Saturday, August 8th, 2026

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Saturday, August 8th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Ralph Loos

Ralph Loos: Why not just have a good old-fashioned fish-off to break ties in fishing tourneys?

There are short stretches of down time in a fishing boat that set people like me up for long stretches of random thoughts typically shared with our annoyed fishing partners.
Such as, “What could possibly be more exciting than an overtime playoff hockey game?” That’s a random thought I cast toward a partner during a recent stretch of fishing boat down time.

Ralph Loos: Why not just have a good old-fashioned fish-off to break ties in fishing tourneys? Read More »

Illinois River invasive carp battle bit by politics, but vital funding released

Amid threats to push Illinois out of the project, federal funding has been released to build part of a barrier system to keep invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan from the Illinois River.
Management of the project was moved from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District in Illinois to the Detroit office in Michigan, but how that will impact the embattled project is still unclear.

Illinois River invasive carp battle bit by politics, but vital funding released Read More »

Sharpshooting program suspended by Illinois DNR after three counties added to CWD list

Three new counties have confirmed cases of CWD in deer, pushing the Illinois DNR to upend its unpopular sharpshooting program and once again refocus its approach to managing the expanding disease.
Effingham, Scott, and Stark join 25 other counties in the state with at least one confirmed case. More alarming, Effingham and Scott counties follow Adams County as having the first documented cases outside of the CWD “hot zone” – formally known as the  northern Illinois CWD endemic region.

Sharpshooting program suspended by Illinois DNR after three counties added to CWD list Read More »

Ralph Loos: Sore arms and all, Michigan hunters, anglers throw out funding ideas

As with everything else we dig into our pockets to pay for, the idea of reaching in and pulling out a bigger wad of dollars to hunt and fish – without any sort of obvious added benefit involved – tends to make a lot of arms sore.
Even those belonging to folks who acknowledge fee hikes are overdue in Michigan.

Ralph Loos: Sore arms and all, Michigan hunters, anglers throw out funding ideas Read More »

Ralph Loos: Deer gun capacity bill in Illinois still creating an overcapacity of confusion

First, I have to apologize to Todd Ring, the patient Huntley man who submitted a Letter to the Editor concerning the ongoing – and somewhat confusing even to firearms experts – legislation aimed at expanding the capacity of deer rifles and handguns in Illinois.
Actually, Ring sent me his thoughts – and I thought it was a great Letter to the Editor, so I asked if I could use it as such.

Ralph Loos: Deer gun capacity bill in Illinois still creating an overcapacity of confusion Read More »

Kinkaid Lake in Illinois gets new crappie regs; and survey sheds light on muskie fishery

One of Illinois’ premier fishing holes has adjusted its crappie regulations this year following a huge spawn that has put too many smaller slabs in its water.
Meanwhile, a survey of Kinkaid Lake this month collected 52 muskies – including a female measuring 44.25 inches. Both fish species appear to be thriving in the 2,750-acre water.

Kinkaid Lake in Illinois gets new crappie regs; and survey sheds light on muskie fishery Read More »

Nuisance permits for black vultures again available to Illinois farmers

DNR and the Illinois Farm Bureau are again working with federal agencies to get a handle on the growing black vulture population.
When it comes to the state’s “kettle” – a term for vultures soaring in circling formations – progress is still adrift. Bills in the U.S. House and Senate filed last spring – one by a Senator who is now serving at the Secretary of Homeland Security – both aimed to make it easier for farmers and employees to thin the population, but both measures stalled in the fall.

Nuisance permits for black vultures again available to Illinois farmers Read More »

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