Wild Things 8-15-10

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Whooping crane chicks at Wisconsin’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Of those, 13 will follow ultralight aircraft this fall, 11 will be released with older cranes to migrate and two are wild-hatched.

Ducks Unlimited plates

Look for the Ducks Unlimited logo in yet another spot on Illinois vehicles. While D.U. stickers already adorn many pickups, hunters will soon be able to opt for a specialty D.U. plate.

Gov. Pat Quinn signs legislation establishing the plates on Tuesday in Conservation World at the Illinois State Fair. On hand will be D.U.’s new CEO, Dale Hall, who will also tour the Illinois River before attending an open house at Presley’s Outdoors in Bartonville. The open house is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to the public.

Remember when

Fishing with soft plastic lures for bass is nothing new. Read this entry from an Aug. 7, 1960 Journal Star column by Howard Kenny. “Artificial worms already have proved to be great killers of bass. Now, with the development of the soft plastic material, it is possible to mold just about anything that crawls, flies or swims.”

You speak

“With the odds of drawing a duck blind at over 1,000 to 1, whose bright idea was it to let non-residents also draw for blinds at state areas? Only the resident, tax-paying citizens of Illinois should be allowed to draw.”
— Bill Krautwald

Emiquon low water

Anglers grumbling about low water at the Emiquon Preserve near Havana may have to adapt. Low water is not merely to facilitate work on boardwalks, boat ramps and other infrastructure (which should be open by late spring of 2011). Jason Beverlin of The Nature Conservancy said the drawdown also mimics traditional ebbs and flows of Illinois River backwaters. If funds allow, you can expect similar summer water levels at Emiquon in years to come.

Did you know?

The Latin name for purple coneflower is echinacea, which is derived from the Greek word for hedgehog. On coneflowers this refers to the spiny bracts between the flowers and the point tips that look similar to a hedgehog’s spines. The plant has been used for years to cure everything from rattlesnake bites to syphilis and is today used to treat or prevent colds, the flu and infections.

Top squirrel sites

Cooler days have to come soon. With hopes for cooler weather, here’s some information on which nearby public sites provided the best harvest for bushytails during the 2009 season. 1. Sand Ridge 757, 2. Jim Edgar-Panther Creek 653, 3. Marseilles 425, 4. Marshall 323, 5. Spoon River State Forest 283.

Wild on the Web

Weather.com has launched a new fishing report application that offers solunar table information, hourly fishing reports, weather information and a catch of the day feature.

This ‘n that

Presley’s Outdoors has an archery sale Friday through Aug. 29. ... Deadline to apply for the second lottery for 2010 Illinois fall shotgun turkey permits is Aug. 23.  Apply at http://www.dnr.state.il.us. ... Flooding on the Mississippi River has forced Bradford catfish guide Tim Scott to head south. So far this summer he has caught blue catfish and flathead catfish up to 74 pounds on the Ohio River. ... Junior duck stamp artworks will be displayed at Dickson Mounds Museum Sept. 21 to Oct. 12.