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Tuesday, September 15th, 2026

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Illinois’ Steeleville Ducks Unlimited chapter began rather humbly, has since raised $1 million

A scene from a past Degen Sanders Memorial Youth Hunt put on by the Steeleville Chapter of Ducks Unlimited. The chapter is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. (Photo provided)

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.

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