Chicago outdoors: Pugamoo, beautiful heron photo, puffball question, IOS 30th anniversary

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.WILD OF THE WEEK

Mark Kasick took this photo of a great blue heron last week in the Forest Preserses of Cook County.

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. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or Instagram (@BowmanOutside). WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday, Nov. 9: Seminar by Chris Riebe, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp

Tuesday, Nov. 9: Capt. Caleb Weiner, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Wednesday, Nov. 10: Keith Cortopassi on Indiana muskies and live-bait rigging, Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies Inc., Schaumburg Golf Club, 7 p.m., frvmuskie.com

Thursday, Nov. 11: Jim Crowley, “Fish Hair Jigs and Light Tackle for Smallies in the Clear Wisconsin Waters,” Riverside Fishing Club, LaGrange American Legion, 6:30 p.m., RiversideFishingClub.com

ILLINOIS SEASONS

Today, Nov. 7: First season, Canada geese, central zone, closes

Friday, Nov. 12-Jan. 31: Second season, Canada geese, central zone

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Hi Dale. Why is there so many puffballs this year? Way more than ever.” John Kadlec tweet

A: I wondered the same thing. So I asked Andy Miller, curator of fungi for the Illinois Natural History Survey, who emailed, “No, I do not think there are more puffballs this year. I do believe more people have more time due to the pandemic and they are seeing more things, including puffballs, which are easy to identify.”

BIG NUMBER

30th: Anniversary of the Illinois Ornithological Society, via founder Eric Walters in a long wonderful post on IBET.

LAST WORD

“PB pugamoo! 17”, big ole blockhead, my inaccurate scale read 2#. From northern Illinois.”

William Meyer on Oct. 27 in the “Roughfish” page on Facebook, which made me look up “pugamoo” (it’s a term for northern hogsucker).