This week’s field notes
OUTDOORS August 20, 2011 12:22AM
Dale’s mailbag
Q: [Earlier this month], my grandson and I were driving from Lake Villa to Round Lake when out of the woods along the road, out came a wild female turkey. I stopped on Cedar Lake Road, and it walked right in front of my car. Have there been other reports in my area about turkeys? —Jerry Schultz
A: I haven’t heard other reports from that specific area, nor have I seen them myself around there. But I’m not surprised. Wild turkeys exist in every county in Illinois, including Cook County.
Related Stories
Updated: November 16, 2011 1:26AM
BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED
Jonathan Schlesinger of Riverwoods shot this photo of two bucks and a doe by pushing the camera lens through a hole in a construction fence on top of the bluffs at old Fort Sheridan — part of the new Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. E-mail nominations to straycasts@sbcglobal.net.
PLACES AND FACES
Chris Hurst won the “Keep the Bugs Away in Bristol Bay’’ contest. The firefighter from Plainfield will have a three-night trip to Bristol Bay and will stay at the Alaska Sportsman’s Bear Trail Lodge on the Naknek River. . . . Ten individuals and three groups were honored as volunteers by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on Saturday at the Illinois State Fair. Included were Salt Creek Greenway Association (role in restoring Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve) and David Holman of Grayslake (mapping at dedicated Illinois nature preserves and registered land and water reserves).
WILD TIMES
SHOWTIME
Thursday-next Sunday: 32nd annual Michigan City In-Water Boat Show, Washington Park, Michigan City, Ind., michigancityboatshow.com.
PADDLING/BIKING
Saturday: Pedal & Paddle by Chicago River Canoe and Kayak (chicagoriverpaddle.com), a paddle of about 4 miles and a ride of 4.5 on the North Side, 10 a.m. Register at (773) 704-2663 or info@chicagoriverpaddle.com.
ARCHERY TOURNAMENT
Saturday-next Sunday: FITA Round, Lincoln Park Archery Club, Lincoln Park, lincolnparkarcheryclub.org/events.html.
BIG NUMBER: 3.36
Millions of people who participated in fishing for the first time in 2010, a 2 percent increase since 2008, according to the 2011 Special Report on Fishing and Boating released last week by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and the Outdoor Foundation.
THE LAST WORD
“In about two weeks, every fish down here will be in fall patterns.’’ ~ Jason Johns, guide for Todd Gessner Outdoors, while crappie fishing Tuesday at Rend Lake
