Max Actis and Mike Stuckert, both of Spring Valley, caught a total of 11.23 pounds of fish on Sunday to win the 2010 Illinois Walleye Trail State Championship. The duo also captured the Big fish award with a 3.36 pounder. Second place went to Bob Apple, of Chadwick, and Brad Linton, of Rock Falls, with 9.42 pounds. Third place went…
Doubts about this year’s spring turkey season may have been premature, as hunters in the state’s south zone opened with the best opening week since 2004. According to DNR, the April 5-9 season resulted in a total of 1,637 birds being taken. Tht caompares to the 1,477 harvested during the same week las year. DNR turkey biologists Paul Shelton said…
The spring turkey season opened in the south zone Monday and early reports indicate that the gobbling is light. North zone hunters open their first week on April 12. Meanwhile, numbers from the Youth Turkey Hunt have been released. North zone youth hunters took 440 birds April 3-4, which is up from 363 last spring. South zone youth hunters harvested…
DNR has stocked more than 60,000 rainbow trout in 43 ponds and lakes statewide – which means the popular spring trout season is a go. This year’s season opens at 5 a.m. on April 3. Inland trout stamps are available for $6.50 each at DNR Direct license and permit vendors or by phone at (888) 673-7648. For a list of…
A Waterloo man landed a 4 pound, 5 ounce white crappie last week at Kinkaid Lake. The catch missed the state record by two ounces. Mike Zimmer, 33, had the fish weighed three times before learning that he was short of the state record caught by Kevin Dennis on April 8, 1973. Zimmer’s behemoth that measured 19 inches long and…
In a case that seems here to stay until someone pulls an Asian carp out of Lake Michigan, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled against closing Chicago-area shipping locks as a means of preventing invasive Asian carp from infesting the Great Lakes. It’s the second time the nation’s highest court rejected a request by Michigan to issue a preliminary…
An Illinois hunter and his guide have been fined a total of $2,500 for charges related to illegal wolf hunting, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. John Shott, of Genoa, was convicted March 3 under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and fined $1,500 for wolf hunting without a licence and $500 for abandoning the carcass and leaving…
DNR sent reminders this week that the new license year for Illinois fishing, hunting, and sportsmen combination licenses begins April 1. Which means current licenses expire March 31. New licenses are available online through the IDNR web site (www.dnr.state.il.us), or by calling 888-673-7648. Online license buyers can use American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or E-Check. The 2010 annual licenses are…
DNR has promoted Travis Lloyd, an office director, to the position of deputy director in he agency. The promotion comes with a raise, from about $76,000 per year to $96,324. Republican lawmaker in southern Illinois are questioning a promotion at a time when the state is billions of dollars in the hole. “The salary adjustment he received (from $75,996 to…
Random daily drawings for 2010 Illinois Spring Wild Turkey Hunting permits begin on Tuesday. Over-the-counter sales of county permits for the Resident Spring Youth Wild Turkey Season are also currently being accepted. Those permits will be available from DNR Direct license and permit agents, and through DNR Direct online and by telephone at 888-673-7648. The dates for the 2010 Spring…
DNR, with help from Ducks Unlimited and the Illinois Conservation Foundation, has purchased and will maintain 450 acres along the Illinois River near Browning known as “Pluckeman’s Slough.” Pluckeman’s Slough is a 1.5-mile waterway that links the Illinois with the Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area. DU announced the acquisition during its annual Illinois state convention in East Peoria. According…
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that rules governing possession of firearms on National Wildlife Refuges have changed as a result of legislation enacted by Congress. The law went into effect Feb. 22 and allows an individual to lawfully possess a firearm within the boundaries of a National Wildlife Refuge in accordance with federal, state and local firearms laws….
Outdoor News has received a copy of the letter sent by DNR Director Marc Miller to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the USFWS to consider an option that would allow a fourth duck huntinng zone in Illinois. “Setting duck hunting seasons that will accomodate hunting for a variety of duck species (early v. late migrants)and hunting styles is…
According to reports out of Springfield, DNR has changed its mind about a proposal to allow non-resident archery hunters to purchase a second combination archery deer permit. DNR, however, still wants to allow non-resident hunters to take part in the October youth deer season. John Buhnerkempe, chief of DNR’s wildlife division, sent the following e-mail: “Regarding amendments to 17 Ill….
