Van Simmons shot this 130 inchm 8 point during archery season. Simmons saw him down in the bottom, hit the “Can Call” and “Buck Roar,” drawing him for a 30 yard shot.
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Refuge aims to protect rare prairies, oak savannasThe U.S. Department of Interior announced in August that it had approved the Hackmatack — the Algonquin word for the tamarack tree — eight years after local residents, conservationists and environmental groups began a campaign to preserve it from encroaching development. The refuge became official in November, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired its first easement.
STORY & COMMENTS
Last winter, there were 11 reported snowmobile accidents in the state, resulting in three deaths.
STORY & COMMENTS
A rare golden eagle found in a central Illinois field with a broken wing has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Illinois Raptor Center. The 8-pound bird, now named Midas, was found north of Sadorus in Champaign County on Oct. 25. He has been at the center in Decatur since Dec. 6.
STORY & COMMENTS
Looking back at 2012, the severe drought has to be the top outdoors story of the year. It touched everything, from agriculture and the economy to fish and wildlife habitat. But if I went by website traffic alone, the appearance of a cougar (or cougars) roaming Illinois just before firearm deer season would be the top story.
STORY & COMMENTS
Study seeks to ensure future for ancient fishAn ancient fish that has survived for millions of years is getting a helping hand from a student at the University of Illinois Springfield. Nathan Grider, a graduate student in biology, has been studying the alligator gar, a fish that has inhabited waterways in North America for 3.5 million years.
STORY & COMMENTS
Imagine strolling through a wooded acreage once called home by early 20th century occupants of a poor farm and patients of a tuberculosis infirmary. Imagine learning the rich history of that land — including its geology and ecology — during a family outing just 25 miles from Chicago. That’s the plan for the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve, more than 170 acres of rolling forest and wetlands in Chicago’s south suburbs. If not for the Great Recession, the land might have been turned into a business park.
STORY & COMMENTS
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