Applications open Sept. 1 for waterfowl hunting reservations

JEFFERSON CITY– Missourians who want to hunt ducks or geese on most wetland areas managed by the Conservation Department can start applying for reservations Sept. 1. Those who want to hunt at the three areas under the Quick Draw reservation system will enter the drawing closer to their hunt dates. All applications will be handled online again this year.

Hunters have from Sept. 1 through 15 to apply for waterfowl hunting reservations at Conservation Department-managed wetland areas. MDC will accept applications exclusively online again this year. You can apply for reservations at 12 wetland areas at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/9638. Drawing results will be available Oct. 1 at www.mdc.mo.gov/node/9632.

Drawings for Eagle Bluffs, Grand Pass and Otter Slough conservation areas will be handled under the Quick Draw system again this year. For those three areas, a drawing on Monday of each week will assign hunting slots for the following Friday through Monday. A Quick Draw each Thursday will assign slots for the following Tuesday through Thursday.

Whether applying through the traditional reservation system or Quick Draw, applicants need the nine-digit identification number found at the top of their hunting or fishing permit. The number also is next to the bar code on Conservation Heritage Cards.

To apply for reservations under Quick Draw, hunters over age 15 and under age 65 need a small-game hunting and a migratory bird permit. Hunters under age 16 only need a Conservation Identification Number.

Disabled hunters may apply for ADA blinds through Quick Draw. For non-Quick Draw areas, hunters may apply by calling the area office on or after Oct. 3. Hunters wishing to use an ADA blind must submit a physician’s statement of eligibility. For more information, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/node/9631.

Quick Draw applications will close at 3 p.m. the day of the draw. Results will be posted at the Quick Draw website at 12:01 a.m. the following day. Successful applicants who provide email addresses will receive notice of their reservation and of their order in the morning lineup to select hunting spots. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified, but can check draw results online.

Neither Quick Draw nor the traditional system allows nonresidents to apply for reservations. However, resident hunters who draw reservations can include nonresidents in their hunting parties. Nonresidents also can take part in the daily, on-site “poor-line” drawings under both systems.

Up to three additional people can hunt with someone who receives a reservation through Quick Draw. If four people want to hunt together, it makes sense for all four to apply, since each has an equal chance of being drawn.

Hunters who fail to use reservations are not penalized under either reservation system. Unclaimed reservations are added to those available in the “poor line,” where hunters without reservations can draw for a chance to hunt.

Quick Draw determines reservation holders’ place in line for selecting hunting spots. To give “poor line” hunters an equal chance at the best hunting spots, Quick Draw divides the selection process into tiers of five spots each. In each tier, one spot is reserved for poor-line hunters. Quick Draw includes reservations for handicap-accessible blinds.

Hunters may apply for reservations at only one Quick Draw area per day. However, there is no limit on the number of days you can apply. If you submit an application and change your mind about where you want to hunt, you can change your application up to the time of the drawing.

Most MDC-managed wetland areas are in good condition. However, some areas, including Bob Brown and Ten Mile Pond CAs, will have reduced food and cover because of flooding earlier in the year. Reports on hunting conditions at wetland areas will be available this fall at www.missouriconservation.org.

-Jim Low-