Results of the 2003-2004 Illinois Youth Hunter Survey

Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-13, Job Number 103.1, Wildlife Restoration Fund, July 1, 2003 - Sept. 30, 2004Report issued on: December 22, 200

2014-2015 Illinois Trapper Report: Harvest, Effort, and Marketing Practices

Wesampled1,200 purchasersof2014resident Illinois trapping licensesfrom the Illinois Department of Natural Resources licensing database.Licensees were mailed a 4-page questionnaire, and we received 710 (58%) questionnaires.Trapping license sales increased 7%from 2013 (7,782licenses)to 2014 (8,303).Trappers set an average of 16.1traps for an average of 23.1days or nights during the 2014-2015season,and harvested an estimated179,978furbearers (down28% from the 251,178harvested in 2013-2014).An estimated 101,035raccoons (Procyon lotor) were trapped during the 2014-2015Illinois trapping season, adecreaseof33%from the estimated 151,367trapped during the 2013-2014 season.Muskrat(Ondatra zibethicus) harvest was the next highest at33,860muskrats(4% increasefrom the previous year).IDNRDivision of Wildlife U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFederal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24unpublishednot peer reviewe

2017-2018 Illinois waterfowl hunter report: harvest, youth hunts, and zone option preferences

A total of 3,190 (44% response rate) Illinois waterfowl hunters returned usable questionnaires to the 2017-18 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Survey. An estimated 37,215 adult waterfowl hunters spent 1 day or more afield during 2017-18, a decrease of 9.7% from the 41,242 hunters in 2016-17. Waterfowl hunters spent 732,166 days afield, a decrease of 15.9% from the 870,721 days devoted during the 2016-17 license year. Total waterfowl harvest decreased 0.4%, from 490,463 during 2016-17 to 421,384 during 2017-18. Duck harvest estimates for the regular duck season were as follows: 136,381 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 29,372 wood ducks (Aix sponsa), and 111,937 other ducks. A total of 15,062 teal (Anas spp.) were harvested during the September teal season. Goose hunters harvested 78,850 Canada geese (Branta canadensis) during the regular Canada goose season, a 2.1% increase from the 77,216 Canada geese harvested during the 2016-17 regular goose season. Hunters harvested 16,155 Canada geese during the September Canada goose season, an 8.8% decrease from the previous year. During the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season, 4,780 adults took 6,459 youths waterfowl hunting, an 8.7% increase in adult participation and a 9.1% increase in youth participation from the 2016-17 Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season. Hunter preferences for season and zones, and satisfaction with the waterfowl seasons are also discussed.llinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFederal Aid in Wildlife Restoration W-112-R-27unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

2018-2019 Illinois Trapper Report: Harvest, Effort, and Marketing Practices

We sampled 1,200 of 2018 resident Illinois trapping license purchasers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources licensing database. Licensees were mailed an 8-page questionnaire, and we received 739 (63%) questionnaires. Trapping license sales increased 7.6% from 2017-18 (5,964 licenses) to 2018-19 (6,416). Trappers set an average of 15.8 traps for an average of 26.4 days or nights during the 2018-19 season and harvested an estimated 127,990 furbearers (down 4.8% from the 134,560 harvested in 2017-18). An estimated 63,179 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were trapped during the 2018-19 Illinois trapping season, a decrease of 1.3% from the estimated 64,025 trapped during the 2017-18 season. Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) harvest was the next highest at 17,815 opossum (6.3% increase from the previous year). OBJECTIVEFederal Aid Project Number W-112-R-28unpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

The hard quiescent spectrum of the neutron-star X-ray transient EXO 1745-248 in the globular cluster Terzan 5