Locks and gates in Chicago-area waterways may be opened less frequently than usual in an effort to keep Asian carp from overrunning the Great Lakes, federal officials said after a carp confab in Washington on Monday (Feb. 8). Michigan and five other Great Lakes states had requested – they even filed a lawsuit – to close the gates, fearing the…
William K. Richardson, who once worked on the legal staff for DNR and was a f ormer Franklin County State’s Attorney, made his first court appearance on Feb. 3 to answer allegations of illegally taking a deer during the 2009 firearms season. According to DNR, Richardson, 45, of Benton, took three bucks during the Nov. 21-23 season. He was issued…
Illinois deer hunters bagged 33,293 deer during the second firearm season, which ended Sunday. Overall, the firearms harvest for 2009 stands at 99,419, the lowest total since 1999, when hunters took 92,196 deer. In the fall of 2008, hunters shot 105,595 total during gun season, 33,701 in the second weekend of the season. Preliminary reports show that Pike County once…
No Asian carp were spotted Dec. 3 in a Chicago canal during a massive fish kill aimed at trying to keep the giant fish from reaching the Great Lakes, officials said. Environmental officials said the lack of Asian carp may suggest the voracious fish hasn’t reached Lake Michigan yet. But they warned that that it’s too soon to declare victory…
Duck and goose counts in central and southern Illinois revealed lower numbers than counts in previous years. DNR conducted its first Southern Illinois aerial waterfowl survey Tuesday. The survey indicated just 4,050 ducks in the region, 2,390 Canada geese and 100 white fronts. A majority of the ducks were mallards, gadwall and various dabblers. Carlyle Lake was holding 1,800 ducks,…
Illinois archery hunters had harvested 11,945 deer through Sunday (Oct. 11), according to DNR numbers released today. DNR Deer Program Manager Paul Shelton called the fharvest results “comparable figures from previous years.” Last year at the same time, hunters had taken on 8,958 deer. Other years stats: 5,982 (2007), 9,949 (2006), and 11,841 (2005). Shelton said cool weather conditions continue…
Minutes after putting finishing touches on the Oct. 16 issue of Illinois Outdoor News Thursday, I went to the mail box and found an anonymous letter about a “28-point buck that was harvested in Central Illinois on Oct. 2.” The letter was rather vague: There were no names, addresses, phone numbers – and if I’d had CSI check it out,…
The two-week early goose season ends Tuesday, and so far hunters up and down the state seem to be having little trouble finding honkers. Chad Ossel, of Randolph County, said his hunting group has limited 5 out of 6 days they’ve been in the field. In the north, Paul Reynolds, of Kankakee, reports a steady bag limit, too. As for…
DNR has announced that resident 2009 Illinois Archery Deer Hunting permits (combination archery and antlerless-only archery permits) and turkey fall archery permits are now available over-the-counter from DNR Direct permit sale locations and on the DNR Web site. The seasons both open Oct. 1. Categories: Illinois – Ralph Loos
Have an idea to help DNR run more efficiently? Or do you just want to hear what’s going on behind the scenes in preparation for the upcoming Conservation Congress? DNR, which will host the Congress Oct. 24-25, is inviting the public to attend upcoming meetings of the Natural Resources Advisory Board’s Conservation Congress committees. Below are the committees, meeting dates…
Gov. Pat Quinn has signed a bill he said is intended to protecting the right to bear arms. House Bill 182 had passed the Illinois House 72-45 and the Illinois Senate by a veto-proof 57-0 margin, meaning there was little chance that Quinn could have kept it from becoming law – though he did have the option of running out…
DNR will conduct an auction of its inventory of confiscated and abandoned property on Saturday at the Jack Perschbacher Service Center warehouse in Pawnee. Bidder registration for the auction will begin at 7 a.m., with the auction beginning at 10 a.m. Potential bidders may inspect the merchandise beginning at 7 a.m. the day of the sale. The auction merchandise will…
