Chicago outdoors: Big backyard buck, Indiana Chinook, Illinois northern hogsucker, Iowa pheasants

A trail cam photo of a backyard buck, the joy and surprise of Chinook in Indiana streams, the odd record of an Illinois northern hogsucker and the bounty of Iowa pheasants in 2020 are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors.

SHARE Chicago outdoors: Big backyard buck, Indiana Chinook, Illinois northern hogsucker, Iowa pheasants
A big backyard buck in Lake Barrington. Photo provided by Brian DeKontz.

A big backyard buck in Lake Barrington.

Provided by Brian DeKontz.

Notes come from all around Chicago outdoors.

BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED

Brian DeKontz sent photos of a big night visitor in Lake Barrington, proving that trail cameras provide good things in all kinds of places.

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. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

WILD TIMES

FISH GATHERING

Wednesday, Oct. 28: Paul Delaney, “Door County Multi-Species Fishing,” Walleyes Unlimited, Gurnee American Legion, 7 p.m., walleyesunlimitedusa.org

ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS

Tuesday, Oct. 27: Late-winter/CWD deer permits lottery begins

Wednesday, Oct. 28: Crow hunting opens

DALE’S MAILBAG

“Hit two kings, out of luck, in Indiana [creeks last week]. . . . I randomly went to get out of the house and didn’t expect anything, but got a surprise.” Jay Abrego

A: That’s the right kind of luck and surprise in a year like 2020.

Chinook from an Indiana stream. Photo provided by Jay Abrego

Chinook from an Indiana stream.

Provided by Jay Abrego

BIG NUMBER

1-12.3: Pounds-ounces of Illinois’ record northern hogsucker (what I consider the oddest state record), caught by Mike Stopa on March 22, 2012, from the Little Vermilion River.

LAST WORD

“It definitely has people asking about our counts, investigating where the better areas are.”

Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, on how much non-resident interest there is with the high pheasant numbers and rapid harvest this fall in Iowa.

The Latest
Unite Here Local 1, representing the workers at the Signature Room and its lounge, said in a lawsuit in October the employer failed to give 60 days notice of a closing or mass layoff, violating state law.
Uecker has been synonymous with Milwaukee baseball for over half a century.
Doctors say looking at the April 8 eclipse without approved solar glasses — which are many times darker than sunglasses — can lead to retinal burns and can result in blind spots and permanent vision loss.
Antoine Perteet, 33, targeted victims on the dating app Grindr, according to Chicago police.
Glass-facade buildings can disorient birds in flight. The city is expected to update and revise rules for new developments and rehabbed buildings next month. But bird groups say the proposed guidelines need to be mandatory.