Let the hunting seasons begin – Welcome to Louis Riel Institute

It seems that we have blinked and it is already August. Squirrel season opened on August 1.

This hunting season runs through February 15, 2021. In counties that are open to gun deer hunting, squirrel season takes a break and is closed November 20-22, 20 to November 22 and from December 3 to 6. The daily limit for squirrels is 5, with 10 being the possession limit at any one time.

Believe it or not, the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations brochure for the 2020-2021 season is now available. Yes!

The last two years have been rough, with waiting until hunting season was almost over and relying on last year’s brochure for everything besides current sunrise/sunset calculations.

With all the closures due to the pandemic, having the regulations booklet available in AUGUST, it almost feels like Christmas came early, it was that exciting here at Gibson House.

Recently, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced an additional archery deer hunting opportunity in 2020 through the Illinois Recreational Access Program (IRAP). This third bow deer hunting period is December 16-31.

The Illinois Recreational Access Program has more than 24,000 leased acres in Illinois and is funded through a federal grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Voluntary Public Access Habitat Enhancement Program. IRAP provides multiple public access opportunities such as turkey hunting, archery deer, young gun deer, small game, waterfowl, and upland fowl, as well as pond and riverbank fishing. In addition to leasing private properties, IRAP carries out habitat management on these leased properties.

IRAP Archery Deer Hunting is now available October 1-15, October 16-31 and December 16-31 for licensed hunters to hunt on private land. There are currently 256 hunt sites available through IRAP in 34 Illinois counties.

IRAP Manager Tammy Miller stated, “Since bow hunting for deer is in high demand from IRAP, we asked landowners if they would allow hunting in December and many were willing.”