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Deer Firearm & Muzzleloader Lottery opens 3/3! Spring Turkey Permits available OTC 3/10!
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Rip Rap Landing State Wildlife Management Area

Site Contact Info

Office Phone: (618) 376-3303

Office Address:  17836 State Hwy 100 North Grafton, IL 62037

Site Coordinates: 39.31949, -90.77823

County: Calhoun

Site Superintendent

District Wildlife Biologist 

Conservation Police 

Site Closures List 

Site Maps

Digital Map

Printable Map- Rip Rap Landing Aerial View

Printable Map- Rip Rap Landing Northern Acquisition

Printable Map- Rip Rap Landing Walk-In

Site Characteristics

Huntable acres: 2,949

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. 

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.

Non-Check Station Area: 

  • Registered blind builders in non-check station areas must occupy blinds by ½ hour before shooting time each day or the blind will be available to non-blind builders. 

Walk-In Hunting:

  • Access by walk-in or boats without motors only. 
  • Hunting hours are from 1/2 hour before sunrise until 12 pm. daily, no access before 4 am. 
  • No permanent blinds. 
  • Hunting parties will not hunt over less than 12 decoys or more than 24. Decoys must be picked up daily. No vehicles allowed.  
  • No hunting within 200 yards of an occupied duck blind. 
  • The northern acquisition at Rip Rap Landing is closed to waterfowl hunting. 

Deer

Deer hunting (all available 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. 

Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season

Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.
  • Walk-in Area opens at 12 pm daily and runs to legal closing time during duck season

Late Winter Antlerless

Not available at this site.

Muzzleloader

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Special CWD

Not available at this site.

Youth Firearm

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Turkey

Note: Area could be under water during spring seasons due to spring flooding.

Fall Archery

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Fall Shotgun

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Youth Spring

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Requires a county-specific permit issued through the statewide lottery.

Waterfowl

Season and bag limits determined by state and federal regulations. 

Hunting hours follow statewide regulations, except in the Walk-in Area which closes at 12 pm. 

All waterfowl hunting must be done from within a staked and registered waterfowl blind, except in the Walk-in Area. 

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. 

Ducks/Coots/Mergansers

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • 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:

  • 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.  

Snipe/Rail

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Youth Waterfowl

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • Held the weekend before the duck season opener. Information regarding Youth Waterfowl applications can be found on IDNR’s website.

Upland/Small Game

Controlled Pheasant Hunting

Not available at this site.

Crow

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply.

Dove

Available at this site. Statewide regulations apply, except:

  • 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, except:

  • 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