Jeff Lampe: Was it a wolf? Nobody knows yet
BY THE NUMBERS: 342 - Current number of whooping cranes in the wild.
Wolf-like canine shot
A wolf-like canine was shot Feb. 19 by a coyote hunter in northwest Illinois near Lena. The animal looks "very much like a wolf" according to Glen Kruse, natural heritage division chief for the Department of Natural Resources.
But the animal weighed close to 145 pounds - large for a Midwestern wolf. Samples were sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for genetic testing.
The last confirmed timber wolf in Illinois was killed in December 2005 in Pike County by Seth Hall, who was hunting coyotes near New Canton.
Whoopers on the move
Sure it's cold and snowy out, but three whooping cranes in the eastern flock already have started their migration back north.
Overall this has been a good year for whoopers, as their population has finally topped 500. That includes birds in captivity and in the wild western and eastern flocks.
Flood potential greater
Echoing something everyone familiar with the Illinois River has already seen, a study shows flood peaks in the Chicago area have increased.
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant study said from 1954 to 1999, urbanization in 12 Chicago watersheds increased from 11 percent to 62 percent. And the 10 largest historical storms in the past 100 years have all come since 1950. The study concludes estimated flood peaks need to be revisited.
Deer task force set
Plans are moving forward for a new Joint Task Force on Deer Population Control that is set to meet April 14. Makeup of the task force includes mostly politicians - including Sen. Gary Dahl, R-Peru - along with representatives of the Illinois Insurance Association, the Illinois Farm Bureau, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Federation for Outdoor Resources and the United Bowhunters of Illinois.
There is no biologist on the task force, which is charged with making recommendations on managing the Illinois deer herd by Jan. 1, 2009.
Little snappers growing
Some alligator snapping turtle hatchlings that have spent the past 16 months at the Peoria Zoo should be ready for release into the wild by the spring of 2009.
Alligator snapping turtles are an endangered species in Illinois, and plans call for an ongoing project to raise and release hatchlings into the wild.
Most of the 300 hatchlings have grown well since arriving at Peoria in November of 2006, increasing from 14-16 grams to 91 to 275 grams.
The Peoria Zoo has also received 11 alligator snappers from other zoos.
To reduce the odds of losing all the snappers at one location, about 200 turtles have been moved to Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery near Topeka.
Critter corner
In the wilds of Illinois in March . . .
Opossums, coyotes, flying squirrels, muskrats, chorus frogs and skunks breed.
Chipmunks end hibernation.
Resident Canada geese nest.
Rabbits bear first litters.
Turkey vultures and bluebirds return.
Prairie chickens start booming.
Red maples bloom.
Pheasants start crowing.
Sandhill cranes migrate.
This 'n that
Reports out of the Bassmaster Classic are that Strike King's Shaddalicious plastic swim bait was the show's hot seller. . . . Starting April 1, crappie anglers at Lake Shelbyville can keep five crappie under 10 inches in addition to 10 crappie over 10 inches.
Jeff Lampe is an outdoors columnist for the Peoria Journal Star. Write to him at 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643, call (309) 686-3212 or e-mail jlampe@pjstar.com.