Bring back Deer check stations in IL and stop the Poaching.

Since the removal of all IL deer check in stations I have witnessed the birth of a wide spread problem in IL and one that is worsening every year, Poaching by IL residents as well as Non residents.. The call in system that was put in place to replace the Check stations has failed and will continue to fail.. Hunters are bragging about how many deer they can kill on one permit, which is costing the IDNR revenue that they so desperately need.

I was informed by many hunters that are fed up with this practice and they have made me aware of how it is being done. With the current call in system, a hunter is to tag the animal before moving it.. Once the animal is tagged he can legally transport it to where ever he is to have it butchered. They are then expected to call the deer into the call in checking system and are given a confirmation number to be written on the tags.. What appears to be happening is they are not calling the deer in, they butcher the animal themselves and put the tag back in their wallet to be reused on a future harvest.

The state also cannot keep track of the real harvest numbers this way, as well as not being able to keep track of how many bucks an individual hunter is harvesting each season(the limit is two). If the animal isn't called in, it's like it never existed...

At the check Station the person taking the data and putting the carcass tag on the animal can then cut the hunters attached tag in half, rendering it useless for future use.. With the carcass tag back, our IL conservation police can immediately see if a deer has been legally checked in, it removes all doubt for the officer and will allow him to perform his job more efficiently...

The cost to the IDNR providing the carcass tags and record keeping books to the store owners, will be cheaper then what it is costing for the call in system. It will also force the not so honest deer hunters in IL to purchase more tags, that alone will be a grate increase in revenue for the IDNR.

Check stations were a big staple of deer hunting in IL, they were in place for many years and a major part of the total deer hunting experience in IL.. It provided the state with valuable info to the status of our deer herd and served as a meeting place for other hunters to socialize with one another. It brought in revenue to the many small businesses that participated in the program, revenue that they counted on each and every fall. It's the old saying "Don't fix it if it's not broken%u201D Lets bring back Check Stations, lets keep the hunters in IL honest, lets bring back something that Works! Thank you for your time and signature..

Sincerely

James Kwak