New Look for the 2018–2019 Illinois Hunting and Trapping Digest

When you pick up a copy or download the 2018-2019 Illinois hunting and trapping digest this month you’ll note there are some big changes.

The format for the Digest was established in the late 1980s when the then Illinois Department of Conservation’s Division of Wildlife Resources opted to expand the information available in the historic pocket-sized guide and include the sunrise/sunset tables that had been a separate document.

Developing the language for the Digest is a herculean task, paring down the vast of information contained in the Illinois Wildlife Code and presenting the legalese in a user-friendly, but legally accurate, format.

“Over the past nearly 30 years the information presented in the Digest has increased because we have learned more about effectively managing wildlife, which also includes a balance with countless public interests, particularly of hunters and trappers,” explained Jared Duquette, Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Program Manager with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Division of Wildlife Resources. “In addition, new rules and legislation that change the Wildlife Code typically requires modifying information in the Digest annually. To incorporate and keep all this information contemporary is no easy task, but important to hundreds of thousands of resident and non-resident hunters in Illinois.”

In developing the 2018-2019 Digest, the main goal was to reformat the digest to allow sportsmen and sportswomen to easily find and understand all the information they need to hunt or trap, and to eliminate redundant information, decreasing the length of the Digest.

“Hunting regulations are complex and past Digests required readers to turn a lot of pages to find pertinent information,” said Duquette. “Years of hunter harvest data suggested Illinois hunters and trappers tend to focus on a limited number of species, so splitting species up into associated sections made sense. Also, because federally approved waterfowl hunting dates now are available earlier, we were able to include a waterfowl hunting section and eliminate the need for a separate Waterfowl Digest.”

Now readers will be able to flip to a section on the species or group of species they want to hunt or trap and find all the information they need. For example, if someone wants to hunt turkey, they can flip to the turkey section and see all spring and fall turkey hunting information. Separate sections also exist for deer, waterfowl, upland game and furbearers, as well as for statewide regulations, wildlife-human conflicts and hunting and trapping on IDNR sites. Much of the text formerly shown as footnotes has been moved into tables so readers can easily reference information and specific regulations. As in past years, any new regulations are highlighted. Featured on this year’s cover is a scene Ryan Maxwell, DeWitt, took at Clinton Lake State Recreation Area, DeWitt County, of a female deer feeding at sunset in a winter field. This year’s Digest also includes numerous wildlife photographs which were provided by Illinois residents participating in a contest advertised through social media venues.

“Intially this year’s Digest will appear slightly different because it is arranged into sections, but readers will find that nearly all of the information is the same,” Duquette explained. “It’s just organized better.”

Developing the new format entailed receiving input from a variety of sources, including IDNR staff from the Division of Wildlife and Offices of Lands and Law Enforcement.

Duquette elaborated on the role sportsmen and sportswomen played in development of the new Digest: “The input we received from participants responding to the Hunter and Trapper Harvest Surveys, and comments from participants in the Learn to Hunt Program surveys, were extremely valuable in helping us determine what existing and new hunters and trappers need in the Digest. We value surveys like these because they help the Department implement what sportsmen and sportswomen want, not what we think they want.”

The input doesn’t stop here. IDNR looks forward to feedback from Digest users, including comments on IDNR and partner program surveys. A social media survey also is planned to ask users how they like the new Digest.

“Our goal is to improve the Digest each year to meet the needs and interests of hunters and trappers, and the input that we receive will be invaluable in directing future editions,” Duquette concluded.

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Kathy Andrews Wright is retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of Outdoor Illinois magazine. She is currently the editor of Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal and Illinois Audubon magazine.