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Ralph Loos

Research shows squirrels in Illinois have preferences

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

An important analysis for hunters who plan to hit the woods for the Aug. 1 Illinois squirrel opener: According to University of Illinois research, fox squirrel activity peaks at mid-day, while gray squirrel activity peaks at dawn and dusk.
One more important tip is for squirrel hunters to steer clear of roadways. At least, these are things a study of the two primary species of squirrels in Illinois found after analyzing hours and hours of camera trap surveys.

Research shows squirrels in Illinois have preferences Read More »

Ralph Loos: Catfish getting due spotlight on Wabash River from Illinois, Indiana researchers

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

A lot of attention given to catfish in Illinois is focused inland – on the hundreds of lakes and farm ponds that hold channel cats, blue cats, and flatheads.
The Mississippi, Illinois, and Ohio rivers, which stand long and wide on each side, also attract plenty of fanfare, especially from anglers with special river skills required to locate and hook each of those species. But often overlooked in the catfish conversation is the Wabash River, its Illinois portion covering a 200-mile long stretch from just above Darwin to the Ohio River down near Old Shawneetown.

Ralph Loos: Catfish getting due spotlight on Wabash River from Illinois, Indiana researchers Read More »

Top duck hunting club in southern Illinois closed after baiting case

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

A southern Illinois hunting club that described itself as the top waterfowl harvesting commercial club over a 15-year stretch and claimed to hold the state record for Canada goose harvests has been ordered to close its doors for two years after admitting to a federal charge of baiting.
Burns Hunting Club, which for decades hosted duck and goose hunters in pits on the south side of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, was given the order by a district judge after club owner Hugh Thomas “Tom” Burns, Jr. admitted to the baiting charges.

Top duck hunting club in southern Illinois closed after baiting case Read More »

Illinois deer hunters face new tactics to managing herd

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

Deer hunters across Illinois remain curious about what the 2025 season will look like after lawmakers this spring pushed through measures to rejigger the permit process for taking nuisance whitetails and restructured landowner permit allocations.
At the same time, DNR’s new 5-year pilot project aimed at evaluating its own CWD monitoring process launches this year, altering the much-aligned sharpshooting program in northern counties and the way biologists collect deer samples across the state.

Illinois deer hunters face new tactics to managing herd Read More »

Muskie growth rates still in focus at Lake McMaster in Knox County, Ill.

Illinois, Lake Profile, Lake Profile /

Put aside all other fish data gathered by the Illinois DNR and consider the agency’s ongoing effort to monitor growth rates for muskies in Lake McMaster.
Muskies have been tagged in the Knox County body of water since 2002, and since then biologists have kept track of recaptured male and females.

Muskie growth rates still in focus at Lake McMaster in Knox County, Ill. Read More »

Ralph Loos: Fish are much smarter than we think… I think

Featured, Fishing, Illinois, National Fishing, Opinion /

I just took my first fishing trip of the year, attempting to lure walleyes while spending a weekend in a mountain cabin on a lake near Winter Park, Colorado.
The going was tough, to say the least. Over breakfast on the last day of our stay, I mumbled to my female companion something along the lines of, “Mountain walleyes seem to be a lot smarter than flat-land walleyes.” Without missing a beat, my female companion shot back, “I’m starting to think the same thing about men.”

Ralph Loos: Fish are much smarter than we think… I think Read More »

Single grass carp only find during spring samplings in Chicago Area Waterway System

Featured, Home Page News, Illinois, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Amid all the political fits and fusses this spring that led to the pausing and restarting of the massive project to prevent invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan, some good news was emerging in a place where politics do not matter. The water.
A report by the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee indicates that no bighead or silver carp were captured or observed in the Chicago Area Waterway System during the group’s Spring Seasonal Intensive Monitoring effort in late May.

Single grass carp only find during spring samplings in Chicago Area Waterway System Read More »

Volunteers the engine behind the success of Illinois DNR’s turkey brood survey

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

What we are learning two years into the Illinois DNR’s new method of gathering brood survey information is that you – and people just like you – have taken the role of “turkey tabulator”  very seriously.
In 2023, about 55% of wild turkey sightings in the revamped Illinois survey were observed by non-scientists spending time outdoors who “happened to spot a turkey.” A look at the virtual site that tracks reports indicate that, in 2024, a whopping 92% of turkeys sighted were sighted by you – and people just like you. DNR is again looking for volunteers in 2025.

Volunteers the engine behind the success of Illinois DNR’s turkey brood survey Read More »

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