Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors, and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Bill Savage (@RogersParkMan) had the perfect moment and caught the photo above. “He was coming for me as I took the feeder down to clean and refill,” he tweeted. “Pure luck I had my phone out taking pix of monarchs on the zinnias at the same time.” His monarch photos were righteous, too.
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
HUNTER SAFETY
Sept. 18-19: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700
Sept. 25-26: Joliet, (815) 727-4811
Sept. 30 and Oct. 2: Chicago Heights, ducks56@comcast.net
Oct. 2-3: Elburn, phil-joanne@juno.com . . . Momence, (815) 472-4900
FUNDRAISER
Sunday, Sept. 12: Save the Dunes celebration of monarch butterflies in the region, music and food at Michigan City’s Brewery Lodge & Supper Club; a portion of the proceeds benefits Save the Dunes’ work to protect and advocate for the Indiana dunes. Tickets start at $40. Click here for details.
ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS
Today, Sept. 11: Hunting for teal, rail (Sora and Virginia only) and snipe (Wilson’s) opens
Wednesday, Sept. 15: Final day, early Canada geese hunting
DUCKS UNLIMITED
Thursday, Sept. 16: Northwest Suburban fundraiser, Cotillion Banquets, Palatine, Lisa Wente, (847) 702-1669
PHEASANTS FOREVER
Next Saturday, Sept. 18: Chicago Family Outdoor Day, hosted by South Cook County chapter, William W. Powers State Recreation Area. Must register for morning, 9 a.m.-noon, at ncliam.eventbrite.com, or afternoon, 1-4 p.m., atnclipm.eventbrite.com.
WINGSHOOTING CLINICS
Sept. 18-19: Des Plaines SFWA, Wilmington, (815) 423-5326
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, Sept. 14: Chris Otto leads welcome back, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 14: Capt. Matt Behning, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7:30 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
Thursday, Sept. 16: Bob Bobich on Bass fishing, via Zoom, at live meeting of Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com
LUNCHTIME LECTURES
Monday, Sept. 13: Alex Perez, Active Transportation, Marcus Malesh and Andrew Vesselinovitch, Ross Barney Architects, on plans for new Chicago Riverpark, Bridgehouse Museum on Chicago Riverwalk, free, noon-12:45 p.m., bridgehousemuseum.org/events
DALE’S MAILBAG
“All summer long I collect eggs from my milkweed and raise in outdoor enclosures. I’m at 133 released with about 15 more to go within days. A good year for monarchs in my area!” Tom Jurich
A: The monarch migration is peaking in our area. One of the things I want to do in life is to do what Jurich does and raise monarchs.
BIG NUMBER
3,000+: Muskies, from Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery, released this week into Channel and Marie lakes on the Chain O’Lakes, documented in a video by Micheal Pierce of the Fox River Valley chapter of Muskies, Inc.
LAST WORD
“Smoked carp tastes just as good as smoked salmon when you ain’t got no smoked salmon.”
Patrick McManus, p. 25 of “Never Sniff a Gift Fish”
