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Ralph Loos

Ralph Loos: Illinois measure to increase deer rifle capacity fixes handgun ‘snag’

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, National News, Opinion /

Sometimes hunters see a snag in what otherwise seems like a good idea and are not shy about saying, “Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
That’s the family-friendly version of what a hunter is not shy about saying. This seems to be the case with the proposal to increase the capacity of centerfire rifles from one to three rounds for the Illinois firearms deer season.

Ralph Loos: Illinois measure to increase deer rifle capacity fixes handgun ‘snag’ Read More »

Big fish, tiny fish and odd fish – Illinois DNR stocked 22.6 million of them

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

Illinois DNR stocked 674,200 largemouth bass in lakes and rivers across the state last year, which sounds like a big number.
But it’s small-time compared to the nearly 13 million saugers and more than 5 million walleyes collected by fisheries biologists from DNR’s hatchery system and set free in state waters for anglers to someday catch – if the creeks don’t rise and luck is on their side.

Big fish, tiny fish and odd fish – Illinois DNR stocked 22.6 million of them Read More »

Report confirms Muskegon Lake’s impressive list of species available for southwest Illinois anglers

Illinois, Lake Profile, Lake Profile /

Regular anglers on Muskegon Lake aren’t typically interested in rankings – unless they’re being asked to rank the fish species found in the 4,150-acre water body.
Even in that case, anglers struggle to put together a list, seeing that Muskegon has one of the most diverse fish populations in the state.

Report confirms Muskegon Lake’s impressive list of species available for southwest Illinois anglers Read More »

Ralph Loos: Michigan hunters and anglers will pay the price of ‘doing,’ as we always do

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Michigan, National Fishing, National Hunting, Opinion /

Michigan anglers have remained somewhat silent on the state’s push to raise the price of hunting and fishing licenses – at least compared to Michigan’s hunters, who have not been as shy when it comes to pointing out something sportsmen in many other places have been shouting for a decade. “We need more hunters, not more hunting fees.” This isn’t a new cry. And it’s not an exclusive claim.

Ralph Loos: Michigan hunters and anglers will pay the price of ‘doing,’ as we always do Read More »

Illinois Deer Classic adds fishing expo to Peoria event

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois, National Fishing, National Hunting, National News, News /

Cason Walwer became a legend of the Illinois Deer Classic two years ago. When the 2026 edition of the show opens at the Peoria Civic Center later this month, deer hunters and fans from across the state will be eager to see if anyone matches the set of antlers Walwer displayed in 2024.
Or the story of his find, for that matter.

Illinois Deer Classic adds fishing expo to Peoria event Read More »

Ralph Loos: Deer permit ‘free for all’ isn’t helping the average hunter

Featured, Hunting, Illinois, National Hunting, Opinion /

For a long time now, deer hunters up and down Illinois have been asking for more chances to do what we do: hunt deer.
We’ve pointed to counties where deer are overpopulated and said, “we can take care of that.” We’ve watched DNR sharpshooters creep into woods at the end of each hunting season as a means of monitoring CWD, and we’ve repeated, “we can take care of that.”
Apparently nobody thought we could. Lately, though, we’ve seen an odd turn in thinking.

Ralph Loos: Deer permit ‘free for all’ isn’t helping the average hunter Read More »

Remembering Mike Conlin, a staunch advocate for Illinois fisheries

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

Mike Conlin, whose footprints and pawprints can be found on just about every tool used to build the Illinois DNR’s Division of Fisheries over a magical four-decade period, died Feb. 12 at the age of 81. 
A 38-year career with DNR began as a fisheries biologist and later included 30 years as Illinois’ Chief of Fisheries. Conlin retired from DNR in 2009 as director of the Office of Resource Conservation. 

Remembering Mike Conlin, a staunch advocate for Illinois fisheries Read More »

Illinois budget has few lines for sportsmen

Featured, Fishing, Hunting, Illinois, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News /

Illinois DNR offices that involve hunting, fishing and recreational shooting would see just a handful of new workers under the recently-proposed state budget.
Headcounts in the Office of Resource Conservation would go from 236 to 238, while DNR’s Office of Law Enforcement would adjust upward from 197 to 199. The World Shooting Complex would continue to have a single DNR staffer at the Sparta site.

Illinois budget has few lines for sportsmen Read More »

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