Celebrity Quail Hunt Event Features Shooting Sports, Fishing, Golf

Illinois Conservation Foundation Event Benefits Youth Programs

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – The Illinois Conservation Foundation’s 15th annual Celebrity Quail Hunt on Nov. 2-4 will feature quail and pheasant hunting, guided fishing opportunities, boat tours of Rend Lake, golf, and a variety of shooting sports competitions at the Rend Lake Resort complex in Franklin County.

“The Celebrity Quail Hunt is the Foundation’s most popular event every year, and we’ve added golf, fishing and other outdoor opportunities to our opening day schedule for participants to select from,” said Illinois Conservation Foundation executive director Greg Legan.  “We invite former and new participants to join us and experience what the Rend Lake Resort area has to offer while supporting our many youth hunting and education programs.”

This year’s Celebrity Quail Hunt activities include:

Sun., Nov. 2 –

• Sporting Clays, Trap and Five-Stand Shooting
• Competitive Shooting including “Make a Break,” “Flurry Machine,” “Bird Walk,” “Fun Shoot”
• Crappie fishing, with boat, guide, equipment, and fish-cleaning furnished
• Crappie fishing from the docks at Rend Lake Resort with prizes awarded
• A pontoon tour of Rend Lake
• Eighteen holes of golf at Rend Lake Golf Course or the Franklin County Country Club
• Wine tasting at the Pheasant Hollow Winery
• Quail Hunt Celebrity pairings reception and dinner

Mon., Nov. 3 –

• Breakfast
• Morning Quail Hunt
• Lunch
• Afternoon Pheasant Hunt
• Banquet

Tues., Nov. 4 –

• Breakfast and departure

The ICF Celebrity Quail Hunt major corporate sponsors include Remington, Winchester, and People’s Bank of Benton.

Individual hunt packages including activities, lodging, meals, refreshments, and shells are $600.  The Illinois Conservation Foundation is an IRS 501 (c)(3) approved organization. A portion of the cost of an individual hunt package is deductible for federal income tax purposes.

For reservations or more information, contact the Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, IL 62702-1271, or phone 217/785-2003.  Please make reservations by Oct. 24.

Related posts

• Youth Pheasant Hunting Clinic Scheduled Near Deary, Idaho (0)
• September 15 is Deadline in Wyoming for Springer and Glendo Pheasant Permits (0)
• Plentiful Pheasant Population Will Greet Hunters in South Dakota (0)
• Pheasant Season Opens December 1 in Oklahoma (0)
• Longer Seasons, New Hunts (0)

Gov. Rounds Proclaims June as Great Outdoors Month

PIERRE, S.D. – Gov. Mike Rounds has proclaimed June as Great Outdoors Month in South Dakota.

In the proclamation, Gov Rounds states, outdoor recreation is an essential component of our well-being, with the ability to improve our health and build the human spirit.  I encourage citizens and our visitors to take advantage of the many opportunities our state offers for family outdoor recreation.

Many opportunities for outdoor activities are provided by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks in their efforts to expand and enhance state parks, protect our wildlife heritage, and create programs such as “No Child Left Inside” which introduces youngsters to the wonders of the outdoors.

Several notable outdoor recreation opportunities will take place in June, including the following events:

• National Trails Day, June 7 - A day set aside to celebrate America’s magnificent trail systems and their countless supporters and volunteers. Several state parks will be hosting trail-related events that day. Info: www.SDGFP.info or www.AmericanHiking.org.
• Second Saturday Bird Walk, June 7, Outdoor Campus, Sioux Falls. Join a naturalist for a 7:30 a.m. stroll through Sertoma Park in search of birds. Sharpen your visual and auditory birding skills, learn birding tricks and how to choose binoculars and field guides. The class is free, but pre-registration is required at www.outdoorcampus.org or call (605) 362-2777. The Outdoor Campus offers many outdoor-related classes year round. Info: (605) 362-2777.
• Capitol Community Celebration, June 11, State Capitol Complex in Pierre. One of the highlights of this annual free community picnic is a rare opportunity for kids to fish in Capitol Lake. All kids aged 15 and under are invited. Bait, volunteers and limited equipment will be available. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. and wraps up with a band concert at 7 p.m. Info: (605) 773-6320.
• Luce Pioneer Day, June 14, Lake Herman State Park near Madison. The event celebrates the original homesteading pioneers with family activities, entertainment, vendors and historical demonstrations. Info: (605) 256-5003.
• National Get Outside Day, June 14, Oahe Downstream Recreation Area near Pierre/Fort Pierre. Participants will enjoy fun family activities all day, including geocaching, fishing-golf, Dutch oven cooking and other outdoor activities. The activities run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the event closes with an outdoor movie at 9:30 p.m. Info: (605) 223-7722.
• Becoming an Outdoor Family, June 20-22, Chief White Crane Recreation Area near Yankton – This annual weekend workshop offers classes on outdoor cooking, fishing techniques, GPS units (Global Positioning System), canoeing and many other outdoor skills. Registration is $50 per family and will be accepted until June 9 or until openings are filled. Info: (605) 773-3930.
• SDSU Bioblitz, June 28, Oak Lake Field Station near Brookings. Participate in an educational program and a scientific survey combined into one day. The objective is for scientists to count all the species of plants and animals they can find in a given area in a fixed amount of time. Come out and hike the field station grounds and see science in action. Ask biologists questions about how and why they study our local plants and animals. Presentations and displays are scheduled throughout the day. Info: (605) 367-8384.
• No Child Left Inside Resource Packs, ongoing, Pierre. Want to learn more about the outdoors while you’re exploring? GFP and the Rawlins Library in Pierre have teamed up to provide loaner packs full of resource materials designed for outdoor explorations. Packs include field guides, binoculars, insect nets, magnifying glasses and more. Info: Rawlins Library (605-773-7421) for family/individual backpacks; GFP (605-773-2541) for group resource trunk. 

