WILD OF THE WEEK
Jeff Getz of Park Ridge emailed, “I read with great interest your column about the elk struck and killed by a car down by 80/55 last week. Quite fascinating the distance he traveled It’s not unusual for elk to migrate long distances out west to reach summer and winter ranges, but that distance would be epic. Unfortunately for him, he probably wasn’t migrating, but in search of a mate he would never find. A sad ending to his journey.
“That said, and in honor of the wandering elk, I thought I would send you a picture of an elk I took last fall in Teton National Park. I try to head out that way every fall to photograph moose and elk, and with luck, bears. Last fall, with an early snow pushing the elk down from the mountain, I had good elk luck. This year there was very little snow so the elk were hard to find, but it was a good moose year (and a grizzly!). I used the picture attached on our Christmas card.”
WOTW, the celebration of wild stories and photos around Chicago outdoors, runs most weeks in the special two-page outdoors section in the Sun-Times Sports Saturday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
DALE’S MAILBAG
“Remember this? Nov. 14 [above].” “Same tree Dec. 7! [below]” George Peters in his mid-December fishing report on the Kankakee River.
A: That’s shows the work beavers can do, as home associations, site superintendents, etc. can attest.
WILD TIMES
HUNTER SAFETY
Jan. 12-13: Bourbonnais, (815) 933-9400
Feb. 24-25: Essex, (815) 922-4027
SHOWTIME
Click here for the complete list of show, outdoors classes, swap meets and major ice-fishing events.
FISH GATHERING
Wednesday, Dec. 27: Pro ice-fishing panel, including Trevor Kroll, Jimbo Starwalt, Jim “The Crappie Professor” Kopjo, Tyler Petersen and Ken “Husker” O’Malley, Walleyes Unlimited, Gurnee American Legion, 7 p.m., walleyesunlimitedusa.org
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Tuesday, Dec. 26: Duck season, central zone, ends
Tuesday, Dec. 26: Second dove season opens
Thursday, Dec. 28, to Dec. 31: First late-winter antlerless/CWD deer season
YOUTH HUNT
Dec. 31: Deadline to apply annual Central Illinois Youth Goose Hunt (aged 10-17), scheduled for Jan. 15; go online to register; questions, call (217) 785-8060.
ILLUMINATION
Through Jan. 6: Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum. Electric Illumination – an 18-and-older late-night experience – will feature . . . an ’80s music-themed dance party Dec. 29, featuring hits from Prince, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Journey, Madonna, Talking Heads and more. For tickets, go to mortonarb.org and in-person at the Arboretum Visitor Center during operating hours. Pricing begins at $18.
