2 / OutdoorIllinois November 2006

A l l - S e a s o n

Story By Kathy AndrewsPhotos By Adele Hodde

The stories Timothy “T.W.” Houkcan tell about Shelbyville StateFish and Wildlife Area areenough to make any wildlifeenthusiast pack up the car and

head toward the central Illinois site.From his waterfowl blind Houk

watched a cormorant land on a goosedecoy, spreading its wings in typicalfashion to dry. Another day, a 10-pointbuck swam through his duck decoys,pausing among them to shake his rackand look around. There was the day hesaw snow geese drop from the sky the

instant two storm fronts collided. Hear-ing an eruption from the adjacent wood-land, he looked up one morning to see adoe drop off a 20-foot cliff, performing aperfect cannonball as she hit the water.After shooting a dove, a stunned Houkobserved a Cooper’s hawk swoop in,catch the bird mid-air and fly off.

Houk isn’t alone in his tales. Given anopening, Site Superintendent Stan Duzancan tell equally amazing experiences.

Walking along the shoreline, Duzanrespectfully admired the details of a bald

eagle’s talons as he slowly passed underthe low-perched bird. For several morn-ings while working on a water controlstructure, five otter pups scrambled forfish within 10 feet of him, with the morecautious mother growling a short distanceaway. One fall day, Duzan stopped thetruck on the road to watch 40 turkeysfeeding in a frost-covered sunflower field.

These experiences all lead to oneconclusion: The wildlife restoration pro-jects taking place at Shelbyville StateFish and Wildlife Area are working.

The fish and wildlife area is leasedfrom the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers(COE) and divided into two manage-ment units, each surrounding one ofthe two rivers feeding the 11,000-acreLake Shelbyville.

Situated just west of Bethany, the2,500-acre West Okaw River Fish andWildlife Management Unit is composed

From summerangling to winterwaterfowling,Shelbyville StateFish and WildlifeArea, offerssportsmen thou-sands of acres ofopportunity.

A sunny Sunday afternoon in April

brought morel mushroom hunters

Tammy and Kyle Bryant to the Fish

Hook area of Lake Shelbyville,

while Alyssa Lawson, 6, hangs on

for the ride.

(Photocourtesy

JoeMcFarland.)

November 2006 OutdoorIllinois / 3

S h e l b y v i l l eprimarily of fencerows, farmland andprairie restorations, and a hotspot forpheasants, quail and rabbits. TravelRoute 121 a few miles east of Sullivanto discover the rolling woodlands of the3,700-acre Kaskaskia River Fish andWildlife Management Unit, where wildturkeys, squirrels and whitetails aremore common.

“The management goal for theseareas is to promote diverse habitats thatsupport a variety of wildlife species, andto provide quality hunting, fishing andwildlife watching opportunities for thepublic,” explained Duzan. “With the Innat Eagle Creek nearby, and camping

and picnicking opportunities available atEagle Creek and Wolf Creek state parksand COE facilities around the lake, theemphasis of the fish and wildlife arearemains on the habitat and supportingrecreation.”

Management of these Moultrie Coun-ty lands involves planting wildlife food

plots, creating prairie restorations, mow-ing and chemical applications to stemthe spread of exotic species, seasonaldraw downs and shallow flooding oflands to create habitats for waterfowland shorebirds, and more—all in thename of habitat.

“Upland and waterfowl hunting arebig here,” Duzan said. “We draw sports-men from Decatur, Champaign, Mattoonand Charleston, and from as far awayas Indiana and southern Illinois.”

Nearly 600 acres of the site are man-aged for ducks.

“By controlling the depth and durationwater covers five waterfowl subim-poundments we are able to produce anabundance of moist-soil plants,” saidDuzan. “It is this mid-migration food sup-ply that attracts seasonal flocks of

Former agricultural fields,

fencerows and restored prairies

make ideal grounds for hunting

rabbits, pheasants and quail.

