Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
FIELD NOTES
BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED
Jim Hantak emailed on Oct. 3, “Saw this nice buck at Fullersburg Woods in Oak Brook this morning.” Take this as your reminder that the peak of the rut is only weeks away.
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 Sunday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside), or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
FISH OF THE WEEK
Dave Hanson of Chicago No Limits Fishing texted a photo from last weekend, “This drum was caught near the lighthouse [Oct. 11] by eight-year-old Luigi Romano.” He caught the freshwater drum, which grow to trophy size on Lake Michigan, with a drop-shot rig and night crawler. Chicago No Limits Fishing, a program of Chicago Adaptive Sports, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization, takes “individuals with disabilities to experience fishing and boating on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan” on a pontoon with no cost to participants. Learn more at https://www.chicagoadaptivesports.com/chicagonolimitsfishing.
FOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, now runs most weeks in the two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Sunday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
TROUT OPENER?
Illinois’ fall trout season will open as scheduled on Oct. 18, but, the heat this fall has caused the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to again delay stocking. Rainbow trout experience high mortality in water warmer than 68 degrees. The IDNR expects to have all sites stocked by Oct. 31. Early catch-and-release trout season, which opened at select sites on Oct. 4, is also impacted.
WILD TIMES
MUSKIES
Saturday, Oct. 18: Sixth annual Lake Geneva Muskie Open, tournament/fundraiser for stocking muskies into Geneva Lake in Wisconsin, register at fishdonkey.com ($250 entry) (https://www.fishdonkey.com/), details at https://www.chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/,
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, Oct 14: Capt. Austin Wiggerman, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., https://chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp
Tuesday, Oct. 14: Meteorologist Kevin Doom, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, free, 7 p.m., https://www.salmonunlimitedinc.com/
Wednesday, Oct. 15: Capt. Keith Cortopassi, “Fall Muskies on Suckers,” South Side Muskie Hawks, Village Sportsmen’s Club, Alsip, 7 p.m., https://www.southsidemuskiehawks.org/
Thursday, Oct. 16: Dale Bowman, “Perch and other small matters,” Fish Tales Fishing Club, Worth Township offices, Alsip, 7 p.m., https://www.fishtalesfishingclub.com/
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Sunday, Oct. 12: Final day, youth waterfowl hunt, north zone
Monday, Oct. 13: Final day, youth firearm deer season
Wednesday, Oct. 15: Bullfrog season ends
Saturday, Oct. 18: Woodcock season opens
Saturday, Oct. 18: North zone Canada geese season opens
Saturday, Oct. 18: North zone duck season opens
Saturday, Oct. 18: Fall turkey, shotgun opens
Next weekend, Oct. 18-19: Youth waterfowl hunt, central zone
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Tuesday, Oct. 14: Boat America, Des Plaines, Jerry Miarecki, boatsafe@coastguardchicago.com
YOUTH HUNTING
Nov. 8: Youth clinic and pheasant hunt, Iroquois County State Wildlife Area, Beaverville, https://dnr2.illinois.gov/WingshootingClinics/