Step Back in Time at Pere Marquette Rendezvous: Visitors can step back in time, to the days when frontier trappers met with fur traders and buyers, during the annual Pere Marquette Rendezvous reenactment festival at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton, IL on Sept. 10-12. The event is a traditional Pre-1840 Rendezvous, with buckskinned re-enactors portraying primitive traders and campers. There will be period demonstrations, black powder and longbow shoots, tomahawk throwing, camp music, and food common to days on the Illinois frontier. The public is invited and admission is free to the Pere Marquette Rendezvous, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 10 and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 11. For more information, contact Pere Marquette State Park at 618-786-3323.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Bobcat Permits: Hunters and trappers may apply for an Illinois Bobcat Hunting and Trapping Permit online at www.dnr.illinois.gov through Sept. 30. Applicants must submit a $5.00 non-refundable fee. Five hundred permits will be allocated during a lottery and mailed to successful applicants. Any leftover permits will be sold online on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/furbearer/Pages/BobcatHuntingTrapping.aspx
Resident Archery Deer Permits: Resident combination and antlerless-only archery deer permits are available over-the-counter (OTC) from DNR Direct license and permit vendors. Find a vendor link here: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/LPR/Pages/LicensePermitVendors.aspx
Non-Resident Archery Deer Permits: Illinois Non-Resident Archery Deer combination permits are available over-the-counter (OTC) from DNR Direct license and permit vendors. The Illinois Archery Deer Season is Oct. 1, 2016 through Jan. 15, 2017.
Firearm Deer Permits: Illinois Firearm Deer permits and Muzzleloader-only Deer permits remaining after this year’s lottery drawings will be available over-the-counter (OTC) from DNR Direct license and permit vendors beginning Oct. 18.
Hunting and Trapping Digest: The Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2016-2017 edition is available in PDF format on the IDNR website:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/HuntingTrappingDigests.aspx
Youth Deer Permits: Resident and non-resident Illinois Youth Firearm Deer permits are available over-the-counter (OTC) from DNR Direct license and permit vendors. The Youth Deer Hunt is Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 8-10, 2016. For more information:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer/Pages/YouthFirearmDeerHunting.aspx
Public Duck and Goose Hunting Area Permits: Hunters may apply online for the Illinois 2016 Public Duck and Goose Hunting Area Permit program. The second lottery application period deadline is Sept.14 for those unsuccessful resident applicants from the first lottery, residents who didn’t apply in the first lottery, and non-residents. The third lottery application period will be Sept. 15-28. All initial applications must be made online:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/waterfowl/Pages/OnlinePermitApplication.aspx
Fall Wild Turkey Shotgun Permits: Hunters may apply for the third lottery for 2016 Fall Wild Turkey Shotgun permits through Sept. 19. The dates for the Fall Wild Turkey Shotgun season are Oct. 22-30. For more information: www.dnr.Illinois.gov/hunting/turkey
Controlled Pheasant Permits: Hunters can apply online now for 2016-17 Illinois controlled pheasant hunting opportunities available at 18 IDNR sites. Fourteen of the sites are operated by the IDNR, while four other sites are managed by concessionaire T. Miller, Inc. For application information, check the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov orwww.tmillerinc.com.
INPC Meeting: The 224th meeting of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission will be held on Tues., Sept. 13 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Danada House, 3S501 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60189. The meeting is open to the public. For more information, phone 217-785-8686.
ICF 2017 Calendar: The Illinois Conservation Foundation’s annual Outdoors in Illinois 2017 wall calendar is available for order right now. Proceeds from the sale of the beautiful 2017 calendar support a variety of youth education programs at the Torstenson Youth Conservation Education Center, and the traveling Torstenson Education Station. The 9x12 calendar contains stunning photography of Illinois, and it can be purchased for $15 through the ICF website at www.ilcf.org or by phone at 217-785-2003. Order now and calendars will be available in October.
Youth Firearm Deer Season at JEPC: Youth hunters interested in participating in the Youth Deer Hunt (Oct. 8-10) at Jim Edgar Panther Creek (JEPC) State Fish and Wildlife Area must submit a postcard to the site office by Sept. 9 to enter a drawing for 75 hunters to hunt the two Open Units at the site. The drawing will be held Sept. 10. Youth should provide their name, age, address and phone number. Successful applicants will be notified. Successful hunters can purchase a Cass County Youth Firearm Deer permit at authorized DNR Direct license vendors throughout the state. Please note that the Control Unit and the Quail Management Unit at JEPC are both closed to youth deer hunters – youth hunting is allowed in the two Open Units only. Also be aware that archery deer season is also open during the Youth Deer Season, and there will be bow hunters in the field during the youth deer hunt. The Youth Deer Season is open only to hunters who have not reached their 18th birthday prior to the opening date of the season. All youth hunters must have an Illinois hunting license (unless exempt) and a current, valid Youth Deer Permit. Each youth must be accompanied by a supervising non-hunting adult. Additionally, the Youth Deer Permit is only valid for the three-day Youth Deer season on state-owned sites and will not be considered as a valid permit if used during any other deer season on state-owned properties. Youth hunters should address postcards for the JEPC Youth Deer Hunt drawing to: Youth Deer Hunt, JEPC, 10149 County Highway 11, Chandlerville, IL 62627. For additional information, please call 217-452-7741.
Illinois State Parks Guide: Plan your fall travels with a copy of the 2016-17 Illinois State Parks guide. The booklet, in print and online, is a useful guide to an eventful day in a state park picnic area, a weekend at a state park lodge or campground, a hike in a state forest, a ride on a state trail, or hunting and fishing trips to a state fish and wildlife area. The Illinois State Parks guide is posted on the IDNR website in PDF format at this link:http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/publications/documents/00000715.pdf
Copies of the state parks guide can be ordered through the IDNR online publications page: https://dnr.state.il.us/teachkids/ordertype.asp
Hike App: Visitors to Giant City, Illinois Beach, Pere Marquette, and Starved Rock State Parks can now take a guided hike on the parks’ most popular trails by downloading a new smartphone app. Download the Prairie State Hike App for 99 cents from iTunes or Google Play. Features of the app include a map, points of interest, audio for each stop, photographs and video. Hikes will be continually updated and new hikes added in the coming months will be available at no additional charge. The app was developed by the Prairie State Conservation Coalition, a non-profit organization created to assist conservation land trusts, land owners, and communities in their efforts to protect land and water resources in Illinois. Hikes from other conservation organizations statewide also are available through the app. To find state park trails, open the app and choose Illinois Department of Natural Resources from among the conservation organizations listed.
More like this:
