Curious buck, hunting Cook County, saugeye: Notes, Chicago outdoors

Notes from around Chicago outdoors.

FIELD NOTES

WILD OF THE WEEK

Gerald Gorski spied this curious buck last week in his backyard in Glenview.

Wild of the Week, the celebration of wild scenes around Chicago outdoors, runs when warranted on Sundays on the Sun-Times outdoors page. Send nominations by Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside) or email (straycasts@sbcglobal.net).

BIG NUMBER

9-10.88

Pounds-ounces of sauger-walleye hybrid caught by Dan Murphy from Evergreen Lake on Dec. 7, 2001, the latest in the year of any Illinois-record fish.

DALE’S MAILBAG

Q: Where in Cook County is there hunting allowed? — Michael Foster O’Fog message

A: There are pockets of private land where it is legal to hunt. The one public spot is waterfowling on Wolf Lake. Deer hunting in Cook County is restricted to bowhunting. People with permission to hunt those few spots guard them jealously.

LAST WORD

‘‘Creeky, for my love of creeks, and knees, an acknowledgment of an aging angler who was starting to feel the aches and pains of arthritis. To be truthful, now there are more places that arthritis has afflicted than not, and ‘creekybody’ just did not have the same ring as ‘creekyknees.’ ’’

— Norm Minas, on retiring his nom de plume, ‘‘creekyknees,’’ in his post-cancer life and going with ‘‘norm m’’

WILD TIMES

HUNTER SAFETY

(Click here for full package of northeast Illinois hunter safety classes)

Nov. 28-28: Chicago, carryinillinois.com/hunter-safety-course.html

FISH GATHERINGS

Tuesday: Kevin Butts, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies Inc., 7:30 p.m., Giuseppe’s La Cantina, Des Plaines, chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp.

Tuesday: Capt. Chris Taurisano, Salmon Unlimited, 7 p.m., Elk Grove Village VFW, salmonunlimitedinc.com.

Thursday: Duane Landmeier, Fish Tales Fishing Club, 7 p.m., Oak Forest Community Center, fishtalesfishingclub.com.

ILLINOIS SEASONS/PERMITS

Tuesday:Final day, first dove season

Friday-Sunday: First firearm deer season

Through Dec. 1: First lottery, spring wild-turkey permits, dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/pages/turkeyhunting.aspx.

DUCKS UNLIMITED

(Click here for the general list of Illinois DU events)

PHEASANTS FOREVER

(Click here for general list of Illinois PF events)

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION

(Click here for general list of banquets and events)