Stray Casts

Opening day: Fox squirrels and talk of corn

2009-11-21T04:15:22Z

``I heard a lot of talk of corn.''

]]> That was Paul Shelton, forest wildlife program manager, on his way back from the Winnebago County check station Friday night, on the top topic of hunters as the first firearm deer season opened in Illinois Friday.

I saw a lot of corn, unpicked, miles of it north of my tree stand in Kankakee County (above).

``It is looking like the [deer] harvest is comparable to last year, which wasn't a particularly good opening day,'' Shelton said. ``It is pretty clear it will not be on par with opening days in 2005, '06 and '07 when crops weren't an issue.''

May the combines arrive by Sunday. I am hunting over harvested bean and corn feilds, but having miles of unharvested corn right next to it kind of defeats the purpose from my perspective.

I did see lots of fox squirrel activity to keep my interest.

Deer dreams & big perch: Chicago WWW

2009-11-20T03:15:32Z

Opening of firearm deer season on Friday and the good bite for jumbo perch off Gary Light lead this Wild Weekend Wanderings around Chicago outdoors.

]]> BOAT FISHING FOR STATELINE PERCH: The hot spot for big perch, like those caught by Mike Starcevich of Mik-Lurch last Friday (above), has been in the deep clay flats in 48-52 feet off Gary Light. They found the same school of perch still there this morning.

I'll repeat what Burbank fisherman Tom Zeman said earlier this week: ``You want to be on one of those subtle bottom changes. If you can find those subtle changes or convergences, you are on fish.''

He said the biggest school is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles off Gary Light. His bearing was 41 degrees, 39.757 minutes north, 87 degrees, 18.876 minutes west.

It is good enough that Capt. Chuck Weis of Ace Charters is keeping his boat going as long as the weather holds for those who prefer a charter or don't have a boat.

CLINE AVENUE NOTE: I don't know what the latest is on the status of Cline Avenue bridge. Some got through earlier today. Otherwise, launch from 95th or Portage. Or check with Mik-Lurch at (219) 989-0575 or stop in. They had been planning to make some maps for making the East Chicago any way

DEER HUNTING: This is the big story with more than 200,000 of us taking to the fields and woods of Illinois for the first firearm deer season Friday through Sunday.

If you have other plans at public sites open to deer hunting, please be aware.

SANDHILL CRANES: Tuesday's count of 13,235 sandhills was the high for the year, so far, at Jasper-Pulaski FWA in Indiana.

I highly recommend making a trip or side trip to see them, and the next couple weeks should be peak.

Jasper-:Pulaski is a good 1 1/2 hours from Chicago, southeast of Valparaiso. For the basics of sandhills at Jasper-Pulaski, go to http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3109.htm

CHICAGO RIVER CARP FISHING: Word from Paul Pezalla of Wacker Baits is the big carp are going on the Chicago River.

POND FISHING: OK, my buddy who has been having some good success on a ``private'' pond took exception to my saying he was fishing a ``super secret'' pond.

Private water if totally different than secret water. Its the first time in my life that I've had access to private water. And as far as if its good info it absolutely is. If bass are biting there on soft plastics I guarantee you that there biting at most ponds around the chicagoland area. I'm sure you have hundreds, if not more, readers who fish ponds exclusively because they don't own boats. So I don't think you should put that one on my secretive nature.

I'll be the judge of that last sentence, but his broader point is legit about hundreds of readers focusing on local ponds.

PERSONAL PICKS: I'm gone deer hunting. If I happen to bag one early, I plan to put in a morning of carp fishing on the Chicago River with Paul, either Saturday or Sunday.

Making a list: Checking it twice

2009-11-20T01:33:17Z

Not that holiday, but a holiday just the same. Firearm deer season opens tomorrow morning in Illinois.

]]> The view from my tree stand could symbolize the whole of Illinois: half the corn around it is harvested, half is not.

It will make things interesting. On one side, deer could sneak within 20 yards and I would not have a clue they are there.

Just adds to the anticipation.

I have been puttering around for the past two hours in a fit, checking on things for the morning in that delightful state of opening-day anticipation.

For some reason, I feel hopeful this year.

Double checked shooting times, start and finish: check

Thermos preheated with hot water, ready to be emptied in the morning and refilled: one with coffee, one with the hot concoction of tomato juice, chicken broth and hot sauce: check

slugs: check

shotgun, clean and ready: check

permit in a plastic bag: check

dragging rope in an all-weather bag: check

banana/walnut/raisin/apple bread made: check

sandwiches planned: check

water bottles filled, chilling: check

field-dressing stuff in an all-weather bag: check

filled myself with hope: check

sleep? Not sure about that.

BTW, I would love to hear some reports tomorrow evening. If you have BlackBerry or e-mail access, please send them along to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.

