Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Julia Rasmussen, a teacher at a Montessori school in Hanover Park, emailed a wonderful photo of a Cooper’s hawk that visited the garden outside their classroom last week and “the children were fascinated.”
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. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).
WILD TIMES
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Friday to Nov. 22: First firearm deer season
DALE’S MAILBAG
“I’ve been fishing for over 50 years, all over Chicago and elsewhere. Question! Why do they hassle the fishermen at Jackson Park harbors, even when the boats are not available. Please help. . . . I was hassled by the harbor master and harbor security. There were no boats. Events of hassle, very unnecessary.” Eddie Hudson, one of many asking
A: The Chicago Park District has not started its pier pass program, which allows legal access to select piers at Chicago harbors during the boating off-season. An emailed request for an update was not answered by the park district. The hold-up, apparently, is the mayor’s office. Hudson’s “Events of hassle, very unnecessary” nails it.
BIG NUMBER
12.8: Percentage of decrease in fall shotgun turkey harvest (266) from 2019 (305), fifth consecutive record low year. The record harvest was 1,218 in 2005.
LAST WORD
“Amidst the election importance, I’m so glad people are blowing off steam/anxiety by coming out to the [William Powers State Recreation Area] and supporting the park in all the ways we offer!!! Let nature feed our souls so we can appreciate it more and have a deeper connection with it and inadvertently each other.”
Nicky Strahl, hunter heritage biologist, adding wisdom to her weekly update on waterfowling at Wolf Lake
