Posted By: Michael-PhillipsIL Field Editor SW Pike County 05-22-2012 13:42 – – – Saw a wood duck hen and about a dozen little ones crossing the road on my way home from a hunt test over the weekend. The hunt test was at Banner Marsh. It was my first time making that drive up from our farm in the Pleasant Hill area and I could not believe the amount of wetlands up there. Posted By: Scott-Martin Field Editor NE IL 04-19-2012 00:05 Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 60-65 Degrees Big day. Saw the first group of little yellow puff balls today. A few hour old Canada geese with their proud parents this afternoon. Earliest date for seeing them that I can remember. Usually hope to see them by may day. But they are here early. And the calm spring… Hopefully lots and lots of them… Post reports…. Posted By:… Continue reading

Posted By: Scott-Martin Field Editor NE IL 01-22-2012 00:01 Cloudy, Accumulating Snow – 10-20 Degrees – Ice Geese buggin out here … a few sitting on the open water… saw a pile of goldeneye in the neighborhood today and the past few days…. Posted By: GooseMe1 Guest Fulton Co. /Canton 01-20-2012 19:22 Cloudy, High Winds – 10-20 Degrees – Ice Good number of big geese around. Had a great day today. Too bad season almost over. Will keep after them until the end of season. Posted By: Kevin-Stallard Field Editor S/W IIllinois 01-20-2012 04:56 Cloudy, High Winds – 25-30 Degrees – Ice WIth a strong N/NW wind today saw more dark geese SB. Several migrators flying high getting away from the bitter cold and some snow north of us. Also more snow geese in the area, but I don’t know if they are following the same routine as the dark… Continue reading

Posted By: Scott-Martin Field Editor North Central IL 01-07-2012 16:18 Mostly Sunny, No Precipitation – 45-50 Degrees Closed out my north zone season yesterday with one final goose hunt. Fun to be out and saw a ton of geese in the AM, but they preferred to trade north and west off the roost, rather than toward me (south and west) … did get a few lookers and one group close enough, so I didn’t end the season skunked. Looking forward to fresh goose this week. In the PM, I figured out where the mallards and geese are in IL … north of 88 and north of 90. Piles and piles. Saw a mallard vortex that rivals anything I have ever seen before. With all the geese in the same area, it looked like a refuge. Which as of tomorrow, all of Northern IL will be. Let it snow, Let it… Continue reading

Posted By: Michael-PhillipsIL Field Editor SW Pike County 12-27-2011 22:03 – – – Did a final clean up yesterday and saw quite a few specks and a few honkers. This duck season started great but the last two weeks were a huge disappointment. I hear of lots of geese north so hopefully something happens up there to get these birds moving down and give us a decent goose season. A lake in my office park doesn’t have a goose on it while usually it has hundreds by this time. Hope they get here quick. Posted By: Scott-Martin Field Editor Central IL 12-21-2011 23:20 – – 40-45 Degrees Didn’t get out for the fianle. Unfortunately. Would have liked to see what was happening with open water in the end of DEC in the bottoms. Reports are though that it wasn’t much of anything in our area. Nov ducks arrived in a… Continue reading

Posted By: webmaster root McHenry County 12-10-2011 15:44 – – – Frigid morning — the kind that makes your fingers and toes ache. Lots of ice, no ducks, no geese — a huge change since yesterday but I suspect many bugged out on the bright moon last night. Did a long scouting drive to ponds that stay open late and have bubblers — even those were ready for iceskating. I fear the fat lady has sung for us. Get ready for birds south of us. Posted By: Scott-Martin Field Editor Central il 12-09-2011 23:29 Sunny & Clear, Winds Calm – 10-20 Degrees – Ice Locked up. Ice. We had a few good days but birds haven’t moved in force since their food is not covered. Where are they? I think many went right past us or are holding on open water and feeding in fields. Forest preserve here in northern… Continue reading

Posted By: davehunter03 Web Member N. Zone in Illinois 12-05-2011 18:42 – – – Alright fella’s, I’ve heard enough about “Bedliners” & “Somebody needs to pay”. Does anyone have any idea where the Mallards are? I’ve heard central & southern S.D. and central Wisc.are holding the Mallards? It’s duck season! SR. Posted By: webmaster root Boone County 12-05-2011 13:32 – – – Missed hunting this weekend due to life’s obligations. Of course, I got texts all weekend about everyone filling out on ducks and geese at our place. TONS of birds in the area and rain opened waters that were frozen. Hope it doesn’t refreeze before i get back out. Posted By: huntorski Guest Pool 12 Miss 12-04-2011 14:03 – – – Hunted Saturday Was hoping to see ducks moving in front of the snow. Didn’t happen Ceiling was low and visibility sucked with the rain, but I saw nothing… Continue reading

Posted By: Kevin-Stallard Field Editor S/W Illinois 11-27-2011 19:54 – – 35-40 Degrees With the strong N/W winds today had a good movement of migrators heading south. Same wind predicted tomorrow, looks like it is just in time for the annual YankeeFest down at Horseshoe with Terry,Curtis and Scatter. Scatters on the move about Wednesday, lock up the kids. Posted By: webmaster root Boone & McHenry County 11-27-2011 18:42 – – – Massive sandhill crane migration today — going on all day long. Ducks were hugh and moving on the NW winds. Lots of ducks both in the fields and over the marsh today. The ones that worked ended up on the strap – all mallards. Pulled the decoys out today as it looks as we’ll be froze out by next weekend at the marsh. Probably take a break in the corn too as the second deer season is next… Continue reading

Posted By: webmaster root Boone County 11-20-2011 17:29 – – – Geese are thick, ducks totally MIA again today. We must be in the doughnut hole. Geese have ben feeding late at night all weekend. Was and odd weekend for sure. Didn’t even hear shots on deer today. Posted By: 2footroper Web Member Bath, IL 11-20-2011 05:29 Sunny & Clear, High Winds – 45-50 Degrees Hunted Friday and Saturday. Friday was another great day with sun and wind. Full limits of Mallards with filler ducks like Teal, Pintails, and Gadwalls for everyone. Saturday was cloudy and more wind. Couldn’t scratch out limits for but got half way there for most. Saw a big push of geese both light and Canadas comming in from the North. They were high and moving all day long. Man I hope the cold stays away a little longer so we don’t get froze out early… Continue reading