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Thursday, April 25, 2024
Outdoors Sports Sports Saturday

Flatheads and moose legend, banded duck chances and earliest hunting scene are notes in Chicago outdoors

The Sioux legend of flatheads and moose, banded duck chances and the earliest hunting scene are in the notes around Chicago outdoors.

By  Dale Bowman
   
SHARE Flatheads and moose legend, banded duck chances and earliest hunting scene are notes in Chicago outdoors
Resized/Sun-Times

James Klauzer with his Illinois-record flathead (81.4-pounds).

Provided

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Katie O’Reilly (@DrKatfish), a Notre Dame Ph.D. candidate and a good Twitter follow, posted in her #25DaysofFishmas this week the Dakota Soiux legend of flatheads attempting to kill a moose. The conclusion, via firstpeople.us, is ``To this day, they are black and flat headed and they are so afraid that they stay hidden in day and only swim at night, which serves them right for trying to kill the big moose long ago.’’ Photo above is James Klauzer with his Illinois-record flathead (81.4 pounds).

WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks 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

YOUTH GOOSE HUNT

Jan. 3: Registration deadline for Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt, Jan. 19-20, register at (217) 785-8060.

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.

ILLINOIS SEASONS

Today, Dec. 22: Snipe hunting ends

Tuesday, Dec. 24: Final day, duck season, central zone

Thursday, Dec. 26-Dec. 29: Late-winter antlerless and CWD seasons

Thursday, Dec. 26-Jan. 9: Second dove season

BIG NUMBER

44,000: Estimated age of what is believed to be the oldest hunting scene, found in the cave system of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Click here for the story from nature.com.

LAST WORD

``In 1994, the chance of harvesting a banded duck was 0.38 percent, or 1 in 260. The chance of harvesting a reward band is astronomically greater! For a detailed history of waterfowl banding in North America see Steve Havera’s book, “Waterfowl of Illinois: Status and Management” published in 1999.’’

Aaron Yetter, in his Dec. 13 blog that included a brief history of banding

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Aaron Yetter noted, “Notice the double bands, the standard band on the bird’s right leg and the green reward band on the bird’s left leg.”

Aaron Yetter/Illinois Natural History Survey

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