Prairie State Wire

A public drawing for trapping permits at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 20. The event will be held at the site office located at 10149 County Highway 11, Chandlerville, Cass County. Registration begins at 1 p.m., with the drawing set to start at 1:30 p.m.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced that one permit will be allocated for each of the six trapping zones through a lottery-style drawing. Trappers interested in participating must attend in person and possess a valid trapping license for the 2024-2025 season.

Trapping methods permitted include dog-proof traps, live traps, and similar devices. Homemade dog-proof traps are allowed but must adhere to specific design requirements, such as using a foothold trap no larger than #2 within an enclosed container with an access opening not exceeding 1½ inches in diameter. Additionally, all body-gripping traps need to be fully submerged.

Participants who trap at the lake must acquire a free windshield card permit online for the location. Trappers are also obligated to report their harvests or hunting trips online by February 15 annually or two weeks after season closure if it ends post-February 1. Failure to comply with reporting requirements for two consecutive years will result in loss of hunting privileges at this site for the subsequent year.

For further details, interested parties can contact the site office by calling 217-452-7741.