Whether the day brings sunshine or

snow, central Illinois’ Shelbyville State

Fish and Wildlife Area attracts wildlife,

and those who enjoy a day outdoors.

ducks, geese, shorebirds, rails, snipeand other wetland-dependant birds.”

With a dozen decoys, a gun andwaders, hunters can quickly set up at thewalk-in sites available at the Dunn,McGee and Johnson Creek waterfowl

4 / OutdoorIllinois November 2006

areas. Two blinds (covered with brush byvolunteers during the summer months)are available at each site, with some setup on a pivot system to accommodatechanging wind conditions.

Additionally, a drawing is held thefirst two days of duck season for hunting38 staked sites (six have floating blinds),after which they are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Contributing to the continuation of thesport is the site’s youth waterfowl hunt,a program growing in popularity eachyear. Participants must obtain a free sitepermit and hunt with an adult.

Elsewhere on the site, sunflowerfields draw thousands of mourningdoves each fall. Opening day will findnearly 300 hunters waiting patiently fora chance at one of the 200 spots. Tes-tament to the site management prac-tices is the fact dove harvest recordsshow Shelbyville SFWA consistentlywithin the top three dove sites managedby the state.

Ample opportunities exist for pursuitof other game. Blaze-orange wearinghunters focus on fencerows and brushyareas during rabbit, pheasant and quailseason, while camo-covered sportsmenwatch silently within woodlands formovement of gray and fox squirrels.

Spring turkey, fall archery turkey andshotgun and archery deer hunting alsoare available to those successful inobtaining a site specific permit issuedthrough the statewide draw.

Furbearer hunting—raccoon, opos-sum, fox and badger—follows statewideseasons and regulations, with theexception of coyote and skunk whichare open only during fox season. Allrequire a free site permit.

On the first Saturday in October, thesite staff conduct a drawing for the 20available trapping permits. Trapping cantake place only in designated furbearermanagement areas.

Additional hunting and trapping infor-mation is available on the ShelbyvilleState Fish and Wildlife Web site (seesidebar) or the annual Hunting andTrapping Digest.

As popular as the site is during huntingseason, it is the ample fishing opportuni-ties that draw visitors 365 days a year.

Located on a steep hillside over look-

ing Lake Shelbyville, the Fish Hook

Waterfowl Area hill prairie provides

spectacular summertime vistas.

Deptford PinkDianthus armeriaDeptford PinkDianthus armeria

SneezeweedHelenium autumnaleSneezeweedHelenium autumnale

Agrimony, Agrimony sp.Agrimony, Agrimony sp.

November 2006 OutdoorIllinois / 5

Bank fishing is popular along bothrivers, and boat fishing conditions arebest in the spring when river levels areideal. In the fall and spring, many

anglers target the spectacular crappiepopulation, and from April though Junethe emphasis shifts to white bass andwalleye. Catfish are in high demandthroughout the year.

Six small boat ramps and numerouswalk-in parking lots make it easy toaccess 7 miles of each river. A disabled-accessible fishing pier and a loadingdock are located on the KaskaskiaRiver. No barrier exists between therivers and Lake Shelbyville, providingvisitors the opportunity to travel downriver and explore the 250 miles of wood-ed shoreline the lake offers.

“The shallow nature of the two riversmakes bank fishing a great family expe-rience,” Duzan claimed. “ All you needfor a great day of fishing is to pull on apair of boots and bring your fishinglicense, a bucket, fishing pole and bait.”

Additional angling opportunities canbe found at two small ponds on theKaskaskia unit and three on the WestOkaw unit where anglers can catch theirlimit of largemouth bass, bluegill, redearand channel catfish.

No matter the season or purpose youhave for exploring the woods and watersof Shelbyville SFWA, little effort isrequired to find hidden habitat jewelsand wildlife-watching opportunities.

