Illinois' best outdoors show headlines the fifth week of winter shows.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Jim Jansky caught and released his personal best northern pike Sunday while ice fishing at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. The 40-inch pike surpassed the 38-incher he caught in 2011 for FOTW.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

The variable conditions for ice fishing lead this Midwest Fishing Report.

Click here for Maureen O'Donnell's outstanding obit on Russ Schaller

The big shows going head to head again next year is the big news for the big week of outdoors shows around Chicago.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Mike Conlin talks about the passage of SB1566 and the future of the Fisheries Management Fund idea on ``Outside'' this afternoon.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

This is the biggest week in memory for outdoors shows around Chicago, and here's my collection of snapshots and notes from two opening days.

The preliminary deer harvest report

for Illinois hunters in 2012-13, down slightly from last year, leads what is one of the last Illinois Hunting Reports for season.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

The biggest week for outdoors shows, along with multiple ice-fishing events, leads this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Ice fishing is going area wide and there's a FOTW to celebrate it.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

It's here, the wildest week in memory for outdoors shows around Chicago.

The return of ice fishing area wide leads this Midwest Fishing Report.

The IDNR has hired Randy Smith as wetland program manager.

Mulling things on my morning ramble with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Sondra Katzen and her friend Dave Derk found trumpeter swans on Saganashkee Slough in late December and Derk took this photo.

Jed Hertz talks Christmas Bird Counts and related conservation issues in his record fourth Outside appearance on ``Outside'' this afternoon.

One of the great muskie fishermen on the Chain O'Lakes, Russ Schaller, died early Saturday.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

At least this weekend appears to be headed toward a normal mid-winter Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Mathew Dlouhy jigged up a fat 4.5-pound largemouth bass in Addison during the first wave of ice fishing in early January.

Much of hunting is wrapping up this week in Illinois, and that leads this Illinois Hunting Report.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Welcome to Round 2 of ice fishing, rebuilding ice leads this Midwest Fishing Report.

Click here for details on visitation arrangements from 3-8 Wednesday in Downers Grove.

Mulling things on my morning ramble.

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

A few newer thing certainly piqued family interest last week during the Progressive Chicago Boat, Sports & RV Show last week at McCormick Place during one of the two busiest weeks in the outdoors show season.

Click here for my early obit for Bill Cullerton Sr.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Nathan Grider talks about his study on alligator gar reintroduction in southern Illinois this afternoon on Outside.

Mike Rendak ``saw these two bucks sparring while recycling a Christmas tree at North Park Village,'' very worthy late activity for Buck of the Week: Unplugged.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Changes come--you can feel it in the air--and so does show season to lead this Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

One of the busiest weeks in the outdoors show season begins today, and kayaks are one connecting thread, as I note in today's column.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Mike Brod caught the laker of his life on Jan. 3 at Milwaukee Harbor.

The likely fizzling of ice fishing, at least around Chicago, leads this Midwest Fishing Report.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Upland game hunting ends today in Illinois' north zone and there's an update on archery deer hunting; those are the leads for this Illinois Hunting Report.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Carol Bell said her son Jake photographed this strapping buck last week on Woodland Drive in Glenview.

Jim Phillips describes the art of photographing dragonflies (and damselflies), among other things, this afternoon on WKCC-FM (91.1).

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

Stephen Crook had one of the great runs of muskie fishing with Johnny Dadson and it made a natural Sunday column as a lead-in for the Chicago Muskie Show.

Click here for the story of D.J. Hans catching Indiana's second record lake whitefishat Michigan City in 2012; the year that both Illinois and Indiana established whitefish records for fishermen.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

t's that time of when there's options inside and out for a Wild Weekend Wandering around Chicago outdoors with both ice fishing and show season beginning.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

The winter outdoors show season kicks off this weekend.

The arrival of ice fishing leads this Midwest Fishing Report.

Mulling things on my morning ramble

with Storm, the family's mixed Lab.

From blade sharpening to new and old access points on the Chain, there are reminders and thoughts off ice fishing beginning for today's column.

It only seems apt to run the Stray Cast here.

Sam Krucek caught and released the Wolf Lake walleye of his life in early December.