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 click here.

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Blaze Orange Oct. 8-10:  Archery deer hunters and all other hunters are reminded that they must comply with requirements to wear blaze orange in Illinois during the Youth Firearm Deer Hunt, Oct. 8-10 (except in counties closed to the youth deer season).  That means all hunters afield on Oct. 8-10 must wear a blaze orange cap and upper garment with a minimum of 400 square inches of solid blaze orange material.

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.

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 continues through Jan. 15, 2017.

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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.

CWD Sampling:  Deer hunters statewide in Illinois are encouraged to allow samples to be taken for chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling from adult deer they harvest. For a list of locations that are serving as CWD sampling stations, taking samples from entire deer or deer heads from October 1, 2016 thru Jan. 20, 2017, click on this link.

Hunting and Trapping Digest:  The Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2016-2017 edition is available in PDF format on the IDNR website.

Illinois Waterfowl Digest:  Review this season’s Illinois waterfowl regulations with the Digest of Waterfowl Hunting Regulations 2016-2017, available online on the IDNR website at this link.

Kickapoo Concession:  The IDNR is seeking a vendor to operate the canoe and boat rental, restaurant, and bait shop at Kickapoo State Recreation Area located near Oakwood, Illinois in Vermilion Co. The concession operation will be authorized to sell and serve food and nonalcoholic beverages, and sell souvenirs; provide canoe, kayak, inner tube and boat rentals and boating equipment; sell Illinois fishing and hunting licenses, marine, fishing, picnic and camping supplies; and, to install vending machines around the exterior of the concession building. The concession agreement will have an initial term of five years, with an option to renew for an additional five years.  A mandatory meeting for interested vendors will be held on Oct. 19 at 11 a.m. at the Kickapoo State Recreation Area Concession Building, 1 Clear Pond, Oakwood, IL 61858. For more details, check the IDNR website here.

Fire Classes at Sand Ridge State Forest Oct. 28-30:  The IDNR, in conjunction with the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), will be conducting wildland fire classes at Sand Ridge State Forest in Mason Co. on Oct. 28-30, 2016. The IFSI, through a grant provided by the IDNR Division Forest Resources, will be training fire department/fire district personnel from Forman and surrounding fire departments and fire districts. During the training, areas of Sand Ridge State Forest will be used in prescribed fire/live fire exercises. Hunters will need to remove deer stands prior to the operation, and hunters and other site visitors will need to avoid the area during the fire training on Oct. 28-30. The area will reopen Oct. 31. Below is a description of the areas to be impacted. For more information contact the forest at 309-597-2212.

  • Sand Ridge Fire Training Area – All IDNR land west of Pine Valley Dr. and north of the Goofy Ridge Blacktop, and all IDNR land south of Goofy Ridge Blacktop that is west of Pine Valley Dr., over to Cactus Dr.; all IDNR land and facilities west of Cactus Dr. going south to Sand Ridge Rd. (CR2300N); all IDNR land north of CR 2300N going west, back to Goofy Ridge Blacktop; and, the Foste Prairie in the southeastern portion of the forest. Sand Ridge State Forest map.
  • 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 or www.tmillerinc.com.
  • ICF 2017 Calendar:  The Illinois Conservation Foundation’s annual Outdoors in Illinois 2017 wall calendar is available for order.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.
  • Public Areas Hunting Report:  The latest edition of the IDNR Illinois Public Areas Hunting Report – with details on public lands hunting effort and harvest for the 2015-16 seasons – is available online on the IDNR website at this link.
  • Fort Massac Encampment:  The annual Fort Massac Encampment is Sat., Oct. 15 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun., Oct. 16 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in Metropolis, IL. The annual encampment festival celebrates the history of Fort Massac from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries.  Watch historic re-enactors with period-correct crafts and food, military drills, music, children’s games, and mock battles.  Encampment admission is free.  For more information, call 618-524-4712.
  • 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.
  • Beaver Dam Trapping Permits:  Two trapping permits for Beaver Dam State Park will be awarded at a public drawing to be held Mon., Oct. 24 at the site headquarters at 14548 Beaver Dam Lane, Plainview, IL 62685.    Registration for the drawing will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the park office and the drawing will be held at 11:00 a.m.  Trapping will be permitted in the designated areas at the park from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2017, the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2017, and beaver and otter trapping, which will be allowed through Mar. 31, 2017.   A 2015 or 2016 Illinois trapping license or trapper education card will be required to register for the drawing.  For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Beaver Dam State Park at 217-854-8020.
  • Trapping Permit Drawing:  IDNR will host a public lottery drawing on Wed., Oct. 26 for the allocation of trapping permits for Copperhead Hollow Wildlife Area, Mississippi River State Fish and Wildlife Area, and Pere Marquette State Park. The drawing will be held at the Mississippi River Area site office, 17836 State Highway 100 North, Grafton, IL.  Registration for the drawing will begin on Oct. 26 at 11:00 a.m. and the drawings will be conducted at 11:30 a.m. Each area will have one permit available (one trapper and one helper may be listed on the permit).  Each person entering the drawing must have a 2015 or 2016 Illinois trapping license in their possession, and persons whose names are drawn must be in attendance at the drawing on Oct. 26. Additional site specific regulations/requirements for each of the three venues will be made available and discussed at the time of the lottery drawing. For more information, phone 618-786-3324.
  • Coffeen Lake Trapping Permits:  Trapping permits will be awarded at a public drawing to be held Friday, Oct. 28, 2016 at the site headquarters of Coffeen Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, 15084 N. 4th Avenue, Coffeen, IL  62017.  Registration for the drawing will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the site office, and the drawing will be held at 11:00 a.m.  Trapping will be permitted in the designated areas from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2017, and include the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2017, and beaver and otter trapping through Mar. 31, 2017   A 2015 or 2016 trapping license or trapper education card will be required to register for the drawing.  For more information about trapping opportunities, contact Coffeen Lake SFWA at 217-537-3351.
  • Ramsey Lake Trapping Drawing:  IDNR will conduct a public drawing for allocation of trapping permits for Ramsey Lake State Park at 1:00 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 28.  Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Lake State Park site office, located about two miles northwest of Ramsey, IL in Fayette Co.  Trapping will be permitted in the designated areas from the statewide opening until Jan. 25, 2017 and include the extended spring season for mink and muskrat through Feb. 15, 2017 and beaver and otter trapping, which are allowed through March 31, 2017.  Two names are allowed per permit, and only those names listed are allowed to trap. All persons entering the drawing must have a current or previous year trapping license in their possession.  Persons whose names are drawn must be in attendance at the drawing.  For additional information, contact the Ramsey Lake State Park, PO Box 97, Ramsey, IL 62080.  Phone 618-423-2215.

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