Chicago outdoors: Lakefront parking, velvet buck & berries, Illinois bird species, ‘Jaws’ & taxidermy

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

Tom Britton emailed this photo from Lake Barrington of a buck in velvet that likes mulberries.

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

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERING

Tuesday, July 19: Capt. Doug Kloet, “Late Summer / Early Fall - Panfish to Musky Techniques,” Arlington Anglers, Poplar Creek Banquets, Hoffman Estates, 6:30 p.m., arlingtonanglers.com

HUNTER SAFETY

Aug. 13-14: Kankakee, (815) 935-2700

RIVER TALKS

Thursday, July 21: “Plastic Pollution and How to Move Forward,” Lunchtime Panel Series at the Bridgehouse Museum (Free), Riverwalk, corner of Michigan and Wacker, 12:30-1 p.m., bridgehousemuseum.org/events

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

Tuesday, July 19: Boat America, Des Plaines, Virginia Haase, vandmhaase@gmail.com

WINGSHOOTING CLINICS

Aug. 13-14: Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, Rich Carlson, (815) 757-2949

Aug. 20-21: Aurora Sportsmen’s Club, Waterman, hunterwsclinic@gmail.com

SALMON-A-RAMA

Today, July 17: Final day, headquartered at Reefpoint Brewing House parking lot, Racine, Wisconsin, salmon-a-rama.com

ILLINOIS PERMITS

Wednesday, July 20: Final day, second lottery, free dove hunting permit

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Question, can you park at the parking lot near DuSable harbor to access the Riverwalk?” Ralph Mendoza

A: Yes, you can do that at the small DuSable fisherman’s parking lot, if you have a parking pass. Chicago Park District’s parking passes for the fisherman’s parking lots at DuSable and Burnham harbors are on sale at Henry’s Sports and Bait in Bridgeport, Park Bait at Montrose Harbor, and the Northerly Island Visitor Center.

BIG NUMBER

452: Bird species on Illinois list maintained by the Illinois Ornithological Records Committee after the latest review of rare sightings, which included the first sighting of a lesser goldfinch (at Camp Sagawau), according to Geoff Williamson, IORC secretary. A photo of that bird is at https://www.illinoisbirds.org/lesser-goldfinch-added-to-the-illinois-state-list-of-birds/

LAST WORD

“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him.”

Quint, in “Jaws,” via imdb.com