Illinois stream access is widely misunderstood, a result of the state not mirroring federal law. A stream that would be considered public by federal law is not public under Illinois state law, as private ownership of an Illinois stream includes both the stream bed and the water flowing through that area.  The map depicted shows just how much flowing water in Illinois is considered private. Blue streams are considered public under Illinois law, while red streams are legally private (although ...

The Illinois Chapter of BHA partnered with the US Army Corps of Engineers over the past year to development of a public 3-D archery trail at Lake Shelbyville in Central Illinois. Lake Shelbyville is roughly 24,000 acres of public land and water that offers a major hunting and fishing opportunity in central Illinois. Although archery is the #1 means of hunting this land and in a region where whitetail hunting is king, there is not a facility where hunters can practice in the immediate ...