The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) will hold two additional public meetings in the state’s south waterfowl hunting zone in response to hunter feedback about the timing of the duck season split for the 2026-2030 seasons.
All current south zone and south-central zone waterfowl hunters are encouraged to attend and provide input at either meeting. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Southern Illinois University, Lawson Hall, Room 151. The second meeting will take place on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria and commons area at Carlyle High School.
IDNR notes that waterfowl zone boundaries for 2026-2030 have already been determined. The upcoming meetings are intended to gather hunter input on season timing, the length of the split, and split timing. No advance registration is required.
The new zone lines and season dates will take effect beginning with the 2026 season. A map of the waterfowl zone lines for the 2026-2030 seasons is available online.
Season dates and zone lines for the 2025-2026 hunting season are already established and can be found in IDNR’s current hunting and trapping digest or on the Hunt Illinois website