Without mentioning Eric Schenck, who had been executive director if the Illinois Conservation Foundation for a little over two years, DNR announced Crystal Curfman as the new executive director. ICF is an arm of the DNR, though the relationship has always been somewhat cloudy. The DNR director automatically serves as chairman of the ICF Board of Directors. Former DNR Director Wayne Rosenthal had appointed Schenck….
After a year of study, Southern Illinois University will offer its suggestions on getting the most out of hunter and angler paradise that is the 19,700-acre Pyramid State Park and the trapshooter nirvana that is the World Shooting and Recreation Complex.
The survey came after news broke that Gov. J.B. Pritzker wrote the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a letter last week indicating that he had authorized the state’s collaboration with preconstruction, design and engineering work in the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet.
Harvest totals as of this morning (April 16) stood at just over 4,900 – a solid start on the way toward the goal of 15,000 once the season wraps up in mid-May.
A technical problem of some sorts paused the sale of “leftover” turkey permits, which had been scheduled for over-the-counter sales on March 12. The Illinois DNR has announced that those permits will go on sale beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday. “In fairness to all turkey hunters, I decided to delay the start of over-the-counter sales for an additional week,” DNR…
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s choice to run DNR is Colleen Callahan, a 61-year-old Edwards resident who runs her own communications consulting firm, formerly worked as an agriculture broadcaster and has deep roots in Illinois politics. In his announcement, Pritzker did not point out any connections Callahan has with the state’s outdoors.
SB 201 provides that the “Department shall adopt by rule a public process to certify ammunition as nontoxic ammunition and shall define, by rule, nontoxic ammunition to include only ammunition in which there is no lead content, excluding the presence of trace elements of lead.”It’s early in the spring legislative session, but already an interesting – not to mention confusing – bill…
Many expected an announcement today, but still no word from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office on the fate of DNR Director Wayne Rosenthal – or who his ultimate replacement will be. Pritzker, a Democrat, was sworn into office Jan. 14, replacing Republican Bruce Rauner. The strong bet for the DNR job so far is Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Smithton. An…
Fifty-six percent of the deer taken in the muzzleloader-only season were does.Hunters harvested 3,863 deer during the 2018 muzzleloader-only season, which took place this past weekend. The harvest tally was up slightly from the 3,765 taken in 2017. According to the Illinois DNR, harvest sex ratios were 56 percent does and 44 percent bucks (2,172 to 1,691). The top five counties for muzzleloader…
And at least 30 of the points are scorable, the DNR says.
Harvest at 13,068 deer. At the same point in 2017, the harvest stood at 10,912.
Archery harvest at 7,352 deer through Oct. 14. The number was 7,069 for the same period in 2017.
The founder of Tim Grounds Championship Calls, he won calling World Championships in 1988, 1992 and 1994.
It appears the Illinois DNR has a new chief of the department that manages the state’s fish. Dan Stephenson, who retired from the position this summer, announced via email Monday that Mike McClelland has accepted the role of leading the Division of Fisheries. McClelland spent 14 years with the Illinois Natural History Survey, mostly as the Long Term Illinois River Fish…
DNR implements non-toxic shot policies.
Five Illinoisans who’ve helped shape and support the state’s wildlife, nature and outdoor recreation will be inducted into the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame this fall. The new class was recognized Saturday in Conservation World at the Illinois State Fair. The Illinois Conservation Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, selected Diane Banta, Jerry Beverlin, David F. Grohne, Sam Oliver,…
Whitefish will be the fourth state record fish caught in 2018.
How Illinois will use the funds, made up of non-taxpayer dollars from Outer Continental Shelf lease revenues, is unclear. There will be limitations because the funds come through federal matching grants that leverage public and private investment.
Hunters took only 13,500 turkeys during the 2018 spring season, well behind the 2017 harvest of 15,720.
Springfield — Five years after Illinois added a fourth waterfowl hunting zone, most hunters in the state remained indifferent to the change – though some in the south and south central zones are still uneasy. This according to the 2016-17 Waterfowl Hunter Report, which was released in March by the Illinois Natural History Survey. A fourth waterfowl zone – the…
The DNR has been opposed to supplemental feeding but appears to be neutral on a proposed University of Illinois deer study.
A resident of McLeansboro, Folden is a 15-year veteran of DNR.
Illinois youths harvested 664 turkeys, down from last year’s opening weekend total of 776.
Stan McTaggart, who has spent more than four years managing upland game as the DNR’s agriculture and grassland wildlife program manager, is replacing Bob Bluett as the agency’s wildlife diversity program manager. Among other things, McTaggart, who also has served the DNR as a district wildlife biologist, will be responsible for the state’s furbearer program. According to Mark Alessi, chief of the DNR’s Division of Wildlife…
DNR Fisheries Chief Dan Stephenson blames the decrease on “younger people are not engaging in outdoor activities like
older generations before them.”
Former Illinois DNR Director Sam Flood has died at age 78. Flood, who was appointed to the job by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on an interim basis following the retirement of Joel Brunsvold in 2005, served the DNR until 2009. Flood had been deputy director at the DNR before taking the top job. His primary duty was described as overseeing construction…
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