dux_99
07-21-2006, 07:19 AM
This is what was in the Peoria Journal Star this morning. Thought the IL guys might want to take a look.
There's plenty for duck and goose hunters to digest this weekend during the Illinois Waterfowlers Alliance symposium in Peoria. So much, in fact, that moving from winter to summer might help the annual event held Saturday and Sunday at Holiday Inn City Centre.
For starters, the meeting falls one week before "Woodstock with guns" - the description Rice Lake honcho Bill Douglass gives to Illinois River duck-blind drawings. The approach of public drawings always gets duck hunters motivated.
Just as significant is Thursday's news the Department of Natural Resources has finally set waterfowl seasons. After lengthy deliberations, acting director Sam Flood will make these final proposals to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which is expected to rubber-stamp the dates).
Central Zone
Youth Season: Oct. 21-22
Duck Season: Oct. 28-Dec. 26
Canada Goose Season (79 days): Oct. 28-Nov. 5 and Nov. 23-Jan. 31
North Zone
Youth Season: Oct. 14-15
Duck Season: Oct. 21-Dec. 19
Canada Goose Season (79 days): Oct. 21-Nov. 12 and Nov. 20-Jan. 14
South Zone
Youth Season: Nov. 11-12
Duck Season: Nov. 23-Jan. 21
Canada Goose Season (56 days): Nov. 23-Nov. 26 and Dec. 10-Jan. 31.
Obviously some of those dates and decisions are controversial. Consider that two weeks ago, the DNR's own advisory board voted 8-0 for very different dates.
Flood said his dates are based, "on our best available biological and scientific information, including historical freeze-up data, aerial waterfowl survey data and the results of our extensive waterfowl hunter surveys."
DNR staff also spent all spring visiting with various waterfowl groups.
If that seems like lots of work to set hunting dates, well wildlife division manager John Buhnerkempe agrees. He hopes duck openers will stand for the next five seasons - though he acknowledged that might be difficult in the South Zone.
Clubs and hunters in the far southern part of the state want later dates than those who hunt at Rend and Carlyle lakes.
"I have real concerns if Rend Lake and Carlyle freeze up and we lose a substantial number of dates that we then have to reconsider a Thanksgiving opener," Buhnerkempe said.
Another significant change in the Journal Star circulation area is redrawing the line between North and Central Zones (see accompanying graphic).
The line from just north of Morris is: west along Interstate 80 to Interstate 39, south along Interstate 39 to Illinois Route 18, west along Illinois Route 18 to Illinois Route 29, south along Illinois Route 29 to Illinois Route 17, west along Illinois Route 17 to the Mississippi River and due south across the Mississippi to the Iowa border.
That jig-jaggy lines is very carefully drawn, even lobbied for in the case of some rich clubs south of Chicago.
For club hunters north of Henry and near Hennepin the new line means an earlier start to the season. The same is true at Donnelley-DePue State Fish and Wildlife Area.
And as anyone familiar with Illinois Route 17 can attest, that is not a straight route. Waterfowl hunters had better consult a map first this fall.
Zone lines will be effective for five seasons. Less certain is the shelf life of the recommended five years' worth of duck openers.
Flood is interim director and whether Gov. Blagojevich wins or loses in November, we will probably see a new person atop the DNR. A new director may change season dates, even though the recommendation from biologists is not expected to change.
"We went through a lot of work to put this analysis together and no additional analysis is really going to do much to change our recommendations," Buhnerkempe said. "I want to use our staff time for important issues like managing habitat for waterfowl."
Buhnerkempe and state waterfowl biologist Ray Marshalla will attend Flyway Council meetings this weekend in St. Louis. Look next week for federal recommendations for season length and special bag limits (if any) for bluebill, canvasbacks and pintails.
There's plenty for duck and goose hunters to digest this weekend during the Illinois Waterfowlers Alliance symposium in Peoria. So much, in fact, that moving from winter to summer might help the annual event held Saturday and Sunday at Holiday Inn City Centre.
For starters, the meeting falls one week before "Woodstock with guns" - the description Rice Lake honcho Bill Douglass gives to Illinois River duck-blind drawings. The approach of public drawings always gets duck hunters motivated.
Just as significant is Thursday's news the Department of Natural Resources has finally set waterfowl seasons. After lengthy deliberations, acting director Sam Flood will make these final proposals to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (which is expected to rubber-stamp the dates).
Central Zone
Youth Season: Oct. 21-22
Duck Season: Oct. 28-Dec. 26
Canada Goose Season (79 days): Oct. 28-Nov. 5 and Nov. 23-Jan. 31
North Zone
Youth Season: Oct. 14-15
Duck Season: Oct. 21-Dec. 19
Canada Goose Season (79 days): Oct. 21-Nov. 12 and Nov. 20-Jan. 14
South Zone
Youth Season: Nov. 11-12
Duck Season: Nov. 23-Jan. 21
Canada Goose Season (56 days): Nov. 23-Nov. 26 and Dec. 10-Jan. 31.
Obviously some of those dates and decisions are controversial. Consider that two weeks ago, the DNR's own advisory board voted 8-0 for very different dates.
Flood said his dates are based, "on our best available biological and scientific information, including historical freeze-up data, aerial waterfowl survey data and the results of our extensive waterfowl hunter surveys."
DNR staff also spent all spring visiting with various waterfowl groups.
If that seems like lots of work to set hunting dates, well wildlife division manager John Buhnerkempe agrees. He hopes duck openers will stand for the next five seasons - though he acknowledged that might be difficult in the South Zone.
Clubs and hunters in the far southern part of the state want later dates than those who hunt at Rend and Carlyle lakes.
"I have real concerns if Rend Lake and Carlyle freeze up and we lose a substantial number of dates that we then have to reconsider a Thanksgiving opener," Buhnerkempe said.
Another significant change in the Journal Star circulation area is redrawing the line between North and Central Zones (see accompanying graphic).
The line from just north of Morris is: west along Interstate 80 to Interstate 39, south along Interstate 39 to Illinois Route 18, west along Illinois Route 18 to Illinois Route 29, south along Illinois Route 29 to Illinois Route 17, west along Illinois Route 17 to the Mississippi River and due south across the Mississippi to the Iowa border.
That jig-jaggy lines is very carefully drawn, even lobbied for in the case of some rich clubs south of Chicago.
For club hunters north of Henry and near Hennepin the new line means an earlier start to the season. The same is true at Donnelley-DePue State Fish and Wildlife Area.
And as anyone familiar with Illinois Route 17 can attest, that is not a straight route. Waterfowl hunters had better consult a map first this fall.
Zone lines will be effective for five seasons. Less certain is the shelf life of the recommended five years' worth of duck openers.
Flood is interim director and whether Gov. Blagojevich wins or loses in November, we will probably see a new person atop the DNR. A new director may change season dates, even though the recommendation from biologists is not expected to change.
"We went through a lot of work to put this analysis together and no additional analysis is really going to do much to change our recommendations," Buhnerkempe said. "I want to use our staff time for important issues like managing habitat for waterfowl."
Buhnerkempe and state waterfowl biologist Ray Marshalla will attend Flyway Council meetings this weekend in St. Louis. Look next week for federal recommendations for season length and special bag limits (if any) for bluebill, canvasbacks and pintails.