ILDNR Controled pheasant hunting

Hunted Silver Springs in Yorkville this week Wednesday. 7 hunters total. Had a nice talk with the lady running it. She said next year is last year if hunter numbers don't increase. Same guy runs chain o lakes. Maybe another outfit will take over but as far as Current guy running it next year may be it.
 
I used to hunt COL quite a bit going back 12 years or so. Ive only hunted there once this year mid November just after they opened. I dont know that I can put my finger on it but it just doesnt have the same feel anymore. Barry the site superintendent retired ancouple years back. He ran a good ship.. they also need to let it run later in the year. It always shuts down when the weather is condusive to hunting. Mid November and I was walking through the woods with all of the leaves still up. Ive never seen so many permits available on the T Miller site. They used to sell out very quickly.
Once youve been bitten by the wild bird bug its hard to really get into the released birds.
And this place is just a couple of miles down the road from me.
 
Hunted Silver Springs in Yorkville this week Wednesday. 7 hunters total. Had a nice talk with the lady running it. She said next year is last year if hunter numbers don't increase. Same guy runs chain o lakes. Maybe another outfit will take over but as far as Current guy running it next year may be it

Is Silver Springs a state run place? I've never heard of it and I don't see it on the state's CPH application page. I hunt Johnson's Sauk trail but would be interested in going to Yorkville because the drive would be the same distance for me.
 
It's a state owned facility but the pheasant hunting is a private company. It's a few more $$$ but well worth it to stay away from the large state run places like Des Plaines CA. Google T Miller pheasant hunting and the website will come up.
 
thanks a lot. I will look into that for next year.

how is the hunting there? Do you usually only see the birds that you pay for or do you get a chance at extras? Meaning if you get a 4 bird permit and miss a bird do hunters have a decent change at seeing a 5th bird to try and still fill the 4 bird permit?
 
I've always shot my limit there. I usually get a 2 bird permit but some days I'm done in 15 minutes which is way too quick. I do have 2 very good small Munsterlanders that do all the work. The cover in October can be too thick. I like to hunt there after a couple of frosts. Mid Nov-Jan is best. I also hunt mid week Wednesday's as birds not shot over the weekend can be a bonus.
PM me next year and I can give you more details on best areas, ect.
I'm hunting there this Saturday.

Bob
 
I appreciate all the info. I can't make it out this weekend or I would check it out. I assume it follows the season dates and this weekend is the end. I will pm you next year.
 
As I think I mentioned above, thats one of the issues in COL. Its over by mid December just as the weather is getting good.
 
ilhunter said:
I appreciate all the info. I can't make it out this weekend or I would check it out. I assume it follows the season dates and this weekend is the end. I will pm you next year.
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Ilhunter was that you who was at Green River the same day I was last year or Sandprairie? Sorry if I have the wrong guy.
 
i think you have the wrong guy. I've only hunted Green River once and it was this year and I've never been to Sand Prairie.
 
Okay. Yeah sorry about that:eek:. It must have been UPH member Sandprairie. At this point I can't remember what the heck I wanted to ask him. lol Had something to do with the topic of this thread:confused:
 
Yes but for the life of me I can't remember what I wanted to ask you:confused:

While I have your attention; Are you still working on Nashua habitat? That was you right? LOl
 
Yeah I still help out at Nachusa throughout the year. I kicked up some birds this year while working and also some hens with good sized chicks. This wasn't on the DNR site but adjacent to it on TNC land.
 
Sandprairie, what's the name of the origination that's installing the habitat out there?


----getting out pheasant hunting; We're finished with our season up here to the north. I went out for the last hour of the season yesterday. One field didn't have anything the other had a lot of old pheasant tracks but no flushes. One dead hen--I'm assuming she was caught due to the amount of feathers on the ground but she may have gotten away. Saw two such feather piles this season. Both hens. Both within that last couple of weeks.

The habitat in those fields looked terrible:eek:. I didn't realize how much snow blew into our grassy areas/fields (when the snow still had some fluff to it). Now it's as hard as a rock and has flattened the grass.

Anyway, anyone else get out for the last weekend up here?
 
I hunt exclusively on state controlled pheasant hunting sites for pheasants but a friend of mine brought me to one of his spots on Sunday and we shot 3. I shot two and they were the first wild birds I've ever shot. I'm 29 and have been hunting rabbits/pheasants since I was a kid so I was pretty happy!

It's too bad we don't have better cover in Illinois so there could be more opportunities for wild birds.
 
1pheas4 said:
Sandprairie, what's the name of the origination that's installing the habitat out there?


----getting out pheasant hunting; We're finished with our season up here to the north. I went out for the last hour of the season yesterday. One field didn't have anything the other had a lot of old pheasant tracks but no flushes. One dead hen--I'm assuming she was caught due to the amount of feathers on the ground but she may have gotten away. Saw two such feather piles this season. Both hens. Both within that last couple of weeks.

The habitat in those fields looked terrible:eek:. I didn't realize how much snow blew into our grassy areas/fields (when the snow still had some fluff to it). Now it's as hard as a rock and has flattened the grass.

Anyway, anyone else get out for the last weekend up here?
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It's The Nature Conservancy. Their site down that way is about 4000 acres of remnant and restored prairie, savannas and wetlands. If you read the Tribune, they've been covering it quite a bit the last two years as thy have bison on the preserve now. 90 animals or so today.
 
SandPrairie said:
It's The Nature Conservancy. Their site down that way is about 4000 acres of remnant and restored prairie, savannas and wetlands. If you read the Tribune, they've been covering it quite a bit the last two years as thy have bison on the preserve now. 90 animals or so today.
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The Nature Conservancy. Thank you. I wanted to join the org but couldn't remember the name of it.;)

I got a glimpse of the Bison on top of a hill out there. Very cool. If I get some time this spring or summer I'd like to help out with habitat.
 
ilhunter said:
It's too bad we don't have better cover in Illinois so there could be more opportunities for wild birds.
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One of these days things will turn around.;)
 
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Chain o lakes

With the declining interest in hunting and especially upland hunting, Chain O Lakes State Park run by T Miller will no longer be offering Wednesday's and Thursday put n take hunting. Only offering Fri- Sun.
Last year at Silver Springs the hunter numbers were way down. This is a bad trend that I don't see turning around in my lifetime.
 
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