Snowy buck & Sunday notes: Chicago outdoors

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

FIELD NOTES

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

Jeff Anderson of Antioch wonderfully framed this buck on Nov. 23 at McDonald Woods Forest Preserve in Lindenhurst.

BOTW:Unplugged, the weekly celebration of live big bucks 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).

WILD TIMES

DUCKS UNLIMITED

Wednesday: Windy City Holiday Party, The Brewery, Chicago. Contact Bill Feaster, (312) 208-7119

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday: Andy Mikos, Salmon Unlimited, Elk Grove Village VFW,, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Tuesday: Mark Anderson of Dave’s Reel Service, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., Guiseppe’s La Cantina, Des Plaines, 7:30 p.m., (847) 256-9322 or chicagolandmuskiehunters@hotmail.com

Wednesday: Rob Hilsabeck, Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies Inc., Schaumburg Golf Club, 7 p.m., frvmuskie.com

ILLINOIS SEASONS

Friday-next Sunday: Muzzleloader deer season

DALE’S MAILBAG

Q: “Great story [Wednesday about wild Thanksgiving feasts]. Don’t know how you could wait six months to eat that turkey. Thanksgiving dinner with trimmings: four pheasants.’’ Text from Greg Mroczkowski

A: I like how Mroczkowski’s pheasant plate looks, too. As to holding my gobbler for Thanksgiving, I promised my wife.

BIG NUMBER

13-1: Pounds-ounces of the Illinois-record largemouth bass, the most suspect fish record in Illinois

LAST WORD

“The weather also pushed a fresh group of sandhills down. I always love listening to them while they fly to their destination. Always signals the end of a season or the beginning of one. Look forward to seeing them again in March.’’

Ken “Husker’’ O’Malley, who gives regular reports on fishing local lakes, about the rash of sandhill cranes recently