Nursing kits, osprey platform, young turkey hunters: Notes, Chicago outdoors

Notes from around Chicago outdoors.

FIELD NOTES

WILD OF THE WEEK

Sondra Katzen has been following a red fox family in the suburbs and caught a special moment of kits nursing. WOTW, the celebration of wild scenes around Chicago outdoors, runs as warranted on Sundays on the Sun-Times outdoors page. Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email BowmanOutside@gmail.net.

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Nice article on Tuma Lake. I swam in there in early ’70’s but don’t recall the tall post. Do you have any idea what it was used for?” Kenneth M. Vaclavik

A: It is an osprey nesting platform, though I did not see any ospreys. Click here to read the column on Tuma Lake in the April Sun-Times.

BIG NUMBER

27: Percentage of youth hunters who were successful in Illinois’ two weekend youth hunts (March 30-31, April 6-7) with 4,994 permits issued and 1,364 turkeys harvested. Click here for a complete breakdown.

FINAL WORD

“Do not hover to see if a parent has come back to their young. An adult animal will not come near if a person is standing nearby.”

Indiana DNR, part of annual spring guidelines (bottom line: leave baby animals alone)

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday: Dan Basore, “Bass Tournaments from Then to Now,” Arlington Anglers, Poplar Creek Banquets, Hoffman Estates, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday: Cheryl Smith, “Fishing the Fox River on Foot for Smallmouth Bass,” Fish Tales Fishing Club, Oak Forest Community Center, 7 p.m.

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Turkey hunting: North zone: First season, Monday-Friday; South, second season, through Thursday, third, Friday-April 24

Now: Remaining spring turkey permits on sale over the counter, click here for more info

Through April 30: Applications (limit of one) accepted for first lottery for resident firearm and muzzleloader deer hunting, click here for more info

HUNTER SAFETY

(Click here for full package of northeast Illinois hunter safety classes)

April 18-20: Bonfield, (815) 635-3198

April 27-28: Palatine, palatineparks.org . . . Coal City, (815) 634-4552

May 3-4: Bartlett, (847) 608-3118 (Sofia)

May 4-5: Ingleside, go.fishfry@gmail.com . . . Momence, (815) 472-4900

SHOWTIME

(Click here for the list of shows, classes and seminars)

Today, April 14: Final day, Chicago Herpetological Society ReptileFest, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

(Click here for full listings of classes in the area)

DUCKS UNLIMITED

(Click here for the general list of Illinois DU events)

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

(Click here for general list of banquets and events)

PHEASANTS FOREVER

(Click here for general list of Illinois PF events)