Chief’s Letter

As the waning days of summer approach outdoor enthusiasts start thinking about the approaching hunting and trapping season. One signal of the fall season is the release of the annual edition of the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations. Included in the Digest are notations of regulation changes for the coming year. Of note in this edition are the newly adopted youth deer permit structure changes, updates to the County-Specific Restricted Archery Zones, the reduction in the waterfowl hunting framework from four to three hunting zones, a change in the daily and possession bag limits for lesser scaup and the addition of two Public Hunt Areas. The Digest also includes an update on the ongoing management of Chronic Wasting Disease in white-tailed deer, which is further explained in the story CWD Management Program Changing.

New to hunting or interested in giving it a try? The story Make this Offseason Count provides numerous tips for getting started. If you are one of the 4,000 archery deer hunters receiving an annual questionnaire this year, review the story How Archery Hunters Can Help Track Wildlife to understand how valued your observational data is to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Natural resource enthusiasts may be interested in reviewing another story to learn how biologists and researchers have worked to compile four decades of striped skunk population data.

Those readers most interested in the finned creatures swimming Illinois’ waters will find an assortment of stories, starting with one on the major rehabilitation project taking place at Spring Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area that will benefit the site and create a healthier aquatic habitat to enhance fishing and recreational opportunities for years to come. Additional features will help you learn how to accurately measure your fish, boost your angling confidence and learn about boat access improvements that have expanded fishing opportunities at three southwestern Illinois sites. Stories on lake sturgeons and crappies, and a series on youth angling programs, round out the fishing related features in this edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal.

Craving more about Illinois’ natural resources? Peruse the series of articles on ospreys and other raptors, but know that the article Rock River Peregrines Take Flight isn’t about peregrines but a newly formed Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves group working to preserve a unique natural area in Ogle County. When it comes to land management, we’ve prepared articles about transforming your lawn into a pollinator-friendly landscape, the anniversary of the nation’s first national tallgrass prairie, a site preserving a 260-year-old witness tree and how some of the solar installations popping up across the state are providing valuable pollinator habitat.

There’s even more for you in this edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal—a treatise on red oaks vs white oaks as well as stories on prescribed fire management and the iconic family of prairie plants known as the Silphiums. If you are one of the 59 million Americans who enjoy feeding birds, review the story on the pros and cons of feeding birds and learn what actions you can take to help maintain a healthy avian community. A companion story addresses how feeding wildlife—intentionally or accidentally—can create nuisance wildlife issues and property damage, and in some instances is illegal. You can also meet two of the state’s newest District Wildlife Biologists. And there’s even more! Check out this edition of OutdoorIllinois Journal at your earliest convenience and come back often to delve into our archive of articles. Use the search features to quickly locate topics of interest.

OutdoorIllinois Journal is a collaborative effort led by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Divisions of Wildlife Resources, Natural Heritage and Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. Funding for OutdoorIllinois Journal was made available through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-147-T and the Fish Management Fund.

Click on the “subscribe” button on the main page to ensure you receive notifications as additional OutdoorIllinois Journal postings are made. And follow us on Facebook (/livingwithwildlifeIllinois) and Instagram (@livingwithwildlifeIllinois).