November Reminders and Dates - IDNR Newsbits

IDNR Newsbits – Nov. 2018

November is a great time for hunting, fishing, leaf peeping, and just plan enjoying the outdoors

• Remaining Firearm Deer Permits: A limited number of Illinois firearm and muzzleloader deer permits are available over-the-counter (OTC) from DNR Direct license and permit vendors through Dec. 2, or until quotas are exhausted. Find a vendor near you at this link: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/LPR/Pages/LicensePermitVendors.aspx

• Archery Deer and Fall Turkey Permits: Illinois Archery Deer and Illinois Archery Fall Turkey seasons are open through Jan. 20, 2019. Permits are available over-the-counter at DNR Direct license and permit vendors. Find a vendor near you at this link:   http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/LPR/Pages/LicensePermitVendors.aspx

• Archery, Firearm, Muzzleloader, and Late-Winter/CWD Seasons CWD Sampling: Deer hunters statewide are encouraged to allow samples to be taken for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing from adult deer they harvest. Check the IDNR website at this link for locations that are serving as CWD sampling stations, taking samples from entire deer or deer heads through the end of the season (Jan. 20, 2019): http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/programs/CWD/Documents/CWDSamplingLocations.pdf

• Public Access Opportunities for Waterfowl and Upland Game: The Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP) has waterfowl hunting available in Macoupin Co. This site has three four-man blinds ready to go. Each group of hunters are assigned a blind for five consecutive days. To get in on the action, fill out an application and mail it in to IRAP. For the first time, IRAP has Upland Game hunting opportunities in Christian and Scott counties. Hunters my fill out an application and send it to IRAP. These sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, go to the IRAP page on the IDNR website and download your application today: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/IRAP/Pages/default.aspx

• Spring Turkey Applications: Resident hunters can apply for the first lottery for 2019 Illinois Spring Wild Turkey Season permits online. Go to the IDNR website for more information at this link: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/TurkeyHunting.aspx  The application deadline for the first lottery for 2019 resident spring turkey permits is Dec. 1, 2018. 

• President Grant Day at Old State Capitol Nov. 3: The Old State Capitol in Springfield will celebrate President Ulysses S. Grant Day in Illinois with a special event on Sat., Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of his election as president. Grant was elected for the first of his two terms as President of the United States in November 1868. Grant is one of our country’s most underestimated heroes. The Old State Capitol event will present Larry Werline as a first-person portrayal of General U.S. Grant, helping bring history to life through stories and humorous anecdotes from Grant’s life. For more information, phone 217-785-7960.

• Creole Music Nov. 3 at Dickson Mounds Museum: Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole will perform on Sat., Nov. 3 from 1-4 p.m. at Dickson Mounds Museum. The performance will feature vibrant music and stories relating to the Illinois Bicentennial. With a blend of Celtic, Canadian and Old-Time sounds, Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole bridges the gap between contemporary Canadian and Louisiana Cajun styles. The event is for all ages. During the intermission, kids may enjoy a variety of hands-on activities relating to Illinois’ French Voyageur period. Light refreshments will be available. Registration or advanced tickets are not required, though seating will be limited. Dickson Mounds Museum is located between Lewistown and Havana off Illinois Routes 78 and 97.

• Naturally Art at Illinois State Museum Nov. 3: Nature is a beautiful work of art. Discover how to create art using objects found in your backyard during the “Naturally Art” Super Saturday event for kids at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield on Sat., Nov. 3 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Children will discover the art of fish painting, sand art, and making clay pendants. For additional information, contact events@illinoisstatemuseum.org or phone 217-558-6696. The event is sponsored by Bank of Springfield.

• Fort De Chartres Winter Rendezvous Nov. 3-4: The Fort de Chartres State Historic Site presents a weekend of colorful clothing, hand-made crafts, period music and delicious food when the annual Winter Rendezvous returns Nov. 3-4. The Rendezvous is fun both for the participants demonstrating frontier life from 1700 to 1820 and for visitors spending an autumn day wandering among the tents, campfires and historic French colonial fort. The event is free and open to the public. It is hosted by Les Coureurs des Bois de Fort de Chartres and is sponsored by Les Amis du Fort de Chartres. Rendezvous hours are Sat., Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Sun., Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Fort De Chartres is four miles west of Prairie Du Rocher, IL. For more information: http://www.fortdechartres.us/2018-wr-november-3-4/.

• Director’s Hunt Nov. 19-20: Register today for the annual Illinois Conservation Foundation Director’s Hunt at Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area in southern Illinois. The two-day controlled pheasant and quail hunt – co-sponsored by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever – is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 19-20. Hunting will take place on 25 fields at Wayne Fitzgerrell SRA, one of the state’s best venues for upland game and other hunting opportunities. The ICF Director’s Hunt is priced at $350 for individual hunters or $1,200 for a team of four, which includes two guided hunts, steel shot shells for each hunter, plus lunch, dinner and lodging. Registration and sponsorship information is available on the ICF website at www.ilcf.org or by phoning the ICF at 217-785-2003.

• Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal: Check out the November edition of the Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal, with articles on a habitat restoration project at Horseshoe Lake State Park in Madison County, aerial waterfowl counts, chronic wasting disease research, the centuries-old tradition of trapping, managing property for wildlife, and mourning dove banding. Find the Outdoor Illinois Wildlife Journal online at https://outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org

• Online Free Site Hunting Permits: Hunters are reminded that Free Site Hunting windshield cards to hunt upland, forest game and waterfowl at IDNR sites are available online from the IDNR website on the Public Hunting Areas page at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/PublicHuntingAreas.aspx

• Hunting Regulations: For information on Illinois hunting seasons and regulations, click here for the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2018-19: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/HuntTrapDigest.pdf

• Public Hunting Areas Report: The latest edition of the IDNR Illinois Public Hunting Areas Report – with details on public lands hunting effort and harvest – is available online on the IDNR website at this link: https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Documents/IllinoisPublicHuntingAreasReport.2017.2018.pdf

• Controlled Pheasant Permits: Hunters can apply online now for 2018-19 Illinois controlled pheasant hunting opportunities available at IDNR sites. Sixteen of the sites are operated by the IDNR, while two other sites are managed by concessionaire T. Miller, Inc. For application information, check the websites at www.dnr.illinois.gov or www.tmillerinc.com.

• Early Illinois Squatters at Illinois State Museum Nov. 7: “A Law Unto Themselves, Squatters and their Constitutions: Dividing the Public Domain in Early-Statehood Illinois” is the theme of the Illinois State Museum’s Paul Mickey Learning Series free program on Wed., Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Dr. Christopher A. Schnell, a curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, will discuss the uncertainty many early Illinoisans felt over the settlement of the federally-owned frontier. For additional information, email events@illinoisstatemuseum.org or phone 217-558-6696. The Illinois State Museum is located in the State Capitol Complex in Springfield.

• Tim Grimm at Illinois State Museum Nov. 8: Musician Tim Grimm will perform at the monthly “Music at the Museum” concert at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield on Thurs., Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Grimm’s most recent recording, “A Stranger in This Time” (2017), is a collaboration with his wife Jan, and sons Connor and Jackson. In the fall of 2016, this same group recorded the single “Woody's Landlord,” which was the #1 song on Folk Radio for the year. Tickets will be available at the door. For more information on the featured acts and a full series schedule, visit www.ginridge.com/extras/music-at-the-museum.

• Raptor Show Nov. 10 at Cahokia Mounds: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will host the World Bird Sanctuary of St. Louis for its Raptor Awareness Show on Sat., Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. The event will be held in the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center auditorium. The program is free and open to the public. Live birds of prey, or raptors, will be featured and the handlers will describe each bird, its habits and habitats, characteristics, and diet. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is just eight miles from St. Louis in Collinsville off Interstates 55/70 (Exit 6) and Interstate 255 (Exit 24) on Collinsville Road. For more information call 618-346-5160 or go to www.cahokiamounds.org.

• Sandburg Songbag Concert Nov. 11 in Galesburg: The versatile and prolific singer-songwriter Tom Irwin will perform on Sun., Nov. 11 at the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site in Galesburg as part of the site’s Songbag Concert Series. For more than 35 years, Tom Irwin has been taking life experiences and turning them into songs. He has 10 full length recordings to his credit. The performance will be in the Sandburg site’s Barn at 313 E. Third Street in Galesburg. The show starts at 4 p.m. A donation of $5 per person is suggested. The concert is sponsored by the Carl Sandburg Historic Site Association and the IDNR. For more information: www.sandburg.org. 

• ISM Collectors Day and Artifact Identification Event Nov. 17: The Illinois State Museum in Springfield hosts local collectors displaying the best of their collections on Sat., Nov. 17 from 1-3 p.m. during Collection Day and Artifact Identification Day. Visitors can also bring items from home to be identified by Museum staff and other experts. The artifact identification will focus on art, antiques, anthropological artifacts, rocks, minerals, fossils, and bones. Individuals interested in displaying a collection as part of Collectors Day can apply by calling 217-558-6696. No buying, selling, or trading is allowed at this event. For more information: http://www.illinoisstatemuseum.org/content/collectors-day-and-artifact-identification-event

• Dulcimer Workshop Nov. 17 at Dickson Mounds: Dickson Mounds Museum is hosting a Mountain Dulcimer Workshop on Sat., Nov. 17 from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Mike Anderson will conduct the song workshop for all levels of players. Christmas holiday music will be the focus of the workshop. The fee for the two-hour workshop is $25.00, payable by check or cash the day of the workshop. To register, call Dickson Mounds Museum at 309-547-3721.

• “Two Faces of Illinois History” Show on Nov. 17 at Cahokia Mounds: A special program – “Two Faces of Illinois’ History” – will feature the recreation of a dramatic debate between Territorial Governor Ninian Edwards and Potawatomi Chief Gomo on Sat., Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville. The program will be held in the Interpretive Center auditorium at Cahokia Mounds, not far from the very place where these two men sparred in speeches delivered in the wake of the War of 1812. This original performance is part of the official Illinois 200 Bicentennial Celebration. The program will be presented by storyteller, author and historian Brian “Fox” Ellis. For more information, call 618-346-5160 or go to www.cahokiamounds.org.

• David Davis Mansion Features a Dickens Christmas Nov. 23-Dec. 29: Charles Dickens’ holiday tale A Christmas Carol on the Victorian celebration of Christmas will be highlighted during this year’s “Christmas at Clover Lawn,” scheduled for Nov. 23 through Dec. 29 at the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site in Bloomington. As visitors tour the David Davis Mansion during the holiday season, they will enjoy the decorative features that are part of “A Dickens Christmas” - blazing fireplaces, roasting chestnuts, Christmas dances, parlor games, plum puddings, roasted turkey, and Christmas postcards. Bathed in the simulated gaslight of the Victorian era, the Davis Mansion will also be festooned with boughs of evergreens, glittering ornaments, antique toys, and Christmas trees in almost every room. Davis Mansion tour hours for the holiday season (Nov. 23-Dec. 29) are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The site will be closed Sundays through Tuesdays, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

• Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grants: Applications will be accepted by the IDNR Division of Education through Nov. 30 for the Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant program. Applicants can select to develop a pollinator garden or a wildlife habitat of their choice. More details are available at https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/education/Pages/GrantsSHAG.aspx  The program is funded by generous contributions to the Illinois Conservation Foundation from the Jadel Youth Fund and the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation.

Information provided by IDNR