Both birders and waterfowl hunters uti-lize the 5.5-mile Fish Hook Trail(Kaskaskia unit), where they can viewwaterfowl, shorebirds and bald eaglesusing the area, and can take a peek intothe adjacent wildlife refuge. An accessibleobservation deck is located along this

Wildlife management practices

include planting sunflower fields to

enhance the dove-hunting program.

Like scores of other sportsmen, T.W.

Houk enjoys the diversity of hunting

opportunities available at Shelbyville

State Fish and Wildlife Area.

American WoodcockAmerican Woodcock

Fox SquirrelFox Squirrel

Wilson’s SnipeWilson’s Snipe

White-tailedDeer Fawn

White-tailedDeer Fawn

(Photocourtesy

ofKevinWright.)

(Photocourtesy

ofKevinWright.)

(Photocourtesy

ofJohn

Muchow.)

(Photocourtesy

ofJohn

Muchow.)

6 / OutdoorIllinois November 2006

trail, with a second deck overlooking theMcGee Waterfowl Area (West Okaw unit).

A visit to the Fish Hook WaterfowlArea in June will delight the eyes whenmore than 50 species of prairie plantsreach their prime blooming period.Tucked between the access road andlake, the steep slopes of this hill prairie,now a designated natural area, helpedprotect it from development.

Equally spectacular and much larger,six shallow wetlands within the MargaretGuzy Pothole Wetlands Land and WaterReserve attract tens of thousands ofmigrating waterfowl and shorebirds, and

the surrounding grass-lands support area-sensi-tive grassland birds.

“Guzy is a per-fect example ofthe saying ‘If youbuild it they willcome’,” Houk said ofthe transformationonce water control prac-tices were put in place,the natural potholes filledand wetland species not seenfor more than 100 years returned.

Located 2 miles north of Findlay, thisarea is used for bird watching, educationtours and research. Seeds harvestedfrom the 159-acre prairie are now usedto restore prairies throughout the fishand wildlife area.

T.W. Houk has seen a lot in theyears he has traversed Shelbyville StateFish and Wildlife Area.

“Not knowing what amazing sightsawait me, I find I can’t sleep the nightbefore opening day,” Houk said. “I juststay awake, recalling previous yearsand anticipating the upcoming season.”

His visit might include watching afamily of river otters, a buck scenting the

wind for a doe or a flock of pelicans soarthe overhead thermals. He could hearthe hushed call of a secretive grasslandsparrow or the cackle of a pheasantflushed from its brushy retreat. He couldsit silently, taking in the wonder of aspring woodland colored with warblersor an adult bald eagle sitting on a starkwintery branch.

“Even though they are alike in manyregards, each Illinois fish and wildlifearea is a little different,” Duzan said. “Itis that uniqueness that makes visitingthe various Illinois facilities—and visit-ing them throughout the year—sointeresting.”

Facts at a glance

Address: Shelbyville State Fish andWildlife Area, R.R. 1 Box 42-A, Bethany,IL 61914.Telephone: (217) 665-3112.Website: www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R3/SHELBY.HTM.Directions: Located between Decaturand Mattoon, the site can be accessedvia Route 121.Nearby Facilities: Eagle CreekState Park: (217) 756-8260 or www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R3/EAGLECRK.HTM; Wolf Creek StatePark: (217) 459-2831 or www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R3/WOLFCREK.HTM; and, U. S. Army Corps ofEngineers: (217) 774-3951 or www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Shelbyville.Additional Site Features: Dogtraining is allowed from Septemberthrough March. Horses and bicycles arenot allowed on the trails. A disabledaccess trap range is located at the WestOkaw unit and open April through Janu-ary. An archery range is located south ofthe site office, across Route 121, andopen year-round. Off-highway vehicleuse is prohibited.

ShelbyvilleState Fish and

Wildlife Area

ShelbyvilleState Fish and

Wildlife Area

A barn once surrounded by

agricultural fields now marks the

location of the restored shallow

wetlands at Guzy Pothole Wetlands

Land and Water Reserves.

Views from observation decks at

Shelbyville State Fish and Wildlife

Area change with the seasons.