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Gretchen Steele

Gretchen Steele: Costello Lock and Dam in southern Illinois is a hidden gem for camping

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

If you’re looking for a peaceful place to set up camp this fall – a spot where you can watch the river work, wet a line, and still have easy access to clean restrooms and level ground – let me suggest a trip to one of southern Illinois’ most underrated destinations: the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam on the Kaskaskia River near Modoc.

Gretchen Steele: Costello Lock and Dam in southern Illinois is a hidden gem for camping Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Tales from the ‘pop-up porch’

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

After a two-year hiatus, due to old age and decrepitude, my dearly beloved and I finally felt ready and physically able to hit the campgrounds again.
While our days of backpack camping in the wilderness are over, like everything else in life, camping is still possible when you are in your golden years or disabled. It just takes some adapting. We are firm believers in adjusting, adapting, and overcoming in our household.

Gretchen Steele: Tales from the ‘pop-up porch’ Read More »

Gretchen Steele: October’s quiet magic now playing across Illinois

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois, National Fishing, National Hunting, Nature Page & Night Sky /

October doesn’t exactly arrive in southern Illinois – it drifts in, slow and sure, like the morning fog rising off the river bottoms.
One week you’re still swatting mosquitoes and cutting grass, and the next, you’re pulling on a flannel before daylight and smelling wood smoke in the air. Somewhere between the last hum of cicadas and the first rustle of dry leaves, we turn the corner.

Gretchen Steele: October’s quiet magic now playing across Illinois Read More »

Gretchen Steele: A guide to public land etiquette during deer season

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, Opinion /

Deer season is upon us in Illinois, and with it comes the excitement of the hunt and the opportunity to connect with nature. But with increased activity on our public lands, it’s more important than ever to remember that we share these spaces with fellow hunters, hikers, birdwatchers, and nature lovers.
Let’s ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone by practicing good etiquette and respecting the land we all cherish.

Gretchen Steele: A guide to public land etiquette during deer season Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Illinois wasn’t always the whitetail destination it is today

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting /

As the late September breeze carries the promise of the upcoming deer season, the anticipation is palpable in southern Illinois.
The golden hue of soybeans, the rhythmic fall of acorns, and the flickering trail camera images of whitetails preparing for the season all contribute to the excitement. For many, deer season is not just an event, but a cherished part of the year, akin to the anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner. But it wasn’t always this way.

Gretchen Steele: Illinois wasn’t always the whitetail destination it is today Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Big year for Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl Chapter in Illinois

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting /

There’s a certain kind of magic that happens along Illinois’ Kaskaskia River before dawn.
You know it if you’ve ever been there – when the mist rises off the water, the air holds its breath, and a handful of hunters lean forward just a little, waiting for the first flock to swing in. That feeling – that mix of anticipation, tradition, and camaraderie – isn’t something you can explain easily to folks who’ve never shouldered a shotgun in the half-light.

Gretchen Steele: Big year for Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl Chapter in Illinois Read More »

Gretchen Steele: Mid-August in southern Illinois is when hoverflies and spiders rule

Featured, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

I just came in from my daylight coffee on the back porch and quick sashay through the fence row squirrel hunt, and boy howdy, can you tell it’s August in southern Illinois!
The “corn tassel bees,” as they are called in our neighborhood, are everywhere, and yeegads, the abundance of spiders and webs. (I swear every spider from the door to and through the fence row had built a web at face height) By mid-August, Illinois is at its late-summer peak – fields are thick and green, waterways are warm and inviting, and the air feels just a little heavier with the buzz of life.

Gretchen Steele: Mid-August in southern Illinois is when hoverflies and spiders rule Read More »

Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl Chapter in Illinois sets fundraising record

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, News /

The Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl Chapter in Illinois celebrated a milestone achievement at its 2025 annual banquet by raising a record-breaking $51,250 in net proceeds.
This marks the highest fundraising total in the chapter’s 19-year history, surpassing all previous goals and reaffirming its commitment to waterfowl conservation and outdoor heritage.

Kaskaskia River Delta Waterfowl Chapter in Illinois sets fundraising record Read More »

Gretchen Steele: A late-summer bucket list to accomplish in Illinois’ outdoors

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, Nature Page & Night Sky /

August in southern Illinois is not for the faint of heart – or the poorly hydrated. The tomatoes are splitting on the vine, the cicadas scream like tiny chainsaws in the trees, and the air feels like someone left the soup pot on. Still, somehow, this month holds a wild, golden magic.

Gretchen Steele: A late-summer bucket list to accomplish in Illinois’ outdoors Read More »

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