After more than a month-long hiatus, the outdoor column makes its return.

Some personal news: I saw my first-ever bobcat in the wild last Sunday along Interstate 57 about 40 miles north of Metropolis. What a cool-looking animal!

Anyway, onto more pressing news:

P&Y world record arrowed in Illinois: Last Friday, the Pope and Young Club confirmed that Luke Brewster’s buck is the largest non-typical whitetail killed on record.

Brewster – a veteran from Virginia – shot the 39-point buck on Nov. 2 in Edgar County, Illinois, during the 2018 archery season.

“The Brewster buck has been verified as the new Pope and Young World Record with a score of 327 7/8,” said Eli Randall, Director of Records for the Pope and Young Club. “The two panels consisted of seven measurers and was overseen by the Panel Chairman. This group represented over 217 years of combined measuring experience. After over 8 hours, this incredible whitetail’s score became official. Congratulations to Luke and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for practicing sound wildlife management.”

Brewster’s buck surpasses the previous P&Y world record non-typical shot by Michael Beatty in Greene County, Ohio, in 2000 by over 33 inches.

Peoria native Jerry Bryant held Illinois’ previous record for a non-typical (304 3/8). Bryant shot his 37-pointer on Nov. 15, 2001, in Fulton County with a crossbow.

The pervious highest-scoring non-typical harvested (312 3/8) – as recognized by the Boone and Crockett Club – belonged to Tennessee native Stephen Tucker, who shot a 47-pointer on Nov. 7, 2016 with a muzzleloader in Sumner County, Tenn.

Boone & Crockett’s world-record non-typical is a 44-pointer scoring 333 7/8. The buck was a pickup found dead in 1981 in St. Louis County, Mo.

A potential world record will be officially scored by a panel from the Boone and Crockett Club in July at the Illinois Deer & Turkey Expo in Peoria. Downstate Johnston City native Keith Szablewski shot a 51-pointer on private property near Marion during Illinois’ first shotgun season last fall.

I always bring my golf clubs when I cover either the boys or girls IHSA State Track & Field Meet in Charleston, in the off chance I have some time to play a quick round. Charleston is located in Coles County, which has shares an eastern border with Edgar County.

Maybe I’ll have to stick around until fall and bring a bow this year instead.

Spring Lake remains closed: The Spring Lake Management Unit recreation area located south of Savanna will remain closed hrough March 29 for a levee rehabilitation project.

The work will include the parking area, cross dike, and river access area next to the parking area, off of state Route 84 about 2 miles south of Savanna.

The $1 million project is expected to take 2 years to complete, and will require additional closures, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Savanna District Manager Ed Britton said in a news release.

The first phase will involve tree removal along an 8,000-linear-foot section of the levee. The second phase will be excavating material from Spring Lake to repair erosion where trees were cleared. The final phase will be to place stones on the levee for future erosion protection.

The Spring Lake Management Unit includes 3,600 acres bounded by 12 miles of levee.

If possible, avoid the area so the necessary work can be done.

Youth wingshooting clinic and pheasant hunt in Winnebago Co.: Torstenson Youth Conservation Education Center is hosting a wingshooting clinic and youth hunt on its property in rural Winnebago County on Saturday.

Check-in is at 7:30 a.m., with the clinic starting at 8 a.m. Lunch is provided, with an afternoon pheasant hunt for boys and girls ages 10-17.

To participate in the pheasant hunt, youth must have successfully passed an approved Hunter Safety Course and have a valid Illinois hunting license in their possession. An adult guardian must accompany the youth throughout the day.

The event is limited to 24 youth. Last year, roughly a dozen kids participated, but none from the Sauk Valley. I hope that changes this year.

Torstenson Youth Conservation Education Center is located at 13735 Cook Road, about 5 miles northeast of Pecatonica.

Pond stocking orders available: The Rochelle Wildlife Conservation Club, along with Pete Reiff and the Logan Hollow Fish Farm, will be providing fish for pond stocking and re-stocking on April 27.

Bluegill, black crappie, Channel catfish, fathead minnows, hybrid sunfish and redear, largemouth bass, redear sunfish and sterile grass-eating carp will be available in a variety of sizes.

Information can be obtained by calling Rich Melton at 815-562-6268. The deadline for ordering grass carp is April 11, and the deadline for ordering all other fish is April 22.

Warmer temperatures will thaw ponds in the coming weeks, which means any maintainence around the water can occur before stocking or re-stocking.