Low Hunter numbers

H

Hockeybob

Active member
This year Chain O Lakes state park is now closed for controlled Pheasant hunting. Silver Springs state park is back to being run by the state and has reduced its days per week from 5 down to 3. Des Plains Conservation area remains the same for now but when you look at the available permits there are plenty left for all dates.
I bring this up because back in 1984, My brother and I would drive down after school and get in the “sweat Line” or non permit line at 6:00pm the night before, sleep in our car just in hopes of a standby permit the following day. Today you can pretty much get any day you want. The popularity has really changed over the years for many reasons. Some of my fondest memories were made at these State Parks.
 
Here in Iowa, I see the same thing happening. Less habitat, losing more every year. With fewer places to hunt, people just have stopped bird hunting. CRP has really helped the bird numbers, but for most, it just isn't easy to get into those fields....little public land here.
 
Back in the 90's I lived about 25 mins straight up I55 from DPCA in Wilmington. My brother and I used to get up in the middle of the night to drive down there to get our place in line to get a permit to pheasant hunt. We waited in line for hours in any weather while the workers were inside the pole building drinking coffee for an hour. They treated us like third class citizens and wouldnt open the doors. In addition to that (Im going to try and be gentle about this) there are other nationalities that hunted there that didnt follow the rules and hunted very unsafely. They hunted like the rules didnt apply to them with nobody telling them otherwise. I had a few runins with them and I was done. Them screaming with loaded shotguns was all I needed.
I then moved to the WI stateline where I am now. Im a mile from COL entrance on Wilmot Rd. Its a different atmosphere in COL as its a lot of woods hunting and a lot of roads inside. Lots of close together parking lots, lots of hunters at the time etc. Parking lots like 5 and 6 would have 15 trucks in it and was a line of 30 guys walking into the field side by side. No thanks. I think the biggest reason the number of hunters started to decline there was when Barry the site superintendent retired a number of years back. He was the most genuine guy in the world and really wanted to the hunters to have a good time. Seemed like everyone knew him. I cant tell you the others dont want that but he was a notch above. There was also a ton of guys that just drove the roads looking for birds and then jumped out to chase them. Its just not real hunting.
For me, I was bitten by wild birds. When youve chased released birds for many years and then get a taste of satisfaction by putting a few wild birds in your vest, you never want to chase released again. It was me. I now hunt a lot less as a result and bag fewer birds but its still a ton more enjoyable than chasing ditch chickens.
Im headed to SD on Sunday and all will be well in my life for that week.

Also, Ive tried for years to get one of the free upland permits for the IL PHG areas and have yet to be successful. There must be so many guys looking for access to upland managed land..
 
I'm fortunate to be able to hunt wild birds in Iroquois County around Milford, IL. Still good bird numbers down there where the habitat is right. My dad was absolutely obsessed with pheasant hunting, and he knew so many people. Fortunately I still have access to tons of private ground. Growing up it was a madhouse on opening weekend. Hunters everywhere. I hunt down there on most weekends during the season, and I have not laid eyes another bird hunter in the last 3 years. I don't even know anyone who has a bird dog in Milford anymore either. The Iroquois County PF Chapter is very active, but hardly any of those guys do any bird hunting. Everyone deer hunts now.

Same thing with quail hunting in Southern, IL. I usually make it down to Franklin County at least once per year to hunt quails, and I never see a bird hunter down there either.

I live South of Rockford around Stillman Valley, and I go out to Johnson Sauk Trail (Kewanee, IL) a couple times each year to the controlled pheasant hunting site. You used to have to make reservations to get a spot, but not anymore. In the last few years, I've never not got on as a standby hunter. I will say, the crowd there is usually very friendly. I don't run into any hunters from Chicago Land out there. I guess because it's pretty far from Cook County. It's an easy ride and just off of I80.

I'm leaving for my annual trip to South Dakota on November, 4th, and will hunt 5 days. Hopefully will make a second trip out there in December. I used to go to SD on opening weekend, but switched to the start of the third week about 15 years ago. Seems that extra couple of weeks really helps with having most of the corn harvested. My hunting base out there is Ipswich, which is about 30 minutes west of Aberdeen.

Good luck this year guys and be safe!!
 
ehudgens said:
I'm fortunate to be able to hunt wild birds in Iroquois County around Milford, IL. Still good bird numbers down there where the habitat is right. My dad was absolutely obsessed with pheasant hunting, and he knew so many people. Fortunately I still have access to tons of private ground. Growing up it was a madhouse on opening weekend. Hunters everywhere. I hunt down there on most weekends during the season, and I have not laid eyes another bird hunter in the last 3 years. I don't even know anyone who has a bird dog in Milford anymore either. The Iroquois County PF Chapter is very active, but hardly any of those guys do any bird hunting. Everyone deer hunts now.

Same thing with quail hunting in Southern, IL. I usually make it down to Franklin County at least once per year to hunt quails, and I never see a bird hunter down there either.

I live South of Rockford around Stillman Valley, and I go out to Johnson Sauk Trail (Kewanee, IL) a couple times each year to the controlled pheasant hunting site. You used to have to make reservations to get a spot, but not anymore. In the last few years, I've never not got on as a standby hunter. I will say, the crowd there is usually very friendly. I don't run into any hunters from Chicago Land out there. I guess because it's pretty far from Cook County. It's an easy ride and just off of I80.

I'm leaving for my annual trip to South Dakota on November, 4th, and will hunt 5 days. Hopefully will make a second trip out there in December. I used to go to SD on opening weekend, but switched to the start of the third week about 15 years ago. Seems that extra couple of weeks really helps with having most of the corn harvested. My hunting base out there is Ipswich, which is about 30 minutes west of Aberdeen.

Good luck this year guys and be safe!!
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There is actually a decent wild quail population in certain parts of Iroquois county also, but like most people in this state i do my bird hunting west of the Mississippi .
 
whatsnext said:
There is actually a decent wild quail population in certain parts of Iroquois county also, but like most people in this state i do my bird hunting west of the Mississippi .
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Haven't seen wild quail in Iroquois for almost 2 decades. They should be there but we never bump them.
 
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