Notes from around Chicago outdoors.
FIELD NOTES
BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED
Pete Gleason forwarded this photo of a thick 10-point buck, taken by his son Ed, in the near west suburbs.
Buck of the Week: Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs Sundays on the outdoors page as warranted.
Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).
Now some background. Pete and I worked together for Suburban Life Newspapers in my first full-time writing job, covering high school and local sports for sports editor Jim O’Connell. The area we covered was basically a swatch west and southwest from Cicero to Downers Grove and Bolingbrook and Lisle.
Gleason emailed this, which brought back a pile of memories:
It has been awhile. Ed took this shot yesterday evening (July 29) during our little woods walk around my old morel mushroom spot. Ed is one of the original five fun guys in search of fungi from your May 3, 1998 Sun-Times piece. He was four years old then, 22 now. Time sure flies, doesn’t it? Judging by his 10-point rack and growing, this guy looks like he is almost ready for action. A little early for such goings on, right?
First, it has been awhile and time does fly. Second, late July would be early for a big buck to be feeling randy or acting that way.
Lastly, I’m glad Pete reminded me of that column I did more than 18 years ago. It remains one of my all-time favorites. Pete’s mentioning it brought back good memories of him and Eddie, and me and our two oldest boys, then 6 (now 24) and 1 1/2 (19) I think, looking for and finding a few morels.
WILD TIMES
HUNTER SAFETY
Aug. 13-14: Essex, (815) 458-3568
Aug. 20-21: Kankakee, (815) 935-8438
Sept. 8 and 10: Newark, (815) 210-4995
Sept. 10-11: Hoffman Estates, Diane.schneider@cabelas.com . . . Momence, (815) 388-3853 . . . Kankakee, (815) 935-2700
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday: Chuck Bronte on “Great Lakes Fish Tag and Recovery Program,’’ Salmon Unlimited, Elk Grove Village VFW,, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
Tuesday: Duane Landmeier, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., Giuseppe’s La Cantina, Des Plaines, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp
Thursday: Multi Hall of Famer Don Dubin, Riverside Fishing Club, LaGrange American Legion, 6:30 p.m., RiversideFishingClub.com
WINGSHOOTING CLINICS
Aug 13-14: Saturday, boys and girls; Sunday, girls and women; Shabbona Lake State Park, (815) 758-2773
ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS
Through Aug. 31: Applications may be made online for the free upland Gram permit program, click here
DALE’S MAILBAG
Q: “Is it safe to fish the Chicago River at Ashland?’’ Wes
A: Yes. With the well-established Origins Park and a rowing area, the mouth of Bubbly Creek is almost becoming trendy.
BIG NUMBER
3: 2016 Inductees to Illinois Outdoors Hall of Fame: Jim Grandt, Arlington Heights, Grandt Industries; Jim Scheer, La Grange, waterfowling; Les Winkeler, Harrisburg, dean of Illinois outdoors writers at the Southern.
LAST WORD
“The recovery of the bobcat in Illinois is a conservation success story that must be credited to our state’s hunters and trappers, whose licenses, stamps and fees fund conservation efforts for many species in Illinois – including the bobcat.’’
Wayne Rosenthal, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, on the first modern season for bobcats in Illinois coming this fall