Fair start to Michigan's deer season: ``Sitting outdoors''

2009-11-19T16:43:44Z

Not sure all hunters in Michigan for firearm deer season, which opened Sunday, would want to hear this description of the first few days from the Michigan DNR, but here it is: ``Good weather -- a lack of snow and little rain, warm temperatures and generally light winds - created excellent conditions for sitting outdoors.'' Bagging deer in those conditions have been fairly typical.

]]> Some 3,000 people from Illinois, mainly from the Chicago area, hunt deer in Michigan.

Here's the early report from the Michigan DNR:

Early Reports of 2009 Firearm Deer Season Typical to Recent Years

The 2009 firearms deer season is underway and the first few days have
been typical of recent years, the Department of Natural Resources said.

Good weather -- a lack of snow and little rain, warm temperatures and
generally light winds - created excellent conditions for sitting
outdoors. Hunter numbers are about the same as last year, though Upper
Peninsula personnel report a slight decrease in hunter numbers,
especially in the west end. Hunter attitude seems good statewide.

Hunter success is similar to last year statewide, though a reduction in
the number of DNR deer check stations makes it difficult to gauge. Deer
are in good to very good body condition, though antler development is
sub-par in the northern two-thirds of the state.

Here's a look at the first few days on a regional basis:

Upper Peninsula - Hunters have brought in a large number of two and
one-half year-old bucks, though a number of them have been spikes or
small fork-antlered deer. The number of deer checked is down. Some
hunters have complained of low deer numbers. License agents report high
sales of firearms licenses compared to combination licenses.

Northern Lower Peninsula - Most deer checked do not appear to have a
lot of body fat, which was not unexpected after last winter. More older
bucks are coming to check stations, though antler development is below
par. Overall harvest appears to be down somewhat. Some hunters expressed
concern about low deer numbers.

Southern Michigan - Hunter success appears to be a little bit better
than last year with more older bucks being harvested. Hunting pressure
appears to be up significantly on public land over last year. Both body
condition and antler development of deer are good. The slow corn harvest
is a major subject of discussion among hunters, though many report
seeing good numbers of deer. Conservation officers are busy with
increased complaints of illegal baiting.

Firearms deer season continues through Nov. 30 with archery season
resuming Dec. 1. For more information about hunting opportunities in
Michigan, go online to www.michigan.gov/dnrhunting.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management,
accessible use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for
current and future generations.

Tree stand: Video gamer theory

2009-11-19T02:41:47Z

``Pops, kids today can handle adrenaline, they're all video gamers.''

]]> Naturally, the oldest boy said it in a way that it dripped with the derision reserved for adults.

On the good side, he was there with me working on the tree stand Wednesday afternoon, and talking.

I had enlisted the help of his long arms and 6-foot frame to help me firm up the base of the tree stand, and put back one wall that came down.

Sometimes, it simply enough in dealing with teens to have them around and talking.

Though I wasn't too sure I made any sense of his theory that kids today aren't as likely to get what we used to call ``buck fever'' when I was his age, or nerves when a deer approached during deer hunting season.

His reasoning was that kids are used to extended heightened adrenaline rushes from playing so many video games.

As theories go, that one is a doozy. But it almost makes sense.

Is it possible that playing video games makes kids today better hunters because they don't get the yips as easily as kids of my day did?

Something tells me that somewhere somebody has studies the impact of video games on adrenaline in kids or teens.

Crazy theories or not, it was good to have him along to tidy up the tree stand. Weather didn't let me get at it earlier. So this afternoon after he got off school, we ran out and got to work.

And he enjoyed surveying the scene from up there.

I walked around below afterward so he could see how shooting lanes would set up if he came with his bow and hunted here.

For me, I am already fired up waiting for the opening of the first firearm season in Illinois on Saturday.

I have hopes for some reason this year.

Midwest Fishing Report: Lakefront perch by boat

2009-11-18T04:37:30Z

It's a good time of year to think of the future, because, frankly, there isn't a whole lot of fishing going on (other than stateline boat fishing for perch) for the Midwest Fishing Report.

]]> By future, I mean such things as the privately funded stocking of walleye for the 12th straight year in Wolf Lake on the Indiana side. The latest stocking of 4,200 5- to 8-inch walleye was Saturday. Thanks to Carl Vizzone for the photos. A story is posted here.

This is the extended online version of the MFR, which appears in the Sun-Times on Wednesdays. Normally, I post the online MFR by Wednesday morning.

If you have suggestions, post in the comments section or let me know at outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.

BOAT FISHING FOR STATELINE PERCH

There have been two hot spots: in Cal harbor from the green buoy east as far as 2 1/2 miles or off Gary Light. On Friday and Saturday, there was a major school of big fish (Mike Starcevich of Mik-Lurch weighed a 15 7/8-inch perch caught by Art Book at 1 pound, 14 ounces).

