The Illinois DNR announced that it will host “traditional” blind drawings at all state waterfowl hunting sites in July and August.
The question: Should the agency expect hunters to show up in throngs, which had been the tradition before COVID? Things are expected to run as normal for the first time since 2019. But an interesting thing has happened around the country in wake of the pandemic.
A few years back I became the source of a little sweating and a lot of swearing by half-jokingly suggesting DNR create some sort of online permit system to regulate the collection of shed antlers.
Of course, by definition, when you say something “half-jokingly” that means the other half of whatever stupid thing you said was not meant to be a joke. Lesson learned, mostly.
It’s not just us: shed antler hunting fails even scientists Read More »
Smallmouth bass isn’t a fish you expect to find among a collection of small lakes.
But Boss Lake in the Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area is going against the grain. DNR’s 2022 survey of the 15½-acre Boss Lake resulted in an increase in collection of smallies.
Smallmouth bass, sunfish get attention at Mautino in Illinois Read More »
In the same week that more than 60,000 tiny alligator gar fry were being delivered to Jake Wolf and Little Grassy fish hatcheries in support of Illinois’ ongoing reintroduction program, a giant 207-pounder was caught and released in a lake in Texas.
A glimpse into the future for our state’s anglers? Or just a funny coincidence?
Either way, the juxtaposition provides a fascinating look at the ancient fish and its potential for growth.
Black bears were spotted at each end of Illinois earlier this month, setting in motion a predictable stew of events that typically includes four ingredients: a fuzzy photo, social media buzz, police telling humans to keep their distance and DNR reminding everyone that bears sometimes wander.
Once those steps are taken, action always ensues. The bear wanders off into a neighboring state, never to be heard from again. The 2023 version of wandering bears started near Evansville, in Randolph County.
Bear sightings pop up in Illinois right on cue in June Read More »
Everyone seems to have a good time with our “Cuffs and Collars” page, the section of Outdoor News that shares incidents and reports from DNR’s Conservation Police Officers.
Even after roughly 16 years of putting this publication together, I admit that I still get tickled, amused or enraged by items I place there every other week.
The Wooden Shoes of Teutopolis caught 8 pounds, 15 ounces of fish on day two at Carlyle Lake to proverbially “drop the shoe” on what had been a tight field after day one.
And with that, Teutopolis High School captured the championship of the 2023 Illinois High School Association’s State Bass Fishing Tournament.
For reasons other than pike and gars, Rice Lake attracts curious anglers. It is popular with some anglers for the same reason it is unpopular with others: it is not separated from the Illinois River by a high levee, allowing its fish population to vary.
Alligator gars aside, Rice Lake in Illinois’ Fulton County provides a challenge Read More »
Without fanfare and minus any clamor – much like the strategies vital to a successful turkey hunt – Illinois hunters nearly broke the state record harvest during the 2023 spring season.
DNR’s initial report put the harvest at 16,121, just a few clicks south of the record 16,569 turkeys taken in 2006. This spring’s harvest was a significant increase over the 13,701 birds killed during the 2022 spring season.
Illinois turkey hunters nearly break state’s record harvest this spring Read More »
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