Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County) Hunter Fact Sheet

“Gabaret, Mosenthein, Chouteau Island Unit”

“Chain of Rocks Canal Navigation Project”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing hunting in accordance with regulations of Title 36 --Parks, Forest and Public Property CHAPTER III U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS PART 327 RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING PUBLIC USE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ADMINISTERED BY THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS. Hunting is permitted on federal property adjoining the state-owned properties to include designated federal properties located on the east and west side of the Chain of Rocks Canal.

LOCATION: In the East St. Louis Area in Madison County, 1 mile west of Granite City. The state property is located in three parcels west of the Chain of Rocks canal and adjoining the Mississippi River. This area is a satellite of the Horseshoe Lake State Park and additional information may be obtained from the park at the listed address. Federal property is located on both sides of the Chain of Rocks Canal with additional parcels extending north to the Lewis and Clark Park and south of Interstate 270.

SETTING: The state hunting area consists of 2,329 acres of a blend of habitat types. The Gabaret Island parcel is 930 acres and includes 680 acres consisting of row crops, 40 acres of bottomland forest with the balance consisting of a grassed levee around the parcel. Mosenthein Island is 1,077 acres of bottomland forest located in the Mississippi River and accessible by boat only. The Chouteau Island parcel is 323 acres which includes approximately 286 acres of row crops with the balance consisting of wetland forest edges. The federal hunting area consists of 650 acres of bottomland forest and 420 acres of prairie and scrub/shrub habitat.

THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS WILL APPLY TO STATE AND FEDERAL PROPERTIES

Site specific regulations that apply to all properties include the following:

1. No firearms loaded with single projectile ammunition (slugs, rifle bullets, black powder balls, etc.).
2. No permanent blinds or stands allowed.  Portable blinds/stands must be removed each day.   It will be unlawful to construct or to use any tree stand using nails, screws, wire or any device which pierces or cuts the bark of the tree on which it is installed.   One stand per hunter.  
3. All prospective hunters will be required to obtain a free site permit and windshield card from Horseshoe Lake State Park or the Rivers Project office.
4. All registered hunters will be required to report their harvest by March 31.  Failure to return the permit and report harvest sheet, will forfeit hunting privileges in the subsequent year.
5. Hunters will be required to park in designated parking lots and display the windshield permit in primary source of transportation. No vehicles are allowed in the hunting areas.  No ATV’s are allowed on site.
6. It is unlawful for any person to possess any alcoholic beverage at the check station or in any hunting/trapping area for the purpose of hunting or trapping.
7. All hunters, except waterfowl hunters, must wear blaze orange required by firearm deer hunters during all gun seasons.
8. It is unlawful to use or occupy a ground blind during any firearm deer season, unless at least 400 square inches of solid, vivid blaze orange material is securely attached to the uppermost portion of the blind and a substantial amount of orange is visible for 360 degrees.

Squirrel

1. Statewide regulations.
2. Shotgun or archery only.

Archery Deer
1. Statewide regulations.
2. In addition to statewide regulations, this site is also open to archery hunting during youth, regular, muzzleloader, and late winter firearm deer seasons. 
3. It is unlawful to track deer with dogs at this site during hours when deer hunting is being conducted on the site.

Upland Game (Cock Pheasant, Bobwhite Quail, Rabbit and Hungarian Partridge)
1. Statewide regulations.

Wild Turkey (Spring)
1. Statewide regulations.

Wild Turkey (Fall Archery)
1. Statewide regulations.

Wild Turkey (Fall Shotgun)
1. Statewide Regulations

Crow, Woodcock, Snipe and Rail Hunting
1. Statewide regulations.
2. All hunters must make a reasonable effort to retrieve downed birds. All crows must be removed from State or Federal property by the hunter.

Furbearer Trapping
A total of two trapping permits will be awarded per season through a public drawing to be held at the site during the last week of October. Registration for the drawing will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the drawing will be held at 11:00 a.m. Interested participants must possess a current or previous year’s trapping license. Trapping area maps will be available at the site. Trapping will be permitted after the close of waterfowl season. Statewide trapping regulations will be in effect, with the following site specific regulations in effect:

1. A permit is required.
2.Only Egg Traps, D-P (Dog-Proof) Traps, box traps, cage traps, and traps of similar design may be used for land sets.
3.Only body gripping traps with a jaw spread of 4 ½ inches or less and square body-gripping traps with a 10-inch jaw spread may be used for water sets.
4.No traps can be set without tags.
5.Trappers are required to report harvest to the site by April 20th.

Waterfowl
1. Statewide regulations.
2. Early Canada goose hunting is closed on IDNR property in September
3. No cutting of vegetation on site.
4. Waterfowl hunters must maintain a distance of 200 yards between hunting parties.

Teal
1. Statewide regulations.

Furbearer Hunting
1. Statewide regulations.
2. Shotgun and archery only.

THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS WILL APPLY ONLY TO STATE AND FEDERAL PROPERTIES WEST OF THE CHAIN OF ROCKS CANAL

Dove

1. Hunting is restricted to the managed IDNR fields.
2. Registration will be held at the Horseshoe Lake State Park Main Office check station for permit and non-permit holders from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily on IDNR property.
3. Hunting hours will be from noon to 5 p.m. for the entire season which is September 1 through October 14.
4. For the first 5 days of the season, hunting will be by permit only. Permits will be issued from the Springfield Permit Office prior to the season. A standby drawing will be held to fill all other vacancies.
5. After the first 5 days, a daily drawing will be held each time more than 30 hunters properly register for the daily hunt.
6. All hunters must be present for registration and drawing. Up to four hunters may register on one card.
7. All hunters will be required to check into the Horseshoe Lake State Park Main Office check station prior to hunting and check out at the park to report their harvest at the end of their hunt.
8. All hunting will be done from numbered stakes. When a dove is downed, hunters are required to leave their gun at their stake while retrieving their bird(s). Hunters must hunt within 10 feet of assigned stake.
9. No cleaning of doves is allowed on state properties.
10. It is the hunter’s responsibility to remove all refuse, including empty shotgun shells and boxes, from the hunting area once they have finished hunting.
11. ONLY NON-TOXIC SHELLS ARE PERMITTED AT THIS SITE. Maximum shot size allowed in possession is #6 steel shot or #7 1/2 bismuth shot.
12. Non-hunters are not allowed in the fields.

THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS WILL APPLY ONLY TO FEDERAL PROPERTIES EAST OF THE CHAIN OF ROCKS CANAL

Dove
1. Statewide Regulations
2. Non-toxic shot only. Maximum shot sized allowed in possession is #6 steel shot or #7 1/2 bismuth shot.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Horseshoe Lake State Park at (618) 931-0270 or the Department of the Army St. Louis District Corps of Engineers (636) 899-2600

Equal opportunity to participate in programs of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and those funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies is available to all individuals regardless of race, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion, or other non-merit factors. If you believe you have been discriminated against, contact the funding source’s civil rights office and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, IDNR, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702; (217)785-0067; TTY (217)782-9175.