We present a Chandra observation of the globular cluster Terzan 5 during times when the neutron-star X-ray transient EXO 1745-248 located in this cluster was in its quiescent state. We detected the quiescent system with a (0.5-10 keV) luminosity of ~2 x 10^{33} ergs/s. This is similar to several other neutron-star transients observed in their quiescent states. However, the quiescent X-ray spectrum of EXO 1745--48 was dominated by a hard power-law component instead of the soft component that usually dominates the quiescent emission of other neutron-star X-ray transients. This soft component could not conclusively be detected in EXO 1745-248 and we conclude that it contributed at most 10% of the quiescent flux in the energy range 0.5-10 keV. EXO 1745-248 is only the second neutron-star transient whose quiescent spectrum is dominated by the hard component (SAX J1808.4-3658 is the other one). We discuss possible explanations for this unusual behavior of EXO 1745-248, its relationship to other quiescent neutron-star systems, and the impact of our results on understanding quiescent X-ray binaries. We also discuss the implications of our results on the way the low-luminosity X-ray sources in globular clusters are classified.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Main Journal, September 22, 2004. Figure 2 is a color figur

Hunter Participation, Harvest, and Hunting Behavior During the 2015 Illinois Conservation Order Season

Harvest of light geese(Chen caerulescens, Chen rossii)during the 2015Illinois Light Goose Conservation Order season was estimated at 123,944. An estimated 2,599 hunters participated in the 2015 Illinois Light Goose Conservation Order season. Hunters spent an estimated 30,360days afield during 2015, and the majority (53%) of the snow goose harvest occurred during the month of February. Due to changes in sampling of addresses and calculation of estimates,comparisons should not be made to years2013 and before in figures and tables. Addresses were sampled from Harvest Information Program (HIP)registrants who reported they hunted snow and other light geese (including Ross’ and Blue geese) during the 2014Light Goose Conservation Order seasons. Electronic calls were used by 78% of hunters, 77% used unplugged shotguns, and 60% reported hunting between sunset and ½ hour after sunset. Forty-five percent of snow goose hunters indicated an increase in effort over the past five years, and 39% of hunters perceived an increase in snow goose abundance during the regular goose seasons. A majority of the hunters(80%) were interested in snow goose hunting to extend their hunting season.Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceunpublishednot peer reviewe

2014-2015 Illinois Otter Trapper Report

llinois otter trapping was reinstated during the 2012-2013 Illinois Furbearer Trapping season. During 2014-2015, thethirdyear of reinstatement, 495 Illinois residents who trapped an otter were provided anotter permit; each otter trapper was mailed a 4-page questionnaire. We received 342 (74%) usable questionnaires. During the 2014-15 season, an average of 30 traps were set per trapper over the course of 43 days or nights. Respondents harvested an average of 2.2 otters (Lontra canadensis) for a total of 723 otters, which represented a 25% decrease from 2013-14. Participants also harvested 15,513 raccoons (Procyon lotor), 7,410 muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), and 2,557 opossum (Didelphis virginiana) during the 2014-2015 Illinois trapping season. Trapper attitudes toward wildlife related issuesand marketing practices were also examined.IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFederal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24unpublishednot peer reviewe

2014-2015 Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Report: Harvest, Youth Hunts, and Season Preferences

A total of 2,212(48%response rate) Illinois waterfowl hunters responded to the 2014-15Illinois Waterfowl Hunter Survey. An estimated 50,698waterfowl hunters spent982,193days afield, adecreaseof6.7% from the 1,052,728days devoted during the 2013-2014license year. Waterfowl harvest decreased9.0%, from 605,720 during 2013-14to 550,946 during 2014-15.Duck harvest estimates for the regular duck season were as follows: 197,997mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 48,216wood ducks (Aix sponsa), and 138,615other ducks. A total of 29,058teal (Anasspp.) were harvested during the September teal season. Goose hunters harvested 87,672Canada geese (Branta canadensis) during the regular Canada goose season, a 16.4% decreasefrom the 104,887Canadageese harvested during the 2013-14regular goose season. Hunters harvested 19,089Canada geese during the September Canada goose season, a 22.0% increasefrom the previous year. During the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season, 6,405adults took 8,572youths waterfowl hunting, a 24.1% decrease in adult participation and a less than 1.0% decrease in youth participation from the 2013-14Youth Waterfowl Hunting Season.Duck huntercommitment to waterfowl hunting, preferences for season and zones,and satisfaction with the waterfowl seasons are also discussed.Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceunpublishednot peer reviewe