Bang’s up sunrise: Chicago outdoors

Led by WILD OF THE WEEK, Sunday notes from the Sun-Times outdoors page.

FIELD NOTES

WILD OF THE WEEK

Elizabeth Pector photographed this belted kingfisher, one of my favorite birds, on Feb. 13 by the Fox River in South Elgin.

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

HUNTER SAFETY

March 12-13:Gurnee, registration begins Monday, Feb. 22, (847) 856-1229

Feb. 27-28:Essex, (815) 458-3568

March 5-6:Joliet, (815) 727-4811

March 12-13:Bridgeview, (708) 594-1818 . . . Momence, (815) 388-3853

March 19-20:Manteno, (708) 259-9483

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Friday: Chain O’Lakes dinner, Marvella’s Fox Lake Banquet Hall, Fox Lake. Contact Bill Beckmeyer, (630) 697-6533; Pat Michilak, (847) 334-1878; Ron Adair, (847) 370-0213

FISH GATHERINGS

Wednesday: Matt Bichanich, “Fishing Newton Lake in March & April,’’ Gurnee American Legion, 7 p.m., walleyesunlimitedusa.org

DALE’S MAILBAG

Email: (running extended verison online) “We had a blast at the Tinley show [last weekend]. What a friendly crowd as usual. The vendors and booths are awesome, great with kids and their dads trying to keep track of them. My son and daughter know the program here all to well now (they’re 3 and 6 respectively). We cover the whole show, stop for shore lunch and go back for what we picked out. This year it was their first tackle boxes. Both of them got their first fishing poles here too. Which brings me to the sad part. Lucy and John both picked out their first rods at the mik-lurch booth. And this year, it was tackle boxes. It not as if I steered them that way. It’s just how it worked out. Amid the announcements that this is their last show, they picked out their tackle boxes. And of course dad had to get a new ultra-light rod to replace the one a UP smallmouth broke this past summer. I’m going to miss these guys. In going to miss going into the shop, even if for a scoop of Minnows. Their aren’t many places like it left, especially east. For a south sider like me it makes it that much harder to go out on a whim. It’s a loss for all of the urban anglers out there. The kind of personal service you don’t get from one of the big stores. I’ve always tried to shop local, especially tackle.’’ Christian Howe on seeing Mik-Lurch’s booth at Tinley Park on last time

A: Howe expressed the feeling of many.

BIG NUMBER

137,000: Record attendance at the Bassmaster Classic in 2009 in Shreveport, La., a number that may be challenged March 4-6 in Tulsa, Okla.

LAST WORD

“Bangs sunrise.’’

“Muskie Ed’’ Potocki, letting a sunrise on Bangs Lake in Wauconda, speak for itself