Online registration for Upper Mississippi Waterfowl Blind Drawings open now until May 22

UPDATE 5/24/2016: The co-registrant selection process is being delayed until June 1-10, 2016, due to some programming issues and to confirm hunter contact information that was incorrectly entered during the registration period. If you entered the drawing and did not receive an e-mail informing you of the draw results, please contact MDC at (573) 898-5905, ext. 1890.

St. CHARLES, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds waterfowl hunters that online registration for the Upper Mississippi Waterfowl Blind Drawing is now open and will continue until Sunday, May 22.

Starting this year, all waterfowl blind site draws for the Upper Mississippi Conservation Area restricted waterfowl hunting zone will be conducted electronically. The biennial (every other year) drawings had previously been held via in-person drawings where hunters were required to be present.

Waterfowl hunters should go mdc7.mdc.mo.gov/applications/UpperMissBlindDraw during the registration period. Once there, registrants will need to provide their conservation ID number, email address, and phone number. This will enable them to choose one, all, or any combination of the following three options:

• Enter up to 30 specific blind sites from detailed maps of pools 24, 25, and 26
• Specify any available site from one specific pool
• Specify any open site from any of the three pools

The random electronic drawing will be held May 23. After the drawing is performed, winning applicants will be notified via email. Successful applicants may only be assigned to one blind site. From May 25-June 3 those applicants may choose up to three co-registrants to occupy the blind site with them.

Registrants must also meet the following requirements:

• All applicants must be at least 16 years old
• Those between age 16 and 64 are required to have a current annual Resident or Nonresident Small Game Hunting Permit and a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
• Any honorably discharged military veteran having a service-related disability of sixty percent (60%) or greater, or was a prisoner of war during military service, or any member of the U.S. military currently assigned as a patient to a Warrior Transition Brigade, Warrior Transition Unit, or a military medical center, will only need a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
• Missouri residents age 65 or older only need to have a Missouri Migratory Bird Hunting Permit
• Nonresidents age 65 or older need to have a nonresident Small Game Hunting Permit and a Missouri Migratory Bird Permit
• A Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Federal Duck Stamp) is not needed to apply, but will be necessary while hunting

The main drawing for Upper Mississippi Conservation Area waterfowl blind sites will continue to be held every other year on even years. Redraws will also be held electronically on odd-numbered years.

For more information, call the Upper Mississippi Conservation Area at 573-898-5905 or the MDC St. Louis Regional Office at 636-441-4554.

The Upper Mississippi Conservation Area includes federal lands along the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. These federal lands include Pools 24, 25, and 26 and consist of 87 separate tracts totaling 12,500 acres between Melvin Price Lock and Dam and LaGrange, Mo.