Illinois Mixed Bag: Fishing Clinics Set at Oakhurst Forest Preserve

Aurora — The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is set to hold two open fishing clinics at Lake Patterson in Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora.

Offered in partnership with DNR’s Urban and Community Fishing Program, the free clinics will teach participants basic angling skills, including casting, knot-tying and fish identification, according to a news release from the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. Instructors will also demonstrate ethical angling practices.

Participants may bring their own fishing equipment or borrow loaner tackle and rods while supplies last, organizers said. No registration is required.

The fishing clinics will be from 5 to 7 p.m. July 29 and Aug. 12 at Oakhurst Forest Preserve, 1680 Fifth Ave. in Aurora. Both clinics are free. For more information, call 630-444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com.

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Spotted Skunk Expected to Be Listed by USFWS

Washington — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed the 90-day finding on a petition to list the plains spotted skunk under the Endangered Species Act. The petition presented substantial new information, and the agency will initiate a 12-month review of the species to determine whether listing is warranted.

While not an Illinois resident, the plains spotted skunk is found in neighboring Missouri and Iowa. It is also found in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

In 2023, the USFWS determined that the plains spotted skunk did not warrant listing, based on the best available scientific and commercial information at that time. Since then, new data suggest that the species may have a reduced distribution or occur at very low numbers in the Great Plains and may warrant reconsideration for federal protection.

During the upcoming status review, the USFWS will fully evaluate potential threats to the species and review the best scientific and commercial information available. This review will determine whether listing the species under the Endangered Species Act is warranted, not warranted, or warranted but precluded.

The USFWS invites anyone with scientific and commercial data or other information regarding the species and factors that may affect its status to submit that to the Service to inform the review.

This notice was published in the Federal Register at federalregister.gov on July 14.

State Pheasant Fund Application Period to Open

Springfield — DNR is accepting applications through Aug. 1 for the State Pheasant Fund Special Funds and the Illinois Habitat Fund Special Funds Grant programs.

The pheasant habitat and wildlife habitat programs enhance the natural environment for pheasant and wildlife through projects developed by nonprofit organizations and governmental entities for conservation. Funding for the State Pheasant Fund Special Funds and the Illinois Habitat Fund Special Wildlife Funds grants comes from the sale of habitat stamps to sportsmen and sportswomen.

Applicants must register and be current in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act portal. Applications must be submitted online. For additional information, email susan.duke@illinois.gov.

Iowa DNR Expects Positive Pheasant Season

Des Moines, Iowa — After neighboring Iowa’s pheasant population reached its highest level in two decades last year, state wildlife officials say conditions are shaping up for another strong hunting season. The Iowa DNR is preparing to launch its annual August roadside survey, but an early forecast based on weather patterns suggests that pheasant numbers should be similar to last year.

“We’ve been counting birds for about half a century now,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist with the Iowa DNR. “Looking at this year’s weather compared to last year, it’s saying expect about the same. Given the counts we had last year, that’s a good prediction for this fall.”

Last year’s roadside survey found an average of 28 pheasants along each 30-mile survey route, up about 50% from the previous year, when the statewide average was below 20 birds per route.

“That was a really good number,” Bogenschutz said. “We heard from hunters that it was a good fall. Numbers are regional, some areas better than others, but overall across the state, very good numbers.”

Final harvest figures from the 2025 season have not been released, but Bogenschutz said reports from hunters indicate that it may have been Iowa’s best pheasant harvest in about 20 years.