Prairie State Wire

Waterfowl hunters in Illinois should prepare for the upcoming waterfowl blind drawings at several public hunting areas, as announced by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The traditional blind drawings will be held at various sites this year, and participants are advised to adhere to site-specific drawing procedures.

Hunters must register in person for the blind site drawings and be present at each location immediately after the registration period to claim their blind sites. Mail-in or pre-registrations are not accepted. Blind allocations are valid for one year.

To participate, applicants must present a 2023 or 2024 regular Illinois hunting license, a 2023 or 2024 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp unless exempted by law, and valid photo identification. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by the date of the drawing. Apprentice licenses and youth licenses will only be accepted if accompanied by hunter safety certification.

Licenses and stamps should be purchased prior to the drawing as most locations will not have them available for sale. These can be obtained from any IDNR license vendor or through the IDNR website.

Registrants no longer need a valid Illinois Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card from the Illinois State Police to participate in blind drawings. Participants must not have suspended or revoked hunting privileges from IDNR or any other jurisdiction at the time of the drawing. Out-of-state residents require an annual non-resident hunting license for Illinois and an Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp; five-day licenses are not accepted.

Individuals with disabilities that prevent them from hunting from a waterfowl blind may apply for a Standing Vehicle Permit from IDNR online.

The schedule for 2024 blind drawings is as follows:

**Saturday, July 27, 2024:**

- Chain O' Lakes State Park and Redwing Slough/Deer Lake State Natural Area, Lake County: Registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oak Point day use area.

- Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area, Will County: Registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the site office.

- Kankakee River State Park and Momence Wetlands, Kankakee and Will Counties: Registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kankakee River State Park office.

- Mazonia State Fish and Wildlife Area, Grundy County: Registration from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at the site office.

- Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, DeKalb County: Registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at park office.

- Sinnissippi Lake, Whiteside County: Registration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harry Oppold Marina.

- William Powers State Recreation Area, Cook County: Registration from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at Shelter #2.

**Sunday, July28 ,2024:**

- Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area,Fulton County :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p .m.atarea check station .

-ClearLake,MasonCounty :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p .m.atSandRidgeStateForestheadquarters .

-LakeDePueStateFishandWildlifeArea,BureauCounty :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p .m.atOakGrovePark .

-MarshallStateFishandWildlifeArea ,includingSparlandUnit ,MarshallCounty :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p .m.attheareacheckstation .

-RiceLakeStateFishandWildlifeArea,FultonCounty :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p .matarea check station .

-SanganoisStateFishandWildlifeArea,CassandMasoncounties :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p.matmaintenancebuilding .

-SpringLakeStateFishandWildlifeAreaandPekinLakeStateFishandWildlifeArea,TazewellCounty :Registrationfrom10a .m.to2p.mat southparkofficearea .

-StarvedRockStatePark ,LasalleCounty :Registrationfrom1oa.mt oap m.atBuffaloRockstatepark(largepicnicshelterarea).

-Woodfordstatefishwild lifeareaWoodfordcounty:Registerationfrom1oa.mt oap m.atthesitecheckstation .

Additional information on these sites can be accessed online through IDNR’s resources.