A tagged flathead catfish captured by DNR biologists last year in Canton Lake turned out to be an original fish taken from the Illinois River and stocked in the 250-acre lake in December 1998.
“That would make this fish at least 29 years old – if it was a 2-year-old at stocking,” DNR noted in its most recent report on Canton, one of the top catfish lakes in the state.
Flathead stocked in 1998 sampled in Illinois’ Canton Lake Read More »
As Illinois wraps up the first year of its 5-year CWD Pilot Program, neighboring states Iowa and Missouri are also altering their management approaches – including how they utilize hunters to help control the disease in their deer herds.
The Illinois plan focuses on surveillance – sampling hunter-harvested deer and suspect deer – and adaptive management, such as sharpshooting infected areas, particularly in northern and west-central Illinois where the disease is endemic.
Year one of Illinois CWD pilot ends; Iowa and Missouri adjust plans Read More »
A proposal for the Illinois Farm Bureau to support supplemental feeding of deer in Illinois as a way to ease crop damage fell flat at the organization’s annual meeting this month.
But a push to put more pressure on the state’s raccoons, skunks, beavers, and ground hogs was given a “thumbs up.”
Illinois Farm Bureau puts beavers, groundhogs, skunks on notice Read More »
Everybody wanting to see a bigger deer harvest in Illinois this year has turned to the state’s bowhunters with a request.
Can we count on you? An anticipated boost in the state’s firearms take did not materialize this year, as the two weekends of hunting produced a total harvest of 81,225 deer, down slightly from the 82,496 taken last year.
Gun season harvest dips slightly in Illinois Read More »
Fishing enthusiasts, from the worm-and-bobber crowd to those on the tournament circuit, have a field day when the waters warm and the fish begin to feed actively. The fun for many continues throughout the warm months and into mild southern Illinois winters.
Dutchman Lake in southern Illinois continues channel cat stockings Read More »
Few things in life have been as fun as tracking deer and rabbits after a light snow – or even a winter rain that leaves a healthy helping of mud. We’ve all done it, and we all begin the process the same way: by identifying the tracks as specifically as we possibly can so we know what we’re tracking.
Ralph Loos: Most bucks and does have same size feet – that tracks Read More »
At 4:54 a.m. on opening day of the 2025 bowhunting season, a curious Illinois hunter took one last sip of coffee and paused before shutting down his laptop to head out his back door toward the woods.
“I wondered to myself if ChatGPT knew where I could find a deer?” Matt Carlson said, recalling that awkward thought. “So I typed in that exact question.”
Carlson laughs out loud when he describes the answer the Artificial Intelligence (AI) website offered. AI wasn’t much help to Carlson. but it is on the list of technologies being closely eyed by DNR’s Office of Law Enforcement.
Artificial intelligence won’t find you a deer, but may find you trouble as a hunter Read More »
Four counties have been added to the list of those open for the 2026 late-winter deer season, which will be held over two weekends (Jan. 1-4 and Jan. 16-18) in Illinois.
One county that was on the late-winter list last season – Putnam County – will be open for the CWD season instead. As of Dec. 5, DNR had not made a public announcement about the upcoming late-winter and special CWD seasons, but permits for the two seasons were set to go on sale Dec. 10.
Late winter deer hunt to open in 30 Illinois counties Read More »
A growing saugeye population in Argyle Lake was confirmed in the best way possible in June 2024. That’s when a new state record 10.85-pounder was caught by Michael Farniok, who was fishing a small crankbait near the dam.
Saugeyes, bass and channel cats thrive in Argyle Lake in Illinois’ McDonough County Read More »
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