In the mid-1970s, a pair of southern Illinois men with an interest in duck hunting and conservation shared a common thought: would it be possible to start our own Ducks Unlimited chapter?
Much discussion and bits of exploration later, with a handful of others working alongside, the thought exploded.
“We lit the fuse, but we didn’t really know where it would lead,” is how Dave Wente explains it.
The Minnesota DNR is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that, if adopted, would permanently ban the use of lead ammunition at Keystone Woods Wildlife Management Area in northern Washington County.
The proposed lead-free requirement has been in effect as a temporary, expedited emergency rule since the prized east-metro-area property opened to public hunting in fall 2024. If the proposal is adopted, Keystone Woods WMA would be the only lead-free WMA in the state.
There are some lakes you visit because you want to catch fish, and there are others where you go because you never quite know what might be tugging on the other end of the line.
Cedar Lake in southern Illinois falls into that second category.
Crappies, catfish in focus at Cedar Lake in Jackson County, Ill. Read More »
A look at upcoming outdoor-related events from across Illinois published in the Sept. 18, 2026 edition of Outdoor News.
Illinois’ Outdoor Calendar Read More »
Illinois cuffs and collars are field reports from Conservation Police Officers. These reports are from the Sept. 18, 2026 edition of Outdoor News.
Illinois Cuffs & Collars: Compliance check discovers wrongdoing by shore angler Read More »
Before you go out on the water, consider the type of bait to use, the time of day you are going, the location on a body of water that you will fish, and water and weather conditions, as well as the type of species you are planning to target.
Have a game plan – video Read More »
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to suspend a commercial logging project in southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, finding that the 2024 approval of the project under President Joe Biden violated the Endangered Species Act.
The agency improperly approved the project in October 2024 without waiting for a final “biological opinion” from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, an East St. Louis judge ruled.
Logging project halted in Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest Read More »
Change is on the way on the Rainy River, and it’s the kind anglers wait all year for.
Lake of the Woods Fishing Report – September 15, 2026 Read More »
The typical late-summer reporting of EHD in the Illinois deer herd came from an unusual place this year – a mostly residential neighborhood near the Fox River in Kane County.
Two confirmed cases in East Dundee are being attributed to a virus transmitted by a tiny insect, according to DNR. The two infected deer were found in the area of the Lakewood subdivisions, according to a post on the village’s website this week.
Illinois EHD makes first headlines of 2026 in residential area Read More »
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