OVERALL OUTLOOK
The big news is the second season for firearm deer, Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 4-7.
And there's hope for those of us with unfilled tags.
The relatively low harvest for first firearm season-- 71,894 vs 85,490 in 2007--may mean good news for second-season hunters, according to forest wildlife program manager Paul Shelton, who said:
``The good news for managers and for deer hunters with permits remaining for the second season is that most of the decline in harvest was a drop in buck harvest. This means that our doe harvest was fairly comparable to last year and that there are plenty of both bucks and does still out there for second season hunters.''
First season saw about 59 percent of the harvest were bucks, compared with 62 percent first season in 2007.
During the hunting seasons, the extended online version of the Illinois hunting report, which comes at the end of the Midwest Fishing Report in the Sun-Times on Wednesdays, is usually posted here on Tuesdays. I was hunting so it was posted on a Wednesday today.
With the aerial surveys for waterfowl being flown (they are weather dependent), I will update if needed.
If you have suggestions, email me at outdoordb@sbcglobal.net or post in the comments.
Full report follows.
DEER
Obviously, the main thing is the second firearm season Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 4-7. Muzzleloader-only deer season is Dec. 12-14. The Late-Winter Antlerless-only firearm deer season and the Special CWD deer season are Jan. 16-18, 2009.
Archery season runs through Jan. 15, except during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties. Bow harvest has been catching to near that of recent years.
BUCK OF THE WEEK
If you have an entry for Buck of the Week, e-mail the photo and story to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net. We generally run BOTW into December or so.
WATERFOWL
Remember the changes. Canvasbacks are closed for the year. The daily bag on wood ducks increased to three. Scaup bags are split, daily bag of one, except for 20 days, in each zone, see zone reports for two-scaup dates.
The daily limit of six ducks may include no more than four mallards (two hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, and one pintail. The daily bag on Canada geese is two.
The DU Migration Map is posted at
http://www.ducks.org/migrationmap.
NORTH ZONE WATERFOWL
Scaup bag is back to one daily for the rest of the season.
Duck season ends Dec. 16.
Canada, white-fronted and snow/blue/Ross' goose seasons and brant season ends Jan. 10.
CENTRAL ZONE WATERFOWL
Canada, white-fronted, snow/blue/Ross' goose seasons and brant season run through Jan. 31.
Daily scaup bag is back to one for the rest of the season.
Duck season ends Dec. 23.
SOUTH ZONE WATERFOWL
Duck season runs through Jan. 27. Daily scaup bag is two through Dec. 16. On Dec. 17, the daily scaup bag drops to one daily for the rest of the season.
Canada, snow/blue/Ross' geese and white-front goose seasons and brant season run through Jan. 31.
PHEASANT/QUAIL/PARTRIDGE
Seasons for cock pheasant, bobwhite quail and gray partridge end Jan. 8 in the north zone; Jan. 15 in the south.
RABBIT
Season ends Jan. 8 in the north zone, Jan. 22 in the south.
TURKEY
Second archery season is runs through Wednesday, Dec. 3. Third season is Monday, Dec. 8-Jan. 15.
WOODCOCK
Season is closed.
COMMON SNIPE
Season ends Dec. 21.
SQUIRREL
Season ends Feb. 15, except it is closed during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties.
CROW
Season ends Feb. 28.
WOODCHUCK
Season ends March 31, except it is closed during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties.
RACCOON/OPOSSUM
North zone hunting season ends Feb. 10, south zone season on Feb. 15.
FOX
Hunting season for red and gray foxes ends Jan. 31, except it is closed during the firearm deer seasons in applicable counties.
GENERAL TRAPPING
Raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel, mink, muskrat, fox (red and gray), coyote and badger seasons end Jan. 20 in the north zone; Jan. 25 in the south.
BEAVER TRAPPING
Season ends March 31.
ILLINOIS HUNTING ONLINE
For IDNR hunting info, click here.
For the Illinois 2008-09 Digest of Hunting & Trapping Regulations, click here.
For the 2008-09 Digest of Waterfowl Hunting Regulations, click here.
For the Illinois Public Hunting Areas Report, click here.
For Illinois crop reports (generally posted Monday afternoons), click here.
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