Mississippi River Pool 18
Site Contact Info
Office phone: (309) 215-8195
Office address: Contact the Regional Wildlife Office
Site coordinates: 41.03184 -90.93095
County: Henderson and Mercer (spans both counties)
Site Maps
Site Characteristics
Huntable acres: 5,173
Habitat: Deep water and main channel as well as timbered islands with sheltered shallow bays, channels, and potholes. Bottomland forests exist, 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.
Oquawka Refuge, located east of Lock and Dam 18, may not be entered from Oct 1 to Dec 31. Vehicle traffic is prohibited year-round.
Boston Bay: Hunters may select their own site and construct a temporary blind, except that no blind may be constructed within 200 yards of another blind.
If 2 or more blinds are found to be closer than 200 yards, all such blinds will be declared illegal, and none may be used until all have met minimum spacing requirements.
All blinds must be of a portable nature or constructed with natural vegetation located at a blind site and must be removed or dismantled at the end of the day’s hunt.
Hunting hours are from legal opening until 1:00 p.m.
Hunting boundaries do not correspond with county boundaries
Reminder: Tree stand regulations strictly enforced, see Ad Rule 650.60 c)
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:
- A county-specific permit, obtained through the statewide permit lottery, is required.
- The season is only open if the county is declared open by October 1, via public announcement, for the season.
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
County boundaries do not correspond with the upstream and downstream boundaries of the pool.
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:
- 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.
- Boston Bay: Hunting hours are from legal opening until 1:00 p.m. Hunters may select their own site and construct a temporary blind, except that no blind may be constructed within 200 yards of another blind. If 2 or more blinds are found to be closer than 200 yards, all such blinds will be declared illegal, and none may be used until all have met minimum spacing requirements. All blinds must be of a portable nature or constructed with natural vegetation located at a blind site and must be removed or dismantled at the end of the day’s hunt.
- Flood rules for marked hunting site areas will be determined from the Keithsburg gauge. At 14.0 feet, hunters will retain sight hunting privileges, and hunting must take place from the original marked hunting sites. At 17.0 feet, hunting may take place from any location, first-come, first-serve; 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 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 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 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 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 this 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 this 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 this 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 the 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.
Amenities
Boat ramp