Using trail cameras is an enjoyable activity—and will help teach you about deer and the environment in which they live. A simple spreadsheet nothing the time of day of the photos, and the age and sex of the deer, turns mountains of picture data into something really useful. Give this author’s method a try and see if maybe you can swing “luck” in your favor.

Neighborhoods reverberating with the sounds of lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Streets lined with paper bags filled to the brim with leaf “litter” and yard “waste.” With increasing awareness about declining populations of pollinators, birds, and other wildlife, it is time to rethink fall yard “clean up.” Here are five things you can do this fall that will make your yard more wildlife-friendly this season and throughout the year.

Curious visitors strolling past Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo stop and marvel at the large birds clustered just over the fence. Illinois-endangered black-crowned night-herons have nested at the Park for 17 years, providing a wild and magical encounter for passersby.

When the hunting season is over and the season for habitat management begins, many people take to the woods to tackle an environmental disaster—the invasion of bush honeysuckle. Author Nathan Grider shares his experiences removing bush honeysuckle to improve wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities.

Working within an urban landscape, teams of boat crews survey the fisheries of the Chicago River each spring and fall. These surveys are designed to assure that bighead, and silver have not breached the downstream electric barrier and harvest efforts in place to prevent these invasive species from approaching Lake Michigan.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ new Waterfowl Program Manager, Doug McClain, grew up in Ohio hunting geese with his father and grandfather, which he attributes to his desire to pursue a career in waterfowl management. After earning a Master’s degree researching nest site selection of wood ducks across the Cache River watershed, and working in a variety of positions in waterfowl management, he’s excited to work on improving waterfowl management across Illinois.

“Everyone Belongs in Nature,” the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ newest theme, came to life in late September at a Chicago White Sox game where a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Night occurred. Loyal baseball fans were reminded—or perhaps introduced—to another aspect of spending time outdoors, outdoor recreation.

Effective January 1, 2023, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law allowing hunters to utilize certain single-shot, centerfire rifles during firearm deer seasons, adhering to legal regulations on the size and caliber of ammunition and capabilities of the rifle in use. Here is a quick list of commonly asked questions regarding legal calibers for ammunition and logistics for where and when rifles are permitted for hunting.

Author Kristopher Maxson credits his love of fishing to his father and grandfather. That love grew into a greater love and passion for aquatic ecosystems, and today he works as a fisheries biologist for the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Illinois River Biological Station in Havana. When an opportunity arose to learn something new, he found flyfishing provided a close connection to the wild outdoors.

Do you know the sawbill, also known as a spikebill, sharpy, fuzzhead and frog duck? If we had included hooded merganser in that list your answer would undoubtedly have been different. Hooded mergansers are a common migrant in Illinois, and some stay to nest. Learn more about the courtship display of the showy male hooded merganser, and the nesting habits of one of Illinois’ cavity nesting duck species.

Tick-borne diseases have increased in the U.S. in the last few decades. Several ideas exist as to why these diseases have seen such a rapid growth but it boils down to more ticks, and therefore, more tick bites that could transmit pathogens. Ticks in Illinois can transmit several types of pathogens. Correct identification of the pathogen is important to ensure proper treatment.

Grassland bird declines across North America have been a consistent theme in past decades. Thankfully, many Farm Bill conservation programs for private landowners have alleviated these declines. The author’s research suggests that disking might be a good, conservative, tractor-based management practice for CRP landowners that diversifies plant communities and improves brood-rearing habitat for popular game species such as pheasants, quail and wild turkey.

Bird pink eye, West Nile Virus and tularemia, also known as rabbit fever, are three diseases that impact wildlife populations at lethal and sub-lethal levels. Learn about some of the many disease surveillance techniques that are used in monitoring wildlife populations, with an emphasis here on populations of wild birds.

Forested ephemeral wetlands are small, temporary wet spots that roil with life. Although a common wetland type throughout the eastern deciduous forests of the United States, they largely escape notice. Modern technologies using lidar-based methods are now helping to identify ephemeral wetlands in southern Illinois.

As the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Illinois Nature Preserve System is coming to a close, Amy Doll, Executive Director of the Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves poses an excellent question: What will Illinois nature look like in 40 years when we celebrate the 100th anniversary?

Over more than 40 years, Constellation Energy has operated a hatchery program at the Quad Cities Clean Energy Center that has resulted in the release of 10,000,000 walleye fingerlings. That work helped turn the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities into a renowned walleye fishery. Today, hatchery staff have expanded their work to include the production of alligator gar and endangered and threatened freshwater mussels.

Jared Trickey’s job focuses on the use of prescribed fire as a management tool. In this story, he hopes to inspire readers to learn how prescribed fires are conducted, and why fire is a important tool for the management of prairie and woodland habitats.

Keeping up with cutting-edge fish and wildlife research, as well as changes in state and national natural resource-oriented programs and legislation, can be a daunting task. Here we briefly summarize some current, key work.

In Part 3 of a wetland restoration story series prepared by staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program we learn about the information and tools that are available for management of restored wetlands.

When you think of the scenic beauty of Illinois, the Shawnee Hills naturally come to mind. One of 15 Natural Divisions, the rugged hill country of the Shawnee Hills Natural Division extends east to west across southern Illinois. Read on to learn more about this hot spot of biodiversity in the Prairie State. Photo by Christina Feng.