a public drawing held on the first Saturday of August in odd-numbered years. See map for blind/hunting site locations.
- Scull boats may not approach closer than 200 yards to a completed blind or areas posted as closed to scull boat hunting.
- Maintain a minimum distance of 200 yards between hunting parties.
- Flood rules for marked hunting site areas will be determined from the Muscatine gauge. At 16.0 feet, hunters will retain site hunting privileges, and hunting must take place from the original marked hunting sites. At 20.0 feet, hunting may take place from any location, first-come, first-served; hunting parties must stay 200 yards apart.
Blinds
- 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 the close of shooting hours in 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 Allocation
- Blind/hunting sites are determined by IDNR and marked with coordinates.
- Permanent blinds are not required at marked hunting sites; temporary or boat blinds are allowed, but materials must be removed daily. However, if desired, any permanent structures must be constructed to Department specifications.
- Blind/hunting sites will be allocated for a 2-year period.
- Time and place of the public drawing for hunting sites will be publicly announced by IDNR. More information can be found on the Waterfowl page.
- 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 a 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 hunting site.
- Hunting sites not allocated at the public drawing will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the district office at (217) 685-9926 on the Monday following the public drawing from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Blind builders have 7 days after the next season’s blind drawing date to salvage materials from hunting sites. After that, the materials become the property of the new builder.
- No more than 3 people can register for 1 hunting site.
- Hunters 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.
Goose
Available at the site. Follows the same regulations as Ducks, Coots, & Mergansers. See the section above for more information.
Snipe & Rail
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Youth Waterfowl
Not available at this site.
Upland & Small Game
Dove
Available at the site. Statewide regulations apply, except that non-toxic shot is required.
Note: Although hunting is allowed, habitat suitable for these species is virtually nonexistent, and hunting of these species in this area is considered very poor.
Rabbits
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Squirrels
Available at the site. Statewide regulations apply, except that hunting with .22 caliber or smaller rimfire firearms, .25 caliber or smaller air rifles, or muzzleloading black powder rifles is allowed.
Upland Birds
Available at the site. Statewide regulations apply.
Note: Although hunting is allowed, habitat suitable for these species is virtually nonexistent, and hunting of these species in this area is considered very poor.
Woodcock
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.
Furbearers
Hunting
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:
- Groundhog hunting is permitted.
- No hunting within 100 yards of an occupied blind.
Trapping
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except that no trapping is allowed within 100 yards of occupied blinds.
Falconry
Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.