Chicago outdoors: Red foxes and weird animal courtships

Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

WILD OF THE WEEK

Among photos of red foxes received this week were some from Dan and Melody Horyn in Will County. “I was walking into my kitchen and noticed this fellow sitting on my deck,” they emailed. “Luckily, I had left my camera on the table and was able to get these pictures. The fox didn’t seem all that shy as I watched for a good 15 minutes while he looked to be trying to dig at some voles in the yard next to mine until he leisurely trotted away. About an hour later I looked to see if he would come back and there he was sunning himself on the pool deck. I got a close-up shot through a window and the pool deck fence.”

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), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).

BIG NUMBER

4: Nominees from weirdest animal courtship (deep-sea angler fish, field crickets, putterfish, peacock spiders) in Christine Peterson’s “Cool Green Science” blog for The Nature Conservancy. (My favorite remains the murderous female mantis.)

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday, Feb. 13: Guide Sean Bermingham on pressured muskies, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp

Tuesday, Feb. 13: Capt. Dan Wheeler, Kingfin Charters out of Waukegan, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com

Thursday, Feb. 15: Capt. Mike Conley on spring crappie on Fox Chain O’Lakes, Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., fishtalesfishingclub.com

SHOWTIME

Today, Feb. 10:Northern Illinois Conservation Club’s 64th annual Ice Fishing Derby, Turtle Beach Marina, Channel Lake

Today, Feb. 10, to Sunday, Feb. 11:Spring Lake Izaak Walton Outdoor Show, Hobart, Ind., (219) 263-3358

Sunday, Feb. 11:Henry Decoy Show, Three Sisters Park, Chillicothe

Wednesday, Feb. 14, to Feb. 18:NWTF Convention & Sport Show, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville

Thursday, Feb. 15, to Feb. 18:Chicago RV & Camping Show, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont

Friday, Feb. 16, to Feb. 18:Tinley Park Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Expo, Tinley Park Convention Center

Friday, Feb. 16, to Feb. 18 and Feb. 21-25:Indianapolis Boat, Sport and Travel Show, Indiana State Fairgrounds

Friday, Feb. 16, to Feb. 18:Muskie Expo Milwaukee, Washington County Fair Park, West Bend, Wis.

Next Saturday, Feb. 17:Hoosier Coho Club’s Fish Tales and Tackle Sales Swap Meet, LaPorte County Fairgrounds, La Porte, Indiana

Next Saturday, Feb. 17:Lowrance University, advanced class, Hoffman Estates Cabela’s

Click here for the complete list of show, outdoors classes, swap meets and major ice-fishing events.

PHEASANTS FOREVER

Next Saturday, Feb. 17: Grundy County chapter’s 30th banquet, Morris Country Club, https://pfqf.myeventscenter.com/event/30th-Anniversary-Banquet-Grundy-County-364-86439

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Thursday, Feb. 15: Rabbit and squirrel seasons end

Thursday, Feb. 15: Windshield cards must be reported

HUNTER SAFETY

Feb. 24-25:Essex, (815) 922-4027

March 9-10: Bridgeview, (708) 594-1818

March 9-10: Diamond, (815) 907-7345

Full state listing at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty

U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY

Next Saturday, Feb. 17: Boat America, Chicago, Dan O’Connell, cgaux.doc@gmail.com

Next Saturday, Feb. 17: Boat America, Fox Lake, Winston Tumaneng, jugodan52@aol.com