Outdoors: Illinois fishing and hunting

Outdoors

Chicago No Limits Fishing opens the outdoors for people with disabilities

The organization provides boating and fishing experiences around downtown on Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Go & Show: Decoys and sporting collectibles show and a film festival are things to see

The North American Decoys & Sporting Collectibles Show opens Tuesday and runs through April 27 while the One Earth Film Festival is going at varied sites through Tuesday, April 23.

By Dale Bowman

Environment

Early spring warming could be having an effect on bird migration: “A lot more, a lot earlier”

Bird experts say temperature fluctuations could impact available food supply and the timing of arrivals.

By Jessica Ma

Leroy Bowman holds one of the more than 1,000 comforters he pieced and sewed for the Mennonite Central Committee.

Outdoors

Picking at memories of a long life: Leroy Bowman, who has died at age 95, did it all

My dad, Leroy Bowman, whom I credit with much of my love of the outdoors, led a full life filled with anomalies: deer hunting, ordained Mennonite deacon, quarryman, trout fishing, raising six kids. He died at 95 over the solar-eclipse weekend and the memories bubble up.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Chicago fishing: Spring spawns its usual variety and options

Truly spring-like weather over the weekend showed the variety of fishing options available around Chicago and leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

By Dale Bowman

Kirby McDaniel holds his personal-best walleye, caught and released on the Chain O'Lakes.

Outdoors

Personal-best walleye from Fox Chain O'Lakes earns Fish of the Week

Kirby McDaniel’s walleye, 29-inches-plus long, was caught with a jig and minnow.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Chicago outdoors: Sandhills in snowy Nebraska, Morel of the Week begins and a monarch

Sandhill cranes on a visit to the Platte River area of Nebraska, the first Morel of the Week this year and an early sighting of a monarch butterfly are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

By Dale Bowman

Starved Rock State Park’s southern entrance.

Politics

New name for Starved Rock State Park? State officials 'willing to open discussions'

Leaders at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said this week there are “no immediate plans” to rebrand Starved Rock State Park in La Salle County, but officials are open to discussing a potential name change if Native American groups push for it.

By Mitchell Armentrout

Outdoors

Wandering around southern Illinois: Painted bikes, caves, Tecumseh and rattlers

I traveled around southern Illinois at some new sites as an offshoot of covering the total solar eclipse. It brought a sharp reminder of just how much that region brings to our outdoors world.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Go & Show: First Goose Lake Fishing Show and Tackle Swap arrives Saturday

The show includes fishing seminars and product demos.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Digging details of nature and the total solar eclipse

Here are some more nuggets related to the nature world from the total solar eclipse on Monday.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

The power of powerlining and the small chance of a smallmouth bass

Jose Sanchez caught a big smallmouth bass while powerlining at 63rd Street on the Chicago lakefront (Jackson Park), which is a rare feat when powerlining.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Chicago fishing: Slouching toward spring

It feels like we are finally, truly slouching toward spring around Chicago fishing, and that leads this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

6-year-old earns Fish of the Week for Florida peacock bass

Brixton Harvey, 6, earned Fish of the Week for one of his three peacock bass caught in Florida.

By Dale Bowman

Duane Short, wearing a blue shirt, views the beginning of the eclipse through his eclipse glasses next to a camera and tripod set to take photos and a blooming dogwood at War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

Outdoors

Nature dared not disappoint as southern Illinois experiences its second recent solar eclipse

As darkness descended Monday in the path of totality, the air cooled, a bullfrog hummed a bass line and birds of all kinds called out to mark the occasion.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Chicago outdoors: Turkey flocks are among the notes

A question on the size of turkey flocks heads the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Uncoiling some Chicago outdoors history

Sorting through pieces of change in history related to the natural world from smelt netting in Chicago to Michigan Maritime Museum to American white pelicans in Indiana to trumpeter swans in Palos.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Walleyes Unlimited's swap meet and Fly Fishing Film Tour lead Go & Show

Fishing covers a big tent covering many activities.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Dream of big muskies? Heidecke Lake might be the place

Heidecke Lake, the former cooling lake near Morris, has been a underutilized gem of muskie fishing in Illinois; but that changes as more anglers target muskie, as well as walleye, crappie, hybrid striped bass and bass.

By Dale Bowman

Outdoors

Chicago fishing: Illinois' spring trout season opener and other (alleged) signs of spring

The spring trout opener in Illinois and other spring signs (spring signs?) lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

By Dale Bowman