Illinois Outdoors at
RulesIllinois Outdoors at
Jeff Lampe
Jeff Lampe


Illinois Outdoors


A Web log by Jeff Lampe of the Journal Star

Illinois hunting and fishing

Wild Things 5-30-10

May 30, 2010 at 01:10 AM

Turtle time

These are dangerous days for turtles in Illinois. It’s egg-laying season for many turtles and for some that means crossing roads, like the snapping turtle pictured above on a rural Peoria County blacktop.

All turtles nest on land in Illinois and most lay eggs from mid-May to early July. Snappers like this one may lay 20 to 40 eggs. In Illinois, turtle eggs generally require about two months to hatch. Hatchlings of some species, like painted turtles, stay in the nest over winter.


Illinois’ rank among states in sales of aluminum boats in 2009.

Boat sales down

Powerboat sales are down 12 percent in the first quarter of 2010 according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. That’s better than last year’s 35 percent decline in the same quarter, a fact that’s credited to better sales of 18-foot aluminum boats.

That doesn’t mean people have stopped boating. Actually, the NMMA estimates boaters increased time on the water by 4 percent last year. And sales of used boats increased by 7.7 percent in 2009.

Kudos corner

Lewistown senior Risty Johnson was the top Illinois finisher at this year’s national tournament for the National Archery in the Schools Program. Johnson finished 42nd at the tournament May 7-8 in Louisville, Ky., with a final score of 288 out of 300 and 21 perfect 10s. Competing in the nationals for the first time, Lewistown finished 109th out of 301 team.

Birding bits

Mute swan cygnets have hatched at Spring Lake and are attracting photographers and sightseers on the south end of the Tazewell County lake.

Out-of-state archers

Non-residents can apply for combination archery deer hunting permits for Illinois starting Tuesday. Visit or call 1-888-673-7648. Combination permits cost $411 and the quota is 25,000. Antlerless-only archery permits will be available Aug. 10 for $25. 50 each.

Unique tournament

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Peoria have a unique fund-raising fishing tournament next Sunday, June 6 that will bring anglers to a weigh-in on Water St. at Kelleher’s Irish Pub and Eatery.

Teams will fish from 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for prizes in this fund-raiser, which includes a fish fry open to the public for $10 (free for children 10 and under). Call (309) 369-5548 or 303-5900.

Critter corner

In the wilds of Illinois in June ...
Most whitetail deer and bats born.
Biologists census bobwhite quail and giant Canada geese.
American goldfinches nest.
American toads transform from tadpoles to adults.
Box turtles and blue racers lay eggs.

This ‘n that

The Charles Perdew Museum in Henry is open today and every Sunday until Labor Day from 2-4 p.m. ... The Main Recreation Area boat launch at Evergreen Lake is closed from 6 p.m. on Friday to noon on Saturday. Part of the lake will also be closed to all watercraft from midnight to 10 a.m. on Saturday. ... The number of pheasant hunters in South Dakota dropped for the third straight year. The state saw 97,350 non-residents and 69,959 residents shoot 1.6 million roosters. Spink County led with 93,770 birds, followed by Lyman, Brown, Tripp and Beadle counties.



More from Jeff Lampe

Scattershooting Categories


Scattershooting Archive

Lampe's Top 10 Links

Hunting Links

Fishing Links

Birdwatching Links

Other Outdoors Links

Fun stuff

Copyright © 2007-2014 GateHouse Media, Inc.
Some Rights Reserved
Original content available for non-commercial use
under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Creative Commons