So long, and thanks for all the fish

Launched in 2007, PrairieStateOutdoors.com quickly caught fire and became Illinois' premiere outdoors website. Whether your passion was in bagging deer, hooking fish or enjoying the passive beauty of nature, PSO was there to give you the latest news and commentary. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Outdoors editor joins IDNR

Mom has pushed me into making a confession. "Do the other outdoor writers know?" she asked, "that you are a terrible fisherman?" "No, Mom. But thanks for your support anyway." Today is my last day at The State Journal-Register, so I suppose this is a good time to get a few things out in the open. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Cautionary tale: new book re-tells story of the passenger pigeon

Chicago nature writer Joel Greenberg documents the passenger pigeon’s slide into oblivion in such gritty detail. His new book “A Feathered River Across the Sky: The Passenger Pigeon’s Flight to Extinction,” includes accounts of majestic flights of “wild pigeons,” and the ceaseless slaughter that drained the life out of a species that once numbered in the billions. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

One weekend; two big outdoor shows

Outdoors enthusiasts can come inside next weekend, and not feel the least bit guilty. Two large outdoors sports shows will take place simultaneously in Springfield. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Old campground folded into Starved Rock

Mark McConnaughhay stepped through deep snow to the bluff edge. White-tailed deer darted along the hillside. Two bald eagles roosting in a tree took flight. McConnaughhay, site superintendent for Starved Rock State Park, was checking out the park's latest land acquisition, the former White Oak Campground south of Utica. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

State of the Lakes 2014

Each year at this time we bring you a roundup of lake surveys conducted by regional fisheries biologists with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This installment features Sangchris Lake and Lake Springfield. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Craft brewer’s drone delivery hopes put on ice

A craft brewer still has hopes of one day using drones to deliver its lager to ice fishing anglers on Minnesota lakes by air, despite being grounded by federal aviation officials after a recent test run. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Iowa fish launcher ensures dramatic eagle photos

The photographers who line up at a Mississippi River lock to snap images of eagles are getting help from a man with a giant slingshot that flings dead fish into the open water. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

George Little: hard water fishermen take care

The most important thing for you to know about ice fishing is whether or not the ice is thick enough to support your weight. That little detail can make the difference between pulling bluegills out of a hole in the ice, and somebody fishing you out of the icy water. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

Police object to small fraction of concealed carry permits

Police across Illinois have objected to just 236 applications from people seeking to carry concealed weapons out of 33,631 submitted to the state police. MORE :: (0) COMMENTS