Burbank fisherman Tom Zeman has much sage advice on fishing the school of big fish in deep water (48-52 feet) clay flats off Gary Light. ``You want to be on one of those subtle bottom changes,'' Zeman said. ``If you can find those subtle changes or convergences, you are on fish.'' He said the biggest school is about 1 1/2 to 2 miles off Gary Light. His bearing was 41 degrees, 39.757 minutes north, 87 degrees, 18.876 minutes west.

Key is to keep moving. Capt. Chuck Weis of Ace Charters, who is keeping his boat going as long as the weather holds, said, ``I had a quarter mile of fish in one area, then the next day those fish weren't there.'' He didn't notice any difference in minnows, and was using plain hooks.

Starcevich said fly rigs with glow beads have been the hot ticket. On Friday, he said his group had 30 longer than 14 inches, including 10 longer than 15. He said fishermen need a seminar on how to anchor or drag anchors on the clay flats and on reeling up perch slow in the deep water so the air bladders don't distend.

CLINE AVENUE NOTE: With the Cline Avenue bridge closed for six weeks, don't use East Chicago Marina unless you know the area. Mik-Lurch plans to prepare maps and have them shortly. Zeman said he launched from Portage and came west. Or launch from 95th.

AREA LAKES

Not a lot is happening in the lull before ice fishing. One friend reported doing well on a local pond (of course it is a super secret one, so I'm not sure how much that helps) for bass. Otherwise, the usual fall crappie bite has been spotty at best.

AREA RIVERS

For an overview of nearby river conditions, go to this NWS site. Few are trying, but, considering all the rain, conditions are fairly good.

ILLINOIS: White bass have been slow. Sauger are active, though not winter concentrated yet, in that 16-20 foot range up and down the river. Here are the key notes from Bob Kidd about Sunday's Illinois Walleye Trail tournament out of Hennepin:

The Illinois Walleye Trail started its 2010 season on Sunday November 15, at Hennepin Illinois. The river had come down to 16 feet at LaSalle and water clarity was 1-1 1/2 feet. Catching fish was not the problem but getting keeper fish above the 14 inch size was. Teams said all day that they were catching 40-50 fish a day. It looks like the Illinois River is going to have about three different class of Saugers over the next three years to continue the great fishing. Most teams were either jigging with minnows or pulling three ways with live bait or cranks. Water temp remains around 52 degrees.

Steve Sandor of Ottawa, Illinois and Jeremy Piacenti of Tiskilwa finished first position with a six fish limit weighing 12.51 pounds earning them $2,200.00. Steve and Jeremy were fishing below Hennepin.

KANKAKEE: Ed Mullady sent this:

Smallmouth Bass good in Indiana
*Ditches leading to Kankakee River at the Point.
*Rt. 55 (Indiana) Area:
Smallmouth Bass on *minnows*crankbaits*#3 Mepps Spnrs.

Illinois:
Smallmouth bass good in Illinois:
*Top Bait has been a Mr. Twister Weighted Keeper Hook, with Double Twister tail and live minnow combined!
Good *Momence Area *Kankakee River State Park *Wilmington Island Park.
Overall: Catfish, croppie, rock bass good! Walleye fair

BIG GREEN LAKE, WISCONSIN

For guide Mike Norton's report, go to

www.nortonsfishingandhuntingadventures.com, then click on fishing, then lake report.

CHAIN O'LAKES AREA

With the extremely low water from the drawdown on the Chain, use extreme caution launching and be aware of difficult navigation, but some nice catches are being made, especially of bluegill, muskie (40-inch pluses) and walleye (up to 8 pounds), reported Triangle. Catherine remains outstanding for bluegill, very shallow, said Arden Katz, who keeps moving until he finds them. Key is Mini-Mites and spikes under a tiny float. Triangle reported good action on Loon for crappie and walleye.

For more reports, see http://www.foxlakefishing.com/

More Chain info at www.foxwaterway.state.il.us.

COOLING LAKES/STRIP PITS

Only Monster Lake at Mazonia South is open for fishing.

DES PLAINES RIVER

From Andrew Ragas, Counsellor of the Fish Parliament www.fishing-headquarters.com:

This past week has been a hit or a miss for everything in fishing. Inconsistent is the best way to explain it. Water temperatures have fallen to 50-degrees, and water levels are at the lowest they have been since early October.

The best of the bunch are Northern Pike, and the occasional Walleye and Sauger.

Pike remain to be best on jerkbaits such as X-Raps and Husky Jerks. In addition, spinnerbaits, bucktails, and swimbaits have yielded good results as well. Live bait in the form of shiners and chubs drifted beneath float set-ups are also catching some fish too. Areas worth fishing are creek mouths, wood, log jams, shorelines and backwater areas receiving direct sunlight, and deeper pools & main river channel.

