Illinois Route 3

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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About a month ago on our family vacation we took an alternate route to St. Louis because of some heavy delays on the interstate. It cost us about 90 minutes on the trip but the view was quite worth it if you ask me. Don't ask Michelle :) We travelled Illinois Route 3 as it followed the Mississippi River for quite some ways in Southern Illinois. Quite an impressive delta. Chester was one of the bigger towns along the way. The whole time driving I was impressed by the large valley mostly covered in grain crops and was wondering what the duck hunting was like and were there freelance opportunities. Anyone from this area care to share with me the type of waterfowling they do?
 
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Man, two posts in one day, you're on a roll.
Try to pop in more often!
 
Eric thats crap down there, keep on commin north till you hit pool 13 and we will get you on some HDA (hott diver action) lol
sounds like a nice road to follow.
 
Pat

I checked the map and we went right by Wolf Lake. Driving along Route 3 area I got the sense that the vast grain agriculture positioned right next to the MS River with no real large population center nearby would translate into an area favorable for the average duck hunter. Thanks for the info.

Dave

Thanks for the invite. Are you still doing the river blind hunting? Season is months away but Thomas is getting me fired up this year more than in past years.

Eric
 
Thanks for the invite. Are you still doing the river blind hunting? Season is months away but Thomas is getting me fired up this year more than in past years.

Eric
Click to expand...

Thats why I think you both need to go to Turnbull NWR in Washington state.
 
I live in Marion, IL and hunt public ground along Route 3 in Illinois in the vicinity of Cape Girardeau, MO. As stated earlier, you can hunt Union County Conservation Area (run by the Illinois Dep't. of Natural Resources- IDNR). You can go onto the IDNR webpage and try to get a reservation there- having a reservation is the best way to hunt it. Also several private clubs along Rt. 3. Never hunted them, but they are all over that area. Also alot of public ground owned by IDNR or US Forest Service in that area that is freelance, but it's hit or miss like anything else. Good luck and hope you enjoy it if you come up this way.
 
Eric,

I do not live in S. IL anymore, but there is hunting along the Rte. 3 area and close to it. Horse Shoe Lake, The Scatters (if'n ya like snakes), Oak Wood Bottoms if you want to hunt flooded timber, Union County Refuge. There is Pyramid State Park a little bit east of 3 and there are other places we hunted that I can not think of the names of right now. You're not that far west of Crab Orchard NWR. I killed my first turkey up in the bluffs along Rte. 3. It is a great place to live if you like the outdoors. It is one of those places where there's a lot of hunting and fishing to be done and there are some folks who will never be able to hold permanent employment cause it would get in the way of their hunting and fishing.
 
Thanks for the info. If a guy were to hunt the MS flyway from top to bottom I figure that area would make the list of places to visit. That's the trip I want to reward myself with upon retirement. Only problem is I'm not to sure I'll be able to retire while I'm still young enough to take such a trip.

Eric
 
And I will make the trip with you!
I've got 9 years left with the state, by then boys will be getting ready to head off to college, so it will be a good time to go.
Dont forget to remind me!
 
Eric,

In high school I used to travel into Southern Illinois frequently to hunt from Cairo all the way slighty past Wolf Lake...Of course I had several friends whom had access to properties to hunt along the Mississippi and we also a few times freelanced the Mississippi hunting off both the north and south ends of islands and sandbars which were not occuppied by a blind...The hunting in that area can be non-stop as long as the winter weather has not pushed birds south which in that case you still get random flights that will keep your gun barrel hot...

The one thing I did learn about that river area is that it can be very dangerous depending on water conditions...Currents running over those sandbars may not look as if they are that swift because the volume of water but it can get dangerous if you are not prepared...

Regards,

Kristan
 
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