In addition, across the state a number of outdoor programs will be held in state parks throughout June, including bird walks, outdoor cooking demonstrations, hikes, fishing derbies and nature programs. For a list of upcoming events, visit www.SDGFP.info.

Related posts

• West Bend Boat Ramp Parking Lot to be Closed for Striping (0)
• South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Offers HuntSAFE Course for Women (0)
• Proper Measurement of Fish Critical to Fish and Fisherman (0)
• Proper Measurement of Fish Critical to Fish and Fisherman (0)
• Fish Kill Occurs on Lake Francis Case (0)

State Parks Plan OK KIDS Days, Free Entrance in May

Many parks combine OK Kids and Free Park Entrance days first weekend in May

PRATT — April showers have brought May flowers to Kansas state parks, and with flowers come warm weather and more outdoor events. Many of the highlights of state park events are OK Kids Days. This May, five state parks will conduct events specifically for youth. These events provide opportunities for kids across Kansas to experience various outdoor activities, from birdwatching to fishing clinics. For many, this is an introduction to the outdoors. For others, it is a rekindling of outdoor interests.

State parks planning combined OK Kids Days and Free Park Entrance Days in May include Cheney, May 3-4; Eisenhower, May 3; Meade, May 3-4; Prairie Dog, May 3; and Webster, May 3-4. Hillsdale State Park will conduct a Free Park Entrance Day May 11.Other May events range from crappie tournaments to horse trail rides to the Governor’s Cup Walleye Fishing Tournament (at Glen Elder State Park, May 4). Each park sets its own dates for these events.

Many events are educational and all make visiting Kansas state parks more fun. For more information on state park events, phone individual parks or click the ” Event Calendar” on the “State Parks” page of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us. 

Park goers are urged to phone the park they intend to visit before traveling. T elephone numbers of all state parks offices may be found on the KDWP website. Click “State Parks” at the top of the page, then “Locations” in the left-hand column.

The following is a list of other state park events for May:

• May 3 - Crappie Masters fishing tournament, Tuttle Creek State Park;
• May 4 — Crappie Busters fishing tournament, Tuttle Creek State Park;
• May 4 — Twin Rivers Bass Club of Emporia fishing tournament, Hillsdale State Park;
• May 4 — Governor’s Cup Walleye Tournament, Glen Elder State Park;
• May 4 — annual bird walk, Meade State Park;
• May 10 — Women on Target shooting event, Tuttle Creek State Park;
• May 10 — Jack Pot Buddy bass tournament, Milford State Park;
• May 10 — Catfish Nation fishing tournament, Eisenhower State Park;
• May 10-11 — Middle of The Trail Distance Riders Association competitive horse trail ride, Eisenhower State Park;
• May 17 — Olathe Community Sportsman’s Club fishing tournament, Eisenhower State Park;
• May 18 — Riley County Fish and Game fishing tournament, Tuttle Creek State Park;
• May 18 — Douglas County Trailriders horse trail ride, Perry State Park;
• May 22 — Kansas American Public Works Association public works equipment show, Milford State Park;
• May 24 — Dutch oven cook-off, Cross Timbers State Park;
• May 24-26 — Heartland Coursing dog field trial, Clinton State Park;
• May 25 — Wright Flight of Kansas/Missouri horse trail ride, Eisenhower State Park;
• May 31-June 1 — Kansas Bass Chapter Federation Team Series, fishing tournament, Cedar Bluff State Park; and
• May 31 — 4th annual youth fishing tournament, Glen Elder State Park.

Related posts

• State Parks Prepare For June Weather, Free Fishing Days (0)
• Wildlife and Parks Posting New Alien Invaders Signs (0)
• Prairie Preserve Opens Gates To Kids’ Free Fishing Clinic (0)
• Online Summary Provides Details on 2008 Deer Hunting Changes (0)
• Lovewell State Park To Celebrate Reservoir’s 50th Birthday (0)

Migratory Bird Day Presentation At Sacajawea Center

In celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, the Salmon Region Nongame Wildlife program is sponsoring a free public program on Thursday, May 8.

Fly on over to the Sacajawea Center’s Meriwether Theater at 7:30 p.m. for a presentation by renowned Idaho ornithologist Chuck Trost tiitled “Marathon Migrants: The Shorebirds of Idaho.”

Trost is professor emeritus of biology at Idaho State University, as well as curator emeritus at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. He will deliver a lively, informative talk on a group of bird species many of us know little about. Trost’s enthusiasm and fascination with all things avian will make this a fun evening for the whole family.

There will be refreshments and free posters for participants.

Birders and would-be birders are also invited to join a 6:30 p.m. bird walk at the Sacajawea Center before the presentation.

Please call the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at 756-2271 if you have any questions. Individuals with disabilities may call the same number or the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-2529 (TDD) to request accommodations.

Related posts

• Refuges Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day on May 10 (0)
• Fish and Game Sets Meetings On Wolf Hunting Rules (0)
• Women’s Hunting Clinic Saturday June 28 (0)
• State Parks Plan OK KIDS Days, Free Entrance in May (0)
• Saturday Morning Bird Walks in Connecticut (0)