Like pretty much this entire fall fishing season, Walleye and Sauger continue to be perplexing, thus giving many of us, who are trying for them, major headaches. The fishing by far is inconsistent for Walleyes as they have not been relating to the usual areas we find them during this time of year. We've been covering areas of the river with current, rock hard bottom, deep pools, and wood, and few fish are showing themselves. However, some fish up to 20? are being caught on minnowbaits after dark. (Rebel, X-Raps, Rapala Floaters)

Meanwhile, Sauger fishing continues to be a little better but they're inconsistent as far as river locations are concerned. The most common places we have been finding them at are in current with hard bottom. Fish up to 18-inches are being reported. Jig and plastics, jig & live bait, and minnowbaits are providing best results. Color doesn't seem to matter as majority are being caught during the low-light and nighttime hours.

As for everything else, Largemouth Bass and Panfish are almost non-existent right now. However, some Bass are being found in the deeper pools and channels, and wood that receives sunlight ? Crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits with a white shad profile.

Very few anglers are out fishing right now and this remains to be a mystery to me. Right now is quite possibly the best time of season to catch that fish of the year because before you know it, we will soon be ice fishing! . . . . . Sigh.

DOWNSTATE NOTES

EMIQUON: Emiquon Preserve near Lewistown is open to fishing. During the duck season, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, fishing is closed in the mornings. Otherwise, interested parties may request a permit and list of rules between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown. There is no fee. No gas powered motors are permitted, and bank fishing is not allowed. For more, call (309) 547-2730.

SHELBYVILLE: For more, call (217) 774-2020.

EVERGREEN REMINDER: All areas of COMLARA County Park & Evergreen Lake, except for the Visitor Center and Family campground area, WILL BE CLOSED Friday through Sunday AND December 3-6, 2009 for the Firearm Deer Management Program. Fishermen wanting to fish can do so from SHORELINE ONLY at the Pumphouse, Campground Cove, And Jone's Pond (Inside Campground) ONLY. If the lake becomes frozen and conditions permit, ice fishermen can ice fish in Campground Cove or Jone's Pond. S.H. West County Park , near LeRoy, remains open.

POWERTON: Shore fishing reopens Dec. 28. Boat fishing reopens Feb. 15, 2010.

KENOSHA/RACINE, WISCONSIN

The Root River Report is at dnr.wi.gov/fish/lakemich/rootriverreport.htm.

For Kenosha, check Harborside.

Here is the latest Wisconsin DNR report on the Root:

Brown trout have moved into the river in great numbers and are now the most prevalent fish. A fair number of coho also remain along with the last of the kings, but they are not looking too long for this world. There are a few steelhead being caught, but their numbers have been low so far. All areas of the river have been holding fish. Browns (and coho) are spawning on the gravel beds in good numbers. Yarn or flies are best for these fish. Small flies have been working best now that the water clarity is better. Single egg flies as well as a variety of smaller, natural flies have worked. For those wanting to drift spawn, the deeper pools have also been holding good numbers of fish and have been hitting best in the morning hours. In terms of numbers, Washington park golf course up to the lower stretches of Lincoln park have been best...but good numbers do exist all the way to Horlick dam.

LAKE ERIE: PORT CLINTON

For Ohio DNR report go to wildohio.com and or call (888) HOOKFISH.

LAKEFRONT

Best is boat fishing for perch out of 95th, see top. The few perch around the shoreline have been rare and small, and there's scattered browns and steelhead. Most action has been panfish in harbors like Diversey.

SALMON SNAGGING: The salmon that are around are awfully dark. Snagging for chinook and coho salmon is open at select areas on the lakefront: inner and outer harbors at Jackson Park, Lincoln Park Lagoon from the Fullerton Avenue Bridge to the southern end of the Lagoon, Winnetka power plant discharge area and Waukegan Harbor (in North Harbor basin only). No snagging is allowed at any time within 200 feet of a moored watercraft or as posted. Salmon snagging season ends Dec. 31.

CHICAGO'S FISHERMAN'S PARKING: The $10 parking passes for the small fishermen's lots at Burnham and DuSable harbors are available at Henry's.

MADISON LAKES, WISCONSIN

For D&S Bait, go to dsbait.com

NORTHERN WISCONSIN

Staff at Island Sports said some ponds are skimming partially, but they project ice fishing as being a couple weeks away. Otherwise, the few trying are taking muskies on suckers.

NORTHWEST INDIANA

Best bite is boat fishing for perch, see above. Mik-Lurch reported some steelhead and small coho up the streams. There's also some good browns around the shoreline. The big run of lakers at the Port is likely to come when the water finally hits 46 degrees.

