They are the kind of numbers that have long made the state’s hunters bristle: 220 in Jo Daviess County, 174 in Carroll County, 171 in Grundy County, and 166 in Stephenson County.
Those are how many deer were removed from 18 northern Illinois counties by DNR-trained sharpshooters between Jan. 23 and March 31 of this year.
Sharpshooting may need ‘retooling’ to fight CWD in Illinois Read More »
If you somehow lured 100 Illinois deer hunters into a room, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume 74 of them hunt with some kind of bow – for at least part of the season.
That’s what we learn from the National Deer Association, which again has shared an analysis of hunters, deer and the types of weapons hunters use to kill deer. According to NDA’s 2023 Whitetail Report, Illinois had the highest percentage of archery hunters on its roster of resident deer hunters.
Illinois again on top among percentage of deer hunters who use archery equipment Read More »
DNR’s fall sampling of Carlyle Lake provided catfishermen a trio of reasons to be pumped about future excursions to the 24,580-acre lake.
Large flatheads liven up fall sampling at Carlyle in Illinois’ Clinton County Read More »
Three decades ago, before DNR was gathered and grouped in a glass headquarters on the Illinois State Fairgrounds, biologists and other staff worked in random offices scattered around Springfield.
Let’s say you were a newspaper reporter in the Capital City and you wanted to talk to someone about a squirrel problem. There as no Internet to speak of, so you needed a map and library card just to figure out who was doing what, and where.
Illinois loses biologist who had big impact, bigger laugh in Bob Bluett Read More »
Bird hunters in Illinois rarely hear the words “up and coming” in reference to areas that show promise for upland game species.
But this year, the west-central part of the state is being branded as such for pheasants, of all things. It’s certainly a breath of fresh air for a hunting endeavor that has gotten stale. Upland game hunting continues to wane up and down the state, as do populations of rabbits, quail, and pheasants. So any good news is widely accepted by the dedicated group of hunters.
Upland hunters in Illinois setting bar low, but open to surprises Read More »
How use of single-shot rifles will affect harvest during this year’s Illinois firearms deer season remains the big unknown, as does how it impacted harvest numbers during the October statewide youth hunt.
A month later, DNR has yet to report on the youth harvest. This was the first year rifles were allowed. The regular firearms season, which runs Nov. 17-19, also will allow rifles, the result of a new state law that went into effect Jan. 1.
How much will use of rifles during Illinois’ deer season impact participation, harvest? Read More »
A front page article in the Oct. 20 issue of Illinois Outdoor News shared a finding that surprised many hunters around the state and perplexed at least a few biologists who have helped manage the state’s wildlife.
The result: my email box runneth over. If you missed it, the story reported on an Illinois Natural History Survey study regarding dove hunters’ beliefs about lead versus non-lead ammunition. Basically, surveys returned to INHS revealed that 81% of Illinois dove hunters were opposed to a ban on lead shot.
The debate rages on among Illinois hunters: get the lead out, or not? Read More »
A largemouth bass that weighed a tad under 8 pounds was pulled out of Lake Sara in 2022, basically backing DNR’s strategy in 2017 to implement a protected slot limit on bass.
The 8-pounder, which was caught during one of the 52 tournaments held on Sara last year, was not the only large bass weighed in. There was one that weighed 7.2 pounds, and another that came in just under 7 pounds (6.9 pounds). There were a handful of bass caught that topped 6 pounds.
Bass weighing 8 pounds signifies Lake Sara strategy in Illinois’ Effingham County Read More »
Six out of 10 deer taken during last year’s shotgun season were bucks, according to DNR’s published report on the 2022-23 harvest.
The exact harvest ratio of 59.2% males to 40.8% females was not exactly breaking news – Illinois shotgun hunters have harvested 55% to 60% bucks over the past decade or so. The deer harvest report, authored by Deer Program Manager Peter Schlichting, also confirms another ongoing trend among Illinois firearms hunters: a serious reluctancy to waste time.
Illinois firearms hunters took more bucks last year – and took ’em early Read More »
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