Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area: What Hunters Need to Know

Hunting rules at Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area

IDNR prints the following for Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area; read them with the Digest open beside you.

• It is unlawful to trespass on areas designated as waterfowl rest areas 14 days prior to duck season and until the end of duck season at Godar Refuge, Crull Impoundment Refuge, Dan Hudgins Rest Area, and Batchtown Refuge. (Areas indicated by dotted line on site-specific maps below.)
• Parking only allowed along roadways and in parking areas. No driving off roadway.
• No ATV's allowed on site
• Fishing is permitted, except on waterfowl rest areas (until the end of waterfowl season), waterfowl areas as posted during waterfowl season, or within 250 yards of an occupied blind on the open river.
• Commercial fishing allowed by permit only. There is no restriction on outboard motor size.
• Dog training permits are required for training purposes and may be obtained from the Headquarters during regular business hours. The permits are valid from Apr 1 – Mar 31 annually. Hunting of all game species is permitted in all areas according to statewide, Federal and site specific regulations as listed, except in access areas, waterfowl rest areas, or within 200 yards of occupied waterfowl blinds during waterfowl season.
• During duck season, no one is allowed to access the designated duck hunting areas by launching a boat at certain specifically posted boat ramps except waterfowl hunters. Boat ramps re-open to other hunters the day after duck season closes.
• While held to a minimum, be aware that natural resource management activities such as prescribed burning and non-native plant control may be conducted during the hunting season.
• See the Batchtown SFWA hunting site page for more information.

Do not forget the state-level rules while hunting Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area.

Digest rules from the 2026-27 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest (Illinois Department of Natural Resources); orange rule at IDNR hunter orange page; baiting at IDNR baiting page; Sunday rule: IDNR Sunday page. Site rules from the record source. Checked November 13, 2026.

Places to avoid near Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area

The closed list for the Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area area has 2 entries, shown below.

Closed rows are IDNR sites with no Hunt Illinois fact sheet and no hunting flag on the land-use layer; see the full closed list. Checked November 13, 2026.