Change is coming for hunters around Chicago outdoors.

Mike Richied of Ultimate Waterfowlers in the northwest suburbs sent this as part of a longer note:

I was up at the club this weekend getting pits and blinds ready, making grass mats, etc... Looks like we are going to have a great season. Corn at most of our spots is at least 8 feet high and should be gone by the start of regular season.

On Sept. 1, hunting season really gets underway with the first dove season and early Canada goose season opening. We'll have a much expanded report next week in anticipation of that.

And the weather is settling much more into a late summer/early fall pattern. Crops are far ahead of where they are on average by now and farmers will start harvesting shortly. I haven't seen any picking corn yet and nothing was listed on the crop report Monday, but I bet there will be a start to corn harvest by next Monday's crop report.

During the hunting seasons, the extended online version of the IHR, which comes at the end of the Midwest Fishing Report in the Sun-Times on Wednesdays, is usually posted here on Tuesdays.

The photo with the lead is Mike Resetich coming back with a black duck on a 2007 hunt along the Illinois River. I like the image.

If you have suggestions, email me at outdoordb@sbcglobal.net or post in the comments.

FREE UPLAND GAME PERMITS

The deadline to apply for what I think is the coolest hunting program in Illinois, the free upland game sites, is Aug. 31. Apply online by clicking here.

DOVE

Season opens Sept. 1. I continue to see many doves. Not sure if it is related to the weather this summer or not. But I am seeing plenty on the wires.

I will post a site by site preview (at least for northeast Illinois) online next Tuesday and in the Sun-Times next Wednesday. But conditions generally should be good for sunflowers with the wet summer early and dryness lately.

EARLY CANADA GOOSE

Season is Sept. 1-15. Daily bag is five in the Northeast, North and Central zones; two in the south. I'll have a more complete report for how things look around northeast Illinois by next week. At least some fields should be harvested by then.

SQUIRREL

More hunters are getting out and likely even more will with the more moderate weather.

Ed Smith provided a pictorial on how to clean a squirrel for PrairieStateOutdoors.com. I'm still not convinced it is as easy as he makes it look.

Hunting is already open at Iroquois County SWA and Matthiessen SP. Marseilles opens Sept 1 (Monday through Thursday). Silver Springs SFWA, Momence Wetlands and Kankakee River SP open the day after Labor Day and run until Sept. 30.

The general season runs through Feb. 15, except it is closed during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties. Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. The daily limit is five squirrels with a possession limit of 10.

DEER NOTES

Illinois resident deer hunters are able to purchase 2010 Illinois Archery Deer Hunting Permits (combination archery and antlerless-only archery permits) online at www.dnr.state.il.us/license.html or over-the-counter from DNR Direct permit sale locations throughout Illinois. Archery season opens Oct. 1.

Youth Firearm Deer Hunt: The Illinois Youth Either-Sex Firearm Deer Hunt is Oct. 9-10. Permits for this season are available over-the-counter from DNR Direct license and permit vendors. To link to the website, go to www.dnr.state.il.us/license.html. For a list of IDNR and public land sites open for hunting during the youth firearm deer hunt in 2010, go to this link: www.dnr.state.il.us/admin/pdf/YouthDeer2010SitesOpen.pdf.

BOWHUNTING AT PHILIP STATE PARK

Here's another opportunity for bowhunters around Chicago outdoors at James ``Pate'' Philip State Park. Applications are open through Aug. 31. Click here for info.

COYOTES AT SILVER SPRINGS

Here's another new opportunity later this hunting season to keep in mind. After the close of bowhunting in January, coyote hunting will open at Silver Springs SFWA.

TEAL

Season is Sept. 4-19. Daily bag is four, possession eight.

PROPOSED WATERFOWL SEASONS

NORTH ZONE

Youth Hunt Oct. 9-10
Ducks Oct. 16-Dec. 14
Canada geese Oct. 16-Jan. 8
Snow geese Oct.16-Jan. 8
White-fronted geese Oct. 29-Jan. 8

CENTRAL ZONE

Youth Hunt Oct. 23-24
Ducks Oct. 30-Dec. 28
Canada geese Oct. 30-Nov. 14 and Nov. 24-Jan. 31
Snow geese Oct. 30-Jan. 31
White-fronted geese Nov. 21-Jan. 31

SOUTH ZONE

Youth Hunt Nov. 13-14
Ducks Nov. 25-Jan. 23
Canada geese: Nov. 25-28 and Dec. 1-Jan. 31
Snow geese Nov. 25-Jan. 31
White-fronted geese Nov. 25-Jan. 31

ILLINOIS HUNTING ONLINE

For IDNR hunting info, click here.

For the Illinois 2010-11 Digest of Hunting & Trapping Regulations, click here.

For the 2009-10 Illinois Public Hunting Areas Report, click here.

For Illinois crop reports (generally posted Monday afternoons, holiday weekends are the exceptions), click here.