Chicago outdoors: Fishing-rod firefighters, Fred Bear on “respect,” goldfinch afield, hours per Chinook

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Mark Kasick photographed an American goldfinch on Sunday at Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center. He used a Nikon D7200, 300mm f4, with a 1.7 teleconverter (about a 500mm lens).

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

Oct. 2-3: Elburn, phil-joanne@juno.com . . . Momence, (815) 472-4900

Oct. 30-31: Elgin, hsmagno48@gmail.com

LUNCHTIME LECTURE

Monday, Sept. 27: Iyana Simba, the Clean Water Policy Director at the Illinois Environmental Council, Bridgehouse Museum on Chicago Riverwalk, free, noon-12:45 p.m., bridgehousemuseum.org/events

HISTORY

Monday, Sept. 27: “What Ever Happened to Beaver Lake,” Michael Dobberstein, Purdue English professor, Newton County Government Center, Morocco, Ind., 7 p.m.

WINGSHOOTING CLINICS

Oct. 9-10: Elburn, click here to register , info at scscwingshooting@gmail.com or (847)309-1093

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Today, Sept. 26: Teal season ends.

Friday, Oct. 1: Archery deer and turkey seasons open.

Friday, Oct. 1: Snagging season for Chinook and coho opens at select spots.

Friday, Oct. 1: Over-the-counter (first-come, first-served) permits, public duck and goose areas

Next Saturday, Oct. 2: Early catch-and-release trout season opens at a few select sites, closest is Rock Creek at Kankakee River State Park

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Ten years ago we would go to Burnham Harbor and catch three to four [Chinook] per person in an evening.” Dale Rehus tweet

A: Rehus is a noted angler, but I think he is remembering 20 or 30 years ago. I would love if the Illinois Natural History Survey had data going back decades for September catches per hour of effort for returning Chinook.

BIG NUMBER

5: Firefighters on Engine 109/Truck 32—Chris Nechvatal, Jimmy Johnson, Santiago Alvarez, Ali Abdolazadeh, John Reany—who helped string 150 fishing rods in a pinch two days before the Chicago Family Outdoor Day last Saturday.

Dale Bowman

LAST WORD

“Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forests and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.”

Fred Bear, the late legendary bowhunter, with a quote on fredbear-online.com