At least two anglers reported landing bass over 7 pounds in 2024. That jives with DNR’s report on the lake, which noted that in 37 DNR-sanctioned fishing tournaments in 2023, several bass over 6 pounds were weighed in, with the largest weighing 7½ pounds.
7.5-pound bass not uncommon in Illinois’ Mill Creek Lake Read More »
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of the Illinois Natural History Survey’s Human Dimensions Research Program. About the only thing I don’t like about it is its name, because “Human Dimensions” makes it sound like some sort of L. Ron Hubbard idea or operation.
Human Dimensions takes look at impact of youth waterfowl hunt in Illinois Read More »
Last year, 35% of antlered bucks shot in Illinois were “yearlings” – a description given to deer 1.5 years old. The yearling harvest was a slight dip from 2022 (35.5%), but a significant drop from a decade ago, when nearly 42% of antlered deer taken were yearlings.
Ages of antlered deer still climbing in Illinois Read More »
DNR now rates Evergreen Lake as an “average” bass fishery.
With that being said, it appears the 7-pound largemouth bass appears to be back at the central Illinois lake.
Magical 7-pound bass is back at Evergreen Lake in McLean County, Ill. Read More »
Between Jan. 22 and March 29 of this year, Illinois DNR sharpshooters removed 1,744 deer from 19 counties as part of the agency’s effort to monitor and control CWD.
Testing of those deer resulted in 127 positive cases, with 88 of those coming from Grundy, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle, and Stephenson counties – a section that has long been a “hotspot’ for CWD. The 127 positive deer taken by sharpshooters were among the 459 total positive cases in Illinois between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
Sharpshooters provided 127 of 308 CWD-positive deer in Illinois Read More »
Now and then some naive soul (dummy) goes out on a limb – sometimes literally – and attempts to either count the deer in his or her woods or, if they’re really of the ambitious sort, estimate the size of the entire Illinois deer herd.
They are almost always laughed off the stage, proverbial or otherwise. It’s an easy trap, but when someone, anyone, tries to goad me into estimating how many whitetails roam our state’s 57,000 or so square miles, I just kind of mumble, “It’d sure be nice to know, right?”
Ralph Loos: How many deer are there in Illinois? It’d be nice to know Read More »
With upland game season opening Nov. 2 in Illinois, this may be a good time for rabbit hunters to hold their collective breaths and look away.
Quail and pheasant hunters will want to exhale and pay attention.
DNR’s call counts and population surveys up and down the state this summer resulted in observers recording an average of 0.53 quail per stop, an encouraging 34% increase over 2023 counts. Quail were recorded at 26% of stops, which is a 23.7% increase.
Illinois upland bird hunters remain scarce, but more quail, roosters await Read More »
Standing on the sidelines is not a good look for Illinois deer hunters. Yet thousands and thousands of shotguns – and now single-shot rifles – sit unattended in thousands and thousands of gun cabinets.
The hunters? The first weekend of the firearms season arrives Nov. 22-24. Until then, it’s wait and watch as the rut nears. Prime time is near. Chatter and photos on social media indicate a promising deer season overall as October turns into November.
Deer season reaching annual ‘prime time’ point in the Midwest Read More »
Illinois ranks fifth in the nation when it comes to percentage of deer harvested by bow or crossbow, according a report by the National Deer Association.
NDA based its analysis on the 2022-23 season and put the Illinois archery harvest at 43% of the state’s total harvest that season.
Illinois remains among top five in archery deer harvest Read More »
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