Big buck, tariffs, decoyed eagle, moose, elk come in notes around Chicago outdoors

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

Bill Peak found the big bucks and photographed this 12-pointer in northwest Indiana.

BOTW Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. Send nominations to @BowmanOutside on Twitter or Instagram, to Dale Bowman on Facebook or email BowmanOutside@gmail.com.

WILD TIMES

ILLINOIS SEASONS

Thursday: Duck and goose seasons, south zone, begin.

OUTDOORS & ART

Through Jan. 5: ``Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum,’’ 50 acres of trees transformed with lights and music, $13-$23 for adults, $7-15 for children, mortonarb.org/illumination.

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Thought I would share this with you, Dale, for a laugh. Hunting [the morning of Nov. 14] on the Kankakee River. Before shooting time, I had an eagle dive-bomb and hit my mallard decoys six times before he finally gave up. All my years hunting, I have never seen anything like it. Seen videos of eagles in Alaska stealing downed ducks from hunters but never attacking decoys. Well, my spread must have looked pretty good to him.’’

— Bob Reichenbach

A: My kind of story. Never have witnessed that, but I have watched eagles steal fish from ospreys on the Kankakee.

BIG NUMBER

2.6: Billions of additional dollars American outdoor businesses have paid in “punitive tariffs over last year, as the trade war with China rages on with no definitive end in sight,’’ according to the Outdoor Industry Association.

LAST WORD

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reminds the public, and especially hunters, to be aware of elk and moose on the landscape in central and far northern Wisconsin as they enjoy fall hunting seasons.’’ — Wisconsin DNR, a word of caution with the nine-day gun deer season starting today