Nov 1, 2024
Hunting participation in the United States has declined over the past several decades. A special youth waterfowl hunting season to reverse, or at least mitigate, declines in hunting participation started in 1996. After 27 years an important question remains: has the youth waterfowl hunting season had an impact on youth hunting participation in Illinois?
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Introduced to hunting as a child, today Lauren Dean hunts not only for the reward of harvesting her own meat but as a way of spending time in the woods with her husband and dog, and to experience cool things in nature. New to Illinois, she attributes her success in learning the regulations and finding places to hunt to the Illinois Learn to Hunt program.
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According to the American Sportfishing Association, more than 24 million people annually participate in bass fishing. In 2009, the Illinois High School Association included bass fishing as a competitive team sport, with 324 Illinois high schools participating in the 2024 spring season. In addition to the school-sanctioned events, competitive tournament trails have been created to provide youth anglers with opportunities to fish all year long.
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What should you do when an Illinois Conservation Police Officer checks you in the field? Many factors come into play when a field check is performed. This article provides a few suggestions for a basic standard check.
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When you are in the deer stand during archery deer season and the deer aren’t present you have time to watch wildlife from a new perspective. Join author Tom Hintz as he recounts his first-ever archery hunt and enjoying the moment with black-capped chickadees.
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Chinook and coho salmon migrate to the Lake Michigan shorelines each fall looking for a place to spawn, signaling the onset of the Illinois snagging season. More than just an opportunity to land a large fish, for many anglers this unique approach to fishing is a cultural event.
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Many people are familiar with the saying that pertains to the real estate business: “The First Rule in real estate is Location, Location, Location!” That same axiom might be properly applied to trapping, as well. This article highlights some elements that help trappers decide where to make a set and how those decisions can change with changing circumstances.
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Even though muskrat harvest has declined, and their populations are lower today, there are still plenty of muskrats in Illinois. Grab some binoculars and perhaps a camera and get out and learn first-hand about muskrats and how these interesting animals utilize wetland habitats.
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Like many states, Illinois has faced the challenge of dealing with invasive species and one of particular concern is the black carp. A bottom-dwelling fish, black carp are voracious predators of mollusks, posing a severe risk to native mollusk populations, and a threat to the fishing industry. Learn how state and federal agencies are working to address the threat of black carp in Illinois and other parts of the Mississippi River Basin.
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We continue learning about the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River Bottomlands Natural Division as we delve into details about the nearly 225-mile shoreline of the Illinois River from the mouth of the river upstream to LaSalle.
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A message from Chief Mike McClelland
Welcome to the November 2024 edition of the online magazine OutdoorIllinois Journal, featuring timely, seasonally based stories about the Prairie State’s wildlife resources, with an expansion of content to include a broader range of subjects—including endangered and threatened species and Illinois’ unique, high-quality habitats and the people working to preserve, protect and manage these resources.
