Even as a boy, I always was interested in the outdoors, hunting and fishing. When I was in high school in Des Plaines, I used to ride my bicycle up Route 12 to fish in lakes. I guess it was natural that I ended up as a fishery biologist, reflected Bruce Muench. Read on to discover more adventures from a memoir by Bruce Muench, the first technically trained fisheries biologist hired by Illinois in 1950.
Are you a pond owner and have questions about what fish to stock, if restocking is necessary or how to manage aquatic weeds? Contacting your IDNR District Fisheries Biologist prior to making pond management decisions can help landowners save money and successfully reach their pond goals.
What are you seeing in your Outdoor Illinois? Read on to learn seasonal activities of some of Illinois’ most iconic wildlife. Depending on your location in Illinois, some of the events reported may occur at different times. In this story, the seasonal activities reflect those observed primarily in the central part of the state.
On Saturday, June 14, 2025, William W. Powers State Recreation Area on Chicago’s Southeast Side came alive with families, laughter and discovery. More than 500 people, many visiting a state park for the first time, gathered for the second annual Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Everyone Belongs in Nature Festival. What happened that day is best expressed in two words: belonging and joy.
Diseases like canine distemper and competition with coyotes have likely contributed to a noticeable decline in the Illinois gray fox population. After reviewing all available data—hunter and trapper harvest data, Archery Deer Hunters Survey trends and SIU-C research project findings—the Illinois Department of Natural Resources drafted legislation to close the Illinois gray fox season, which was passed by Illinois’ House and Senate and the bill signed by Governor JB Pritzker. The gray fox hunting and trapping seasons are now close.
Soon available online, at the Illinois State Fair and at hunting and trapping license vendors throughout the state is the 2025-2026 Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Highlighted within this story, and in the Digest, are regulation changes hunters and trappers should review before taking to the field. Featured on the cover of the latest edition of the Digest is a Kevin Wright photo of an American mink.
