Two hybrid crappies and eight black crappies were collected by Illinois DNR in its 2024 fall survey of Citizens Lake. Meanwhile, the agency stocked 500 hybrids from the Banner Marsh Rearing Ponds in late October.
Indeed, the crappie experiment at the Warren County lake is very much alive.
Each time the Illinois DNR releases its annual Hunter Incident Report, I’m reminded that bad things happen because of two very different kinds of decisions: instant decisions that are made on the spot without any thought, and well-thought-out decisions that are made gradually over many years.
The most recent report is based on hunting incidents that took place during this past year’s hunting season – right up until Dec. 31, 2024.
A measure that allows the World Shooting Complex to hire people as young as 14 to keep score at the Grand American World Trapshooting Championships passed the Illinois General Assembly May 29 and will be sent to the governor for his signature.
Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to sign the bill soon, allowing the state to hire a roster of scorekeepers in advance of this summer’s Grand American.
Illinois DNR made an educated guess about a guest, and that guess turned to reality when the guest did what the guess said it would do.
DNR did not predict the part about the bee hive, though. A black bear was confirmed in southern Illinois in late May, months after DNR had warned state residents that visits by black bears should be treated with diligence and safety.
Right on schedule, black bear wanders in – then out of Illinois Read More »
As he was telling the story of how he managed to accomplish one of hunting’s most impressive and impractical feats, Jack Robertson was quietly sweating out the task of helping a fellow hunter reach a goal of his own.
There was a tiny wince in his voice. Keep in mind that Robertson, a “mostly retired” business owner and still-emerging hunting legend in central Illinois, is now one of only 20 people to officially complete the National Wild Turkey Federation’s “Super Slam” – a task that requires a turkey harvest in each of the 49 states that has a turkey season.
Illinois turkey hunter joins elite company in accomplishing Super Slam Read More »
The fish in Wolf Lake that got the most attention this winter was not one of the northern pike, walleyes or largemouth bass ice anglers flock to the awkwardly-presented Cook County lake to (hopefully) catch.
It was actually a jellyfish. A February article published in the Post-Tribune explained that Nadine Folino-Rorem, professor of biology at Wheaton College, had been investigating freshwater jellyfish – Craspedacusta – living in Wolf Lake, which is located on the Indiana-Illinois border.
Peculiar ‘fish’ in spotlight, but pike still rule Wolf Lake in Cook County, Ill. Read More »
Our printing press had barely spit out the May 2 front page of Illinois Outdoor News that included a story about biologists unrolling nets and charging up electrofishing gear when a news tip came crashing down on my desk.
And by “crashing down,” I mean I dropped an entire mug of coffee over my keyboard trying to read a curious email that began, “Dear Editor, since it’s obvious you are enamored with fish sampling . . .”
Uh, enamored seems a bit exaggerated.
Measures designed to give hunters a bigger role in managing the state’s deer herd passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly by unanimous votes.
House Bill 2339, which requires DNR to end its sharpshooting program used to manage CWD if no cases have been found in the previous three calendar years, and House Bill 2340, which makes landowner deer permits more accessible in counties where CWD has been found, both passed on May 21.
Lawmakers passed the measure allowing Illinois DNR to make timely adjustments to gray fox trapping and hunting. House Bill 3760 is expected to be signed into law by the governor this summer.
It could set a precedent for wildlife legislation in Illinois, even though it merely involves the changing of a few words. The primary provision permits the DNR director to set the open season for gray fox hunting annually, shifting language from “will” to “may.”
Bill giving Illinois DNR control over gray fox seasons advances Read More »
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