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A brown and gray female white-tailed deer walks through tall grasses and vegetation near the edge of a woodland.

Monitoring Ticks Takes a Legion, Luck, Ingenuity — and Deer

November 2, 2026 by Teresa Steckler, Lance Jones

Research | Deer | Ticks | Wildlife Health

An adult white-tailed deer female lays down in a woodland. Standing near the female is an adult male white-tailed deer with large antlers.

Identifying True Prevalence? Computer Models as a Tool to Set Targets for CWD Surveillance

November 2, 2026 by Jameson Mori, Nelda A. Rivera, Jan Novakofski, Nohra Mateus-Pinilla

Research | Chronic Wasting Disease | Deer | Research | Wildlife Health

Two gray and brown adult female white-tailed deer are at the edge of a woodland and a grassland. One of the deer walks into the woodland while the other stands on alert.

Still Detectable: ELISA detects CWD Prions in Deer Lymph Nodes Even After 12 Months of Decay

November 2, 2026 by Jameson Mori, Nelda A. Rivera, Nohra Mateus-Pinilla

Research | Chronic Wasting Disease | Deer | Wildlife Health

A tan and brown coyote lays down in a rectangular wire cage.

Trapping An Important Wildlife Management Tool

November 2, 2026 by Tim Kelley

Research | Education | Research | Trapping

A close-up of a golden brown bat being held in the black gloved hand of a scientist.

Acoustic and Roost Box Preference Studies to Benefit Illinois Bats

November 2, 2026 by Teya Broyles

Research | Bats | Endangered and Threatened Species | Natural Heritage Pick | Research

A colorful red, orange, brown and iridescent green male pheasant with a long tail stand in a harvested agricultural field.

New Research Seeks to Better Focus Pheasant Habitat Work

November 2, 2026 by Scott Taylor

Research | Birds | Habitat Management or Enhancement | Ring-necked Pheasant

Three white-tailed deer are in a harvest agricultural field. Two of the deer are grazing. The deer in the foreground is walking towards the right with its head up. The deer in the foreground and one in the background have large antlers. A woodland is in the distance.

One Small Protein Worth a Whole Herd of Trouble: Prion disease advantage in Illinois white-tailed deer

August 3, 2026 by Evan London, Trisha Mendoza, Tooba Latif, Nelda A. Rivera

Research | Deer | Mammals | Wildlife Health

A black and white skunk walks along the edge of a gravel road next to a grassy roadside. The skunk has pointed its tail up and is looking to the left.

The Science Behind Skunk Numbers: What four decades of data reveal

August 3, 2026 by Kirk Stodola, Kathan Bandyopadhyay

Research | Mammals | Wildlife Health

A brown and white hawk is resting in brown pine needles. Green temporary paint is applied to the hawk's breast to help researchers identify the bird.

The Summer of the Ospreys—Part 2

August 3, 2026 by Carla Rich Montez

Research | Birds | Wildlife Health

A wooden shed installed on a platform held above a wetland by wooden posts. In the background is a woodland. A patch of waterlilies are floating on the wetland in the foreground.

The Summer of the Ospreys—Part 1

August 3, 2026 by Carla Rich Montez

Research | Birds | Wetland | Wildlife Health

With one black and tan speckled fish in each hand, a researcher stands on the bank of a fresh water lake with a big smile. In the background trees fill the lake shore and form a horizon line against a bright blue sky.

Uncovering What Makes Crappies and Anglers Thrive in Crab Orchard Lake of Southern Illinois

August 3, 2026 by Jim Garvey

Research | Fishing

A brown, tan, black and white bobcat sits in a patch of green grass on a hill. Tan grasses are in the background.

What’s for Dinner, Bobcat?

May 1, 2026 by Kathan Bandyopadhyay

Research | Mammals | Research

A brown and gray white-tailed deer peers through the understory foliage in a forest.

Maternal Infection with Chronic Wasting Disease Reduces Fetal Head Size

May 1, 2026 by Jameson Mori, Nelda A. Rivera, Nohra Mateus-Pinilla

Research | Wildlife Health

A close-up image of a brown bat being held by the blue gloved hands of a researcher. The bat has a radio transmitter secured to its back.

Rabies Tests, Acoustics and Trick Nets: Endangered Bats Detected by Illinois Researchers

May 1, 2026 by Hugh Gabriel

Research | Endangered and Threatened Species | Wildlife Health

A portrait of a deer looking directly into a trail camera. In the background is a snowy woodland.

Humans, Deer and Shrublands: The secret to mammal diversity in Illinois

May 1, 2026 by Nathan Proudman

Research | Habitat Management or Enhancement | Research

A close-up of a brown muskrat swimming in a wetland.

Turning Curiosity into Data: How iNaturalist Maps Life in Illinois

May 1, 2026 by Max Allen

Research | Wildlife

It’s Clam Time on the Illinois River!

February 2, 2026 by Sarah Douglass, Jason A. DeBoer, Andrya L. Whitten Harris, Alison Stodola

Research | Endangered and Threatened Species | Mussels | Natural Heritage Pick | Rivers and Lakes

A collage of photos. Several of the images show individuals working at habitat management. Two photos are close ups of invasive plant species or a flag indicating an area where research is being conducted.

An Accessible Alternative to Honeysuckle Management and Woodland Restoration

February 2, 2026 by Justin J. Shew, Addis Moore

Research | Habitat Management or Enhancement

A green and brown smallmouth bass fish swimming to the right in murky waters.

Using Long-term Data to Improve Sportfish Monitoring in Illinois Rivers

November 3, 2025 by Robert Mooney, Michael Spear, Brian Ickes, Andrya L. Whitten Harris, Jason A. DeBoer, David Glover, James T. Lamer

Research | Fish | Fishing | Research | Rivers and Lakes

Two men pose next to a harvested adult male white-tailed deer in the bed of a pickup truck. One individual is sitting on the edge of bed of the pickup truck while he holds up the deer's large antlers. The man to the left leans with his arms over the side of the bed of the pick up truck. In the background is a highway overpass.

Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance in Illinois – Fall 2025 and Beyond

November 3, 2025 by Christopher N. Jacques

Research | Wildlife Health