ST. JOSEPH AREA, MICHIGAN

BJ Sports reported whitefish and steelhead off the St. Joe piers on Tuesday. Some spotty steelhead in the river, and good walleye just down from Shamrock Park. Some walleye at Berrien Springs opposite the fish ladder, too.

SHABBONA LAKE

For reports, click here.

LINES ONLINE

ILLINOIS

www.ifishillinois.org
www.prairiestateoutdoors.com

CHICAGO AREA CHAT/REPORTS

www.chicagolandfishing.com
www.windycityfishing.com
angling101.com
www.chitown-angler.com
www.illinoisoutdoors.com
www.heartlandoutdoorsman.com
www.wadauwant.com
www.patharrisonoutdoors.com
Fishing Headquarters

CHICAGO AREA INFO

fishingchicago.org
www.chicagofishinglinks.com
chicagofishing.org

DOWNSTATE
larrysfishinghole.com
www.ilfishing.com

MICHIGAN DNR REPORT

www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10364-34956--,00.html

WISCONSIN DNR REPORT

dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/news/or/

IOWA DNR REPORT

www.iowadnr.com/news/currentfish.html

INDIANA DNR REPORT

http://www.in.gov/apps/dnr/fishing/dnr_fishingreport?display=Lake+Michigan

MIDWEST

www.lake-link.com

NORTH AMERICA

www.casualangler.com

Buck of the Week: Ravine 10 on the 13th

2009-11-18T04:36:14Z

With patience, Jim Lenc of LaGrange brought home a fine 10-pointer after bowhunting in Woodford County on Friday morning. It earns him Buck of the Week honors.

]]> BOTW heads the Illinois Hunting Report each Wednesday during the apt times in the Sun-Times. An extended online version appears here, usually by midnight Tuesday. Yes, we are cutting it close tonight.

Here's the base tale:

Jim lenc of Lagrange bagged this Friday the 13th 10 pointer at 7:00am Friday morning bow hunting in Woodford County. This buck was shot while scoping a hillside doe trail, before calling it quits it made its way 60 yards down
into the bottom of the ravine. Took 2/1/2 hours to get out. Well worth it.

I imagine it was.

And imagined there might be more to the tale.

And there was:

Of course a lot of luck at being at right place right time - did put a lot of hours in that stand -watched that same buck skirt around me out of range the prior week.

E-mail BOTW nominations to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.

Fishes of the Week: Lakefront lakers

2009-11-18T04:33:57Z

Ray Hinton began one of Chicago's historic fishing streaks with a lake trout, weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces on a Rapala hand-held scales, on Oct. 30. That historic streak earns him and friends a special Fishes of the Week.

]]> No, that is not the 17-6. Like much of October, rain was falling, so the Chatham man didn't break out his camera. Plus the big laker was spurting eggs, and he wanted to quickly release it.

FOTW tops the Midwest Fishing Report in the Sun-Times each Wednesday. An extended online version appears here by midnight Tuesday. We are cutting it close tonight.

Hinton's catch began the best streak of shoreline fishing for lakers in modern Chicago history.

Over two days at the end of October, Hinton, his Indiana cousin Harrel Hinton (below) and Chicago fisherman Eddie Hudson landed 14 of 24 lakers they hooked into at South Side locations from Northerly Island to 95th.

``I have never in the history of recent shore fishing witnessed Goliath lake trout cruising our shores,'' said Hinton, one of Chicago's best fishermen.

The biggest one hit a Moonshine glow spoon. The others came on deep-diving crankbaits or common salmon spoons like Cleos and K.O. Wobblers.

There's long been sporadic catches of a few lakers from shore over the years in Chicago, but nothing like that.

Lake Michigan Program biologist Dan Makauskas thought he remembered retired biologist Rich Hess talking about some shoreline fishing for lakers around 1980.

That gave me an excuse to track down Hess in Minnesota.

Part of Hess' response was

``Dan M. has a good memory, but I don't remember a laker fishery at the Monroe breakwall around 1980. Of course, many shore stocked lakers returned to various Illinois shoreline areas over the years from Waukegan to Chicago, but when we didn't see any successful reproduction from them inshore we switched the emphasis of our lake trout stocking program to selected offshore reefs.''

Speculation is that the cold October caused the oddity of lakers on the Chicago shoreline. That's one unknown.

Hinton and crew kept a couple of the smaller ones (the daily limit on lakers is two). A couple were grilled. Hinton smoked his with applewood.

Hinton had another unknown:

`I finally locked into a laker that I couldn't handle, I battled this fish for more than 10 minutes. Making four runs in and out on me, the lake monster gave it's powerful tail a final burst, took lure, line swivel and all and headed for the great unknown.''

That's the great unknown.

