Coyote in town, woodcock, pintail decoys: Notes, Chicago outdoors

Notes from around Chicago outdoors.

FIELD NOTES

WILD OF THE WEEK

John Cuculich sent a ‘‘Man vs. Nature’’ photo of a coyote in Orland Park.

Wild of the Week, a celebration of wild scenes around Chicago outdoors, runs on Sundays on the Sun-Times outdoors page as warranted. Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).

DALE’S MAILBAG

Q: My wife and I were walking on Roscoe just west of Ravenswood and found this little guy [woodcock]. Most likely stunned after flying into a large, lighted picture window of the residential building. We walked back about an hour later, and it was gone. — Mike Zeddies in late April

A: I guess it makes sense a bird favoring moist soil would be in that neighborhood, but I usually think more of warblers as the major urban-collision species.

BIG NUMBER

$201,250

Top lot — pair of pintails by Ivar Fernlund — in the Guyette & Deeter Inc. auction on April 27-28 at Pheasant Run in St. Charles.

LAST WORD

‘‘Spring azures were the first butterflies to appear, on April 2.’’

— Carl Strang, retired naturalist, in a May 1 entry on his blog, Nature Inquiries, about St. James Farm.

WILD TIMES

HUNTER SAFETY

(Click here for full package of northeast Illinois hunter safety classes)

May 12-13: Zion, hunterssafety@5starfirearms.com

May 18 and 20: Newark, (815) 210-4995

May 30-31: Chicago, carryinillinois.com/hunter-safety-course.html

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday: Dan Lazzeroni on ‘‘Topwater Trolling & Live-Bait Tactics,’’ Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., 7:30 p.m., Giuseppe’s La Cantina, Des Plaines

Tuesday: Rick and Darlene Battalini of Yellow Bird Fishing Products, Salmon Unlimited, 7 p.m., Elk Grove Village VFW

Wednesday: Capt. John ‘‘Rocky’’ Mannerino on sauger and walleye, Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies Inc., 7 p.m., Schaumburg Golf Club

Wednesday: Mike Norris on Big Green Lake, Lake Geneva Fishing Club, 5:30 p.m., Cabela’s, Hoffman Estates

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Through June 30:Applications may be made for second lottery, firearm and muzzleloader-only deer permits. Click here for details

Thursday:Final day, turkey hunting, fifth season, north zone

RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY

Thursday: T. Stanton Armour chapter banquet, Hilton Chicago/Northbrook. Contact Beth Burnson, (312) 330-7506 or rgsbanquet@gmail.com

WINGSHOOTING

May 20-21: Des Plaines Conservation Area; Saturday is youth (10-18); Sunday, girls or women, 10 and older; (217) 785-8129;

DUCKS UNLIMITED

(Click here for the general list of Illinois DU events)

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

(Click here for general list of banquets and events)

Thursday: Windy City Longbeards banquet, Erie Street Cafe, Chicago. Click here for details

PHEASANTS FOREVER

(Click here for general list of Illinois PF events)