SPRINGFIELD – Waterfowl hunting blind drawings will take place at several public hunting areas in Illinois the last weekend of July, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced.

IDNR intends to host traditional blind drawings at all sites scheduled for this year. Participants are advised to follow any site-specific drawing procedures.

Duck and goose hunters must register in person for waterfowl blind site drawings and must be present during the drawing at each designated location immediately after the registration period to claim their blind sites. Mail-in or pre-registrations are not accepted. Blind allocations for these sites are good for one year.

To participate in a drawing, applicants must present a 2021 or 2022 regular Illinois hunting license (no apprentice licenses or youth licenses will be accepted unless the youth license holder also presents hunter safety certification); a 2021 or 2022 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp at the time they register, unless exempted by law; and a valid photo identification. Applicants must be at least 16 years old by the date of the drawing.

Applicants needing to purchase new licenses and stamps should do so prior to the drawing. Most blind drawing locations will not have license sales available. Licenses and stamps are available at any IDNR license and permit vendor, through the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov or by calling 1-888-6-PERMIT (1-888-673-7648).

Registrants are no longer required to possess a valid Illinois Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card from the Illinois State Police to participate in blind drawings. To be eligible for the drawing, participants must not have had his or her hunting privileges suspended or revoked by the IDNR or any other jurisdiction at the time of the drawing. Out-of-state residents must have an annual (five-day licenses not accepted) 2021 or 2022 non-resident hunting license for Illinois and a 2021 or 2022 Illinois Migratory Waterfowl Stamp.

Individuals with a disability precluding them from hunting from a waterfowl blind may be accommodated through the issuance of a Standing Vehicle Permit from IDNR. Please visit the following link for an application:  https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/LPR/Documents/StandingVehiclePermitApplicationForm.pdf

The 2022 blind drawings schedule for area sites is as follows:

Saturday, July 30, 2022

(Blinds allocated for one year. All registration times are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

• Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, DeKalb County: Registration at the park office. Directions: Go 2½ miles south of Shabbona on Shabbona Road, turn east on Shabbona Grove Road and go ½ mile. Office is on left side of the road.
• Sinnissippi Lake, Whiteside County: Registration at Harry Oppold Marina on Stouffer Road on the east edge of Sterling.

Sunday, July 31, 2022

(Blinds allocated for one year. All registration times are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

• Lake DePue State Fish and Wildlife Area, Bureau County: Registration at Oak Grove Park, ¾ mile west of DePue on Illinois 29.
• Starved Rock State Park, LaSalle County: Registration at Buffalo Rock State Park (large picnic shelter area). Three miles west of Ottawa on Dee Bennett Road.

Additional hunting information and maps of the sites can be accessed at https://huntillinois.org/hunt-planner and  https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/FactSheets/Pages/default.aspx.