A trail cam photo of a backyard buck, the joy and surprise of Chinook in Indiana streams, the odd record of an Illinois northern hogsucker and the bounty of Iowa pheasants in 2020 are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors.

By Dale Bowman

A big backyard buck in Lake Barrington. Photo provided by Brian DeKontz. — A big backyard buck in Lake Barrington.

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

Brian DeKontz sent photos of a big night visitor in Lake Barrington, proving that trail cameras provide good things in all kinds of places.

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. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERING

Wednesday, Oct. 28: Paul Delaney, “Door County Multi-Species Fishing,” Walleyes Unlimited, Gurnee American Legion, 7 p.m., walleyesunlimitedusa.org

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Tuesday, Oct. 27: Late-winter/CWD deer permits lottery begins

Wednesday, Oct. 28: Crow hunting opens

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Hit two kings, out of luck, in Indiana [creeks last week]. . . . I randomly went to get out of the house and didn’t expect anything, but got a surprise.” Jay Abrego

A: That’s the right kind of luck and surprise in a year like 2020.

Chinook from an Indiana stream. Photo provided by Jay Abrego — Chinook from an Indiana stream.

BIG NUMBER

1-12.3: Pounds-ounces of Illinois’ record northern hogsucker (what I consider the oddest state record), caught by Mike Stopa on March 22, 2012, from the Little Vermilion River.

LAST WORD

“It definitely has people asking about our counts, investigating where the better areas are.”

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, on how much non-resident interest there is with the high pheasant numbers and rapid harvest this fall in Iowa.

Next Up In Outdoors

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Rare wild turkey sightings along lakefront come to a tragic end

Chicago outdoors: Big backyard buck, Indiana Chinook, Illinois northern hogsucker, Iowa pheasants

A trail cam photo of a backyard buck, the joy and surprise of Chinook in Indiana streams, the odd record of an Illinois northern hogsucker and the bounty of Iowa pheasants in 2020 are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors.