Deer Hunting

SHARPSHOOTING ILLINOIS ATTENTION ALL IL HUNTERS

This is what our lovely DNR is up to

In Illinois wildlife officails are encouraged by results of chronic wasting disease tests conducted in the past year. A total of 7,523 were tested for the fatal disease between july 1, 2008 and June 30. Those tests found 30 infected deer. The number of tests was about the same as the past three years. Tests were conducted in 94 counties, but most of the tests were from Northern Illinois where the state'sfirst CWD case was found in 2002. The latest cases were from already infected counties: Winnebago (12), Boone (9), Dekalb (4), McHenry (4), and Ogle (1). The Department of Natural Resources tested hunter harvested deer and those killed by sharpshooters. The Northern Illinois sharpshooter effort began after the hunting seasons and concentrated on areas where CWD had previously been found. Nine CWD cases were found among the 700 deer killed by sharpshooters. "It's to early to put on the happy hat and have a party," said Paul Shelton, DNR forest wildlife, program manager. "But I'll be tickled if we keep seeing lower numbers of positivies on the hunter side and sharpshooter side." The DNR will continue testing hunters' deer at Northern Illinois check stations this fall. The sharpshooter program also will resume this winter.

Source; Rockford Register Star Sunday, August 30, 2009

They killed 7,523 deer to find 30 deer with CWD. That is an OUTRAGE!!!!! I hunt in Boone County and my deer hunting has went SOUR. Had a trail cam up all year and have had only 3 deer on it. We Illinois hunters and even those of you that do not hunt Illinois need to step up to the DNR and tell them that we are not happy with the sharpshooter program!