E-mail FOTW nominations to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.

Illinois Hunting Report: Opening day for deer

2009-11-18T04:30:00Z

Of course opening of the first firearm deer season leads this week's Illinois Hunting Report. With a side nod to the fact crop harvest remains very slow and is impacting nearly all hunting.

]]> This is a good buck, a nine-pointer bagged by Nate Teske in Will County while bowhunting last week, if not a record-book trophy, just that kind that inspires the majority of us in our dreams.

And with the first firearm deer season opening Friday, there's lots of dreaming to do.

Dreams may be impacted by the reality of the near-record slow crop harvest. Through Sunday, statewide corn harvest stood at 52 percent, only 31 in northeast Illinois. And considering the weather, not much will be done this week either.

During the hunting seasons, the extended online version of the IHR, which comes at the end of the Midwest Fishing Report in the Sun-Times on Wednesdays, is usually posted here on Tuesdays.

If you have suggestions, email me at outdoordb@sbcglobal.net or post in the comments.

DEER

First firearm deer season is Friday through Sunday, the second firearm season is Dec. 3-6. Muzzleloader-only season is Dec. 11-13.

The forecast looks like the rain will clear out before Friday and the weekend will feature fairly normal and stable fall hunting weather across the state.

Signs (such as big bucks submitted for Buck of the Week in the last week) indicate the rut peaked last week. Another sign came from biologist Paul Shelton, who said, ``Harvest sex ratios for the week were 32.6 percent does to 67.4 percent bucks.'' But in a separate interview, he said that he thought plenty of breeding activity remained.

Otherwise, slow crop harvest and weekend weather slowed what was expected to be the big weekend of the year for bowhunters. According Shelton, through Sunday bowhunters had harvested 49,546 deer, which trailed the rates of 2005, '06 and '07. That could end up being a good sign for the firearm deer hunters, there were lots of good deer well protected by the corn in the fields during the peak of the bowhunting the past week or two, and will be protected over by the remaining corn in many spots through the firearm seasons.

FIREARM DEER NOTES: The big change in regulations this year is that remaining permits will be sold over the counter up until the end of the second firearm season. . . . Winnebago County hunters need to remember the check station was moved to Rock Cut State Park. . . . Remember to participate in the Illinois Sportsmen Against Hunger program. To find a list of processors and more information go to http://dnr.state.il.us/legislation/isah/.

STATE TAKE ON FIREARM DEER

Illinois Firearm Deer Season Begins This Week
Hunters reminded of deer check-in requirements, staying safe during firearm hunt Nov. 20-22 and Dec. 3-6

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Hunters in Illinois head to the field this week for the state's most popular hunting season as the 2009 Illinois Firearm Deer Season opens this Friday through Sunday, Nov. 20-22. The seven-day firearm season will conclude on Dec. 3-6.

"Deer hunting is part of our outdoor heritage in Illinois, and we want to encourage all hunters heading to the field this week for the start of the firearm season to make safety their first priority," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Director Marc Miller. "Hunters always need to be conscious of firearm and tree stand safety to ensure a safe and enjoyable hunt."

Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 106,018 deer during the seven-day firearm deer hunting season in 2008. More than 360,000 permits have been issued to date for the 2009 firearm season. For information on remaining permits, check the IDNR web site at http://www.dnr.state.il.us/admin/firearm.htm

The legal hunting hours for the firearm deer season are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Hunters successful in taking a deer during the firearm season in most counties must register (check in) the deer they harvest by going online at www.dnr.state.il.us/vcheck or by phoning 1-866-IL-CHECK (1-866-452-4325). Hunters using the online or phone-in system must register their harvest by 10 p.m. on the day they take the deer. It is recommended that hunters using cell phones to register their harvest wait until they are out of the field and have a clear cell phone signal before attempting to make the harvest report phone call.

Firearm deer hunters in Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, LaSalle, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties are reminded to bring their deer to mandatory check stations. Biologists will be sampling adult deer for chronic wasting disease (CWD), to determine areas of infection and prevalence rates. The check station locations are listed below (Note: except for Winnebago County, they are in the same locations as last year):

Boone: Boone Co. Fairgrounds, located one-half mile north of Rt. 76 and Business Rt. 20, Belvidere

DeKalb: Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, 4201 Shabbona Grove Rd., Shabbona

Grundy: Gebhard Woods State Park; 401 Ottawa St., Morris

Kane: Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area, 4201 Shabbona Grove Rd., Shabbona

LaSalle: Buffalo Rock State Park, three miles west of Ottawa on Dee Bennett Rd.

