Press
Morels Are Here in Northern Illinois at Last
With the late spring, the morel season is late too. The little grey morels startingpopping about a week ago. They are the first to come up, and the hardest to find. But I look at it as “warming up” for the yellows. If you can find a one inch little grey mushroom on [...]Read more
Venison is the New “Health Meat”
When discussing wild game recipes, some people would ask me “How can you eat that?” Easy, really. I grew up in a hunting household where we ate wild game. We loved to hunt. And we ate what we hunted. No hidden secret or big mystery. With kids of my own ranging from 6 [...]Read more
TEACH KIDS TO HUNT AND SHOOT- THE RIGHT WAY
Hunting is a privilege, a tradition and to many families, a legacy. It’s one of the best ways to unplug kids from the internet or video games and spend quality time in the outdoors. But there are right ways and wrong ways to introduce them to this great American pastime. Here are [...]Read more
DSO NOW ON CHICAGO NOW
In 2011, I started blogging on Chicago Now – the blog site of the Chicago Tribune. I was fortunate to share outdoor news and experiences as a contributing blogger with my good friend and mentor, Don Dziedzina on his Illinois Outdoors blog site. But recently, I launched my [...]Read more
HUNTER SAFETY EDUCATION A GREAT WAY TO INTRODUCE KIDS TO HUNTING
If you are planning to take your kids hunting this fall, NOW is the time to get them into Hunter Safety Education Classes. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources offers TWO ways for young hunters to get certified- through their traditional instructor-led 2-day classes, or [...]Read more
CWD DISCOVERED IN WILL COUNTY
The first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Illinois was reported in Boone County in November of 2002. Since then, the disease has continued to trickle into the Illinois deer herd, mostly into the counties bordering Wisconsin. But now it’s here in Will County. A deer [...]Read more
MEMBERSHIP TO USCCA
OK, this is not considered “gear”. But in my opinion, it’s one of the best investments and one of the best services that I could possibly endorse, especially for my readers in Illinois. It’s a Membership to the United States Concealed Carry Association. [...]Read more
A FAMILY TRADITION COMES FULL CIRCLE
My first memories of hunting are distant, but clear in my mind. I remember climbing into a deer blind with my Dad — pitch black, windy, and cold, climbing in the darkness to reach the safety of a wooden box high up in a tree. I remember falling asleep then being awaken with a [...]Read more
Mountain Lion Shot in Whiteside County, Illinois
On November 20th, IDNR Conservation officers responded to a call of a live cougar on a farm in Morrison, Illinois. Farm owners had called the Illinois Department of Natural Resources CPO after spotting a large cougar running towards their barns and lot where a horse was located. [...]Read more
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
After a slow start to goose season due to warm temperatures, recent winter storms have finally pushed the Canada Geese south. According to my buddy Mike Brenczewski, there are more birds here in Northern Illinois at one time than he has ever seen. I had a chance to hunt with Mike [...]Read more