• Some tips for eagle watchers January 30
• Giant duck call takes the record January 27
• State gives $1.3M for Lake Mich. shoreline project January 26
• United Bowhunters to hold annual event March 1 January 24
• Scientist documents 50 years of deer behavior January 24
• Reader photographs unusual yellow cardinal January 24
• Modern technology to give 3D view into past January 24
• Wis. board erases in-person deer check stations January 23
• Flying Fish Festival takes aim at invasive Asian carp January 20
• Concealed carry ‘hot’ in Sangamon, Macon counties January 20
• Wisconsin could move to online check-in of deer January 20
• Clinton Lake fish kill blamed on water temps January 17
• DNR’s online outdoors recreation survey closes Monday January 16
• Winter birds have to be tough January 16
• Ice fisherman found dead in pond near Fort Wayne January 15
• Bald eagle festivals on tap this winter January 14
• Canine shot in SE Mo. confirmed as wolf January 14
• Lawmakers try to change new concealed carry law January 14
• Forest service announces fee-waiving weekends January 14
• Local authorities overwhelmed by gun applications January 13
• Kirk, mayors oppose Asian carp proposal January 13
• Report doesn’t resolve debate over Great Lakes January 11
• Missouri deer hunting reaches crossroads January 10
• Deep freeze has silver linings for natural world January 10
• DNR prepares for CWD sharpshooting in northern Illinois January 09
• Hunters kill 5,361 deer during first half of late-winter season January 08
• Illinois sees 11,000 concealed carry applications January 07
• Report: Great Lakes only region to gain wetlands January 07
• George Little: Start the New Year right January 04
• New waterfowl scientist will get feet wet this spring January 02
• Waterfowl numbers set records January 02
• Looking back at top outdoors stories January 02
• Illinois preps for possibility of wolf population January 01
• N. Ind. sees influx of snowy owls, Arctic visitor December 31
• Illinois State Police ready for concealed carry December 31
• Try our 2013 Outdoors crossword puzzle December 28
• Approach to deer disease stirs debate in Missouri December 28
• Otters make major comeback in Illinois December 26
• Merry Christmas from Prairie State Outdoors December 23
• Every bird counts during annual winter census December 23
• Wis. Democrats say DNR must do more to stop CWD December 20
• Falling numbers and unknown affects of EHD worry hunters December 19
• Deer Q & A with DNR’s Tom Micetich December 19
• Concealed carry applications to be only online December 19
• Archery and muzzleloader numbers slightly behind 2012 December 18
• Indiana town’s residents frustrated by inaction on urban deer December 16
• Mo. fenced deer farms under fire December 13
• Firearm deer season totals down 25 percent December 12
• Deer hunter injured after falling from tree stand December 11
• SD governor announces pheasant task force December 11
• Wis. DNR to board: Cold weather dampened hunt December 10
• Looking for a bright idea? Try glow colors December 09
• New bill adds exemptions to OHV law December 09
• George Little: No shows about “real life” hunters December 06
• Audubon Christmas Bird Counts start Dec. 14 December 05
• Roseate spoonbill stops at Lake Springfield December 05
• Archery harvest numbers catching up December 04
• Eurasian ruffe DNA found in southern Lake Michigan December 04
• Openings remain for youth goose hunt December 02
• DNR addressing concerns over OHV sticker rules November 28
• What’s new in four-wheelers November 28
• First weekend firearm deer totals well behind 2012 November 27
• Ethanol’s rise can mean loss of hunting lands November 27
• Hunters head out for chilly opening day November 22
• Conservation officer shoots driver at traffic stop in northern Illinois November 22
• Cougar found on northern Illinois farm November 21
• UPDATED: Hunting resumes at Des Plaines Game Propagation Center November 19
• Indiana boosts Wabash River sturgeon patrols November 18
• Wounded vets heal while they hunt November 17
• Ducks flock to Chautauqua this fall November 14
• Biologists can’t confirm Macoupin County cougar sighting November 14
• Weather keeps archery numbers behind last year November 12
• George Little: A time for optimism November 08
• Backyard birding video series: Changing seasons November 07
• Woolly bears predict mild winter ... or not November 07
• UPDATED: Paralyzed deer hunter chooses to end life support November 04
• Rain keeps archery numbers down November 04
• Grassland wildlife part of action plan update November 01
• Habitat key for future of upland game October 31
• INHS Aerial Inventory: Ducks are here October 31
• Volunteers needed for Annual Deer Hunt for People with Disabilities October 28
• Week 4 archery deer total so far: 17,967 October 28
• Iowa hunting accidents down since peak in 1960s October 28
• Photo essay: Sure signs of fall October 24
• Sangchris youth waterfowl hunt photo album October 24
• George Little: Some outdoors stories are mostly true October 24
• High crop prices turn more grassland into cropland October 22
• Archery deer hunters make up some ground in week 3 October 21
• Man allegedly sold deer, raccoons to Ill. eateries October 19
• Tour Rockton’s Nygren Wetland Preserve through a smartphone app October 18
• Ill. otters exposed to long-banned chemicals October 18
• Photo essay: A matter of scale October 17
• McClelland newest DNR fisheries biologist October 17
• Stay connected for news and updates October 17
• We want to share your Big Buck Stories October 17
• Fall trout season starts Saturday morning October 17
• Mapleton OKs bow hunting in village October 17
• Public input sought on Lake Michigan plan October 17
• SD gov schedules summit on pheasant habitat October 16
• Youth deer hunt and archery numbers below last year October 15