McHenry: Moraine Hills State Park, McHenry Dam day use area, east of McHenry on

River Road, 2.2 miles south of Rt. 120

Ogle: Castle Rock State Park, Rt. 2, three miles south of Oregon

Stephenson: Stephenson Co. Fairgrounds, one mile east of Rt. 26 and Fairgrounds Road, Freeport

Winnebago (NEW LOCATION): Rock Cut State Park (hunters should utilize the Hwy 173 entrance and follow the signs)

Hunters who participate in the CWD sampling can check the status of their deer through the IDNR web site at http://dnr.state.il.us/cwd/. Hunters who provide samples from deer that test positive are notified by the IDNR.

While not believed to be contagious to humans or livestock, chronic wasting disease is known to spread from animal to animal among deer and elk. The disease affects the brain of the infected animal, causing them to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose coordination and eventually die. Illinois expanded its CWD surveillance effort in 2002 following the discovery of the disease in neighboring Wisconsin.

For more information on Illinois deer hunting regulations changes for 2009-2010, check the IDNR web site at this link: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/pubaffairs/2009/September/deer.html

BUCK OF THE WEEK

If you have an entry for Buck of the Week, e-mail the photo and story to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net. The stories and photos run in the outdoors page of the Sun-Times on Wednesday, and the expanded online version is usually posted here on Tuesday.

WATERFOWL

No major cold fronts, crops in the fields, and things are slow. So slow that two trips I had planned so far have been canceled.

The daily bag is now six ducks not to include more than four mallards (two of which can be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two scaup (entire 60 days this year), one canvasback (full 60-day season), one black duck and one pintail (full 60-day season).

The daily bag on Canada geese is two.

The DU Migration Map is posted at
http://www.ducks.org/migrationmap.

NORTH ZONE WATERFOWL

The drawdown at Heidecke should be stopped enough to allow hunters to continue to access the lake. William Powers had a slow weekend, two geese and four ducks on Saturday.

Duck season runs through Dec. 16; Canada goose season, through Jan. 9.

CENTRAL ZONE WATERFOWL

Of the 71 ducks taken at Braidwood last week, 32 were bagged Sunday. The Mazonia units reported 20 ducks for the week.

Canada goose season reopens Tuesday and runs through Jan. 31.

White-fronted goose season opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 31.

Duck season runs through Dec. 29.

SOUTH ZONE WATERFOWL

Duck season runs through Jan. 12. Canada goose and white-fronted goose seasons reopen Nov. 29 and run through Jan. 31.

TURKEY

Bowhunting is open through Jan. 17, except it is closed during the firearm deer seasons in those counties open to firearm deer hunting.

WOODCOCK

Runs through Nov. 30.

COMMON SNIPE

Season runs through Dec. 20

RABBIT

North zone ends Jan. 8. South zone ends Jan. 22.

PHEASANT/PARTRIDGE/QUAIL

Crops in the field continue to slow pheasant hunting in particular, but that could just help make for good hunting later in the season.

Hunting for cock pheasant, gray partridge and bobwhite quail ends Jan. 8 in the north zone, Jan. 15 in the south.

SQUIRREL

Season ends Feb. 15, except it is closed during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties (Nov. 21-23 and Dec. 4-7). Squirrel hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. The daily limit is five squirrels with a possession limit of 10.

CROW

Season runs through Feb. 28.

WOODCHUCK

Hunting season ends March 31, except it is closed during firearm deer seasons in applicable counties.

RACCOON/OPOSSUM

Hunting is closed during the two firearms deer seasons in those counties open to firearm deer hunting. Hunting ends in the north zone on Feb. 10; in the south, on Feb. 15.

FOX

Hunting ends on Jan. 31. Hunting is closed during the two firearms deer seasons in those counties open to firearm deer hunting.

COYOTE

Hunting is closed during the two firearms deer seasons in those counties open to firearm deer hunting.

GENERAL TRAPPING

Trapping seasons are open across the state for all the usual furbearers: muskrat, mink, raccoon, opossum, striped skunk, weasel, coyote, badger, red and gray fox, and beaver.

Trapping for muskrat, mink, raccoon, opossum, striped skunk, weasel, red and gray fox, coyote and badger ends in the north zone on Jan. 20; in the south, on Jan. 25.

Trapping for beaver ends statewide on March 31.

ILLINOIS HUNTING ONLINE

For IDNR hunting info, click here.

For the Illinois 2009-10 Digest of Hunting & Trapping Regulations, click here.

For the 2009-10 Digest of Waterfowl Hunting Regulations, click here.

For the 2008-09 Illinois Public Hunting Areas Report, click here.

For Illinois crop reports (generally posted Monday afternoons, holiday weekends are the exceptions), click here.

Environmental impact: On the Sanitary and Ship Canal?

2009-11-18T04:29:14Z

Some things in life just make me smile, even when they're pissing me off. One of those times is when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers asks for public comment on an Environmental Assessment of proposed emergency measures (read poisoning the fish in the area) associated with the maintenance of the electric fish barrier in the Sanitary and Ship Canal.

]]> Here are the details:

Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on an Environmental Assessment

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on an Environmental Assessment (EA) of proposed emergency measures associated with the maintenance of the fish barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Barrier IIA needs to be turned off for scheduled maintenance to allow it to function properly and avoid an unplanned outage. To reduce the risk of small Asian carp moving up stream during the maintenance shut down, it is proposed that rotenone be used to eradicate fish in the canal from the location of the Barrier to the Lockport Lock. Details of the proposed action are contained in the EA which can be found on the Army Corps website at: http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil. The draft EA will be available for review and comment until November 24, 2009. Comments can be addressed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, ATTN: Gene Fleming, 111 N. Canal Street, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60606 or via email at ChicagoDistrict.PAO@usace.army.mil.

Remembering Mark Meritt: Webster tales

2009-11-17T14:52:59Z

Those who fished muskie on Indiana's fabled Webster Lake may remember Mark Meritt as an early guide. On Sunday, Mr. Meritt, 39, died in Minnesota.

]]> According to Robert Tomes, the fly-fishing muskie guru from Chicago, Mr. Meritt had collapsed while at his son's hockey practice.

``I am just shocked,'' said Tomes, who was working with Meritt on a video about fly fishing for muskies.

He's right. It gave me the chills when Tomes called early this morning--39 is too young.

Javier Serna had introduced me to Mr. Meritt. Serna, who grew up in Palatine, was covering sports and the outdoors for the Elkhart (Ind.) Truth at the time.

That led to my introduction to Webster Lake, and Javier catching his first muskie. And me getting to hear Mr. Meritt's tale of Ethel, the mythical muskie of Webster.

What I most remember about the day came after we had the first follow to the boat. I asked Mr. Meritt how many of those he expected and he said 15 or 20. And I nearly blurted out that he was a liar. But that is exactly the amount of follows we saw.

That led to my introducing Tomes to Mr. Meritt. Which led to me tagging along to watch Tomes fly fish with Meritt on Webster. The day culminated with a muskie slashing off a weed line to take a Tomes streamer.

That was something.

Mr. Meritt then moved to Minnesota, where his main career was as a trainer for Best Buy, but he kept his hand in muskie fishing in Minnesota, that hot bed of lakes for muskies.

Tomes sent this link to the obit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/startribune/obituary.aspx?n=mark-e-meritt&pid=136071360

Wolf Lake walleye stocking: 12 years & counting

2009-11-17T11:45:21Z

The walleye stocking on the Indiana side of Wolf Lake is one of the great private citizen efforts in Chicago outdoors. On Saturday, the 12th annual stocking took place with 4,200 walleye of 5-8 inches placed in Wolf Lake.

]]> And I am beginning to feel old. I still remember the first one and everybody wondering if it would work or go on.

But it does go on and with much success, in part because of a lot of people being involved. Such as Carl Vizzone, who sent a bunch of photos.

Mainly, a lot of people in the outdoors could take a lesson in coalition building from Bruce Caruso below, as the explanation below shows.

Here are the details from Caruso:

On November 14th 2009 Perch America completed its 12 annual walleye stocking at Wolf Lake in Hammond Indiana. We deposited an estimated 4,200 5-8 inch advanced growth walleye fingerlings at noon. Perch America has been working in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on a comprehensive walleye stocking program since 1998. This was our 12th consecutive year of stocking walleyes into Wolf Lake and this brings a total of an estimated 70,000 advanced growth walleye fingerlings that we have deposited into Wolf Lake since the programs inception. This has been a very productive program due to the fact that Wolf Lake has an excellent forage base made up of gizzard shad, White perch and stunted bluegills and also has an excellent habitat for walleyes.

The following participants are who make this walleye stocking program such a success. The Indiana DNR, The Indiana Board of animal health, The Hammond Port Authority, the Hammond Parks FOUNDATION, Exxon Mobil, Mik-Lurch tackle,Lake County Fish & Game, the Hammond Mowhawks and Jeff Oesterle, Perch America plus all the anglers who deposit money into the donation jar set up at Mik-Lurch. This is an continual stocking program due to minimal if any natural reproduction and we are trying to offset angler harvest and natural mortality.

If anyone is interested in Wolf Lake or Perch America they can contact me at 219-836-1764

Those are a good size for surviving, one of the reasons that the stocking continues to be a success.

But the main reason for the success in the stocking is the people is the people and groups that continue to back the stocking of a lake once considered an industrial wasteland.

Muskie winners: Question closed

2009-11-17T03:21:37Z

I have the 10 winners of a free entrance to the seminar/fundraiser for the South Side Muskie Hawks the Sunday after Thanksