I think you will often find that the field reps have very different opinions about the ways things should be done than the politicos in the head office. I know just one CPO around here (Wait, there is only one CPO for the whole area) but I don't know him well enough to know what he thinks about these things. I know the Fish and Wildlife guys I knew out in Montana were not always huge fans of the instructions they got handed each year from the boys in Helena so I assume it is pretty much the same in Illinois.

I do wonder if the DNR is offering this proposal as an apeasement to the state house and outfitters to try to make the lawsuits and house bills go away. I think it bites that they are giving outfitters preference for out of state tags. If they are going to guarentee them 7500 that is one thing (Don't like it) but than to also offer them a shot in a lottery for some of the other 7500? That is just terrible. They should just do what many other states do and make it a lottery for all the tags. Than apply preference points.

I doubt that the elimination of check stations will increase poaching much at all as with the decrease in CPO's they can't cover the ground already. There are tons of rumours around here of people hunting year round for deer but nobody is ever caught even when someone reports them.. From October 1st- Dec 31st I saw a DNR vehicle not one time in this township. Now, I am not saying that they weren't around more than that but I would think, with how much time I spend outside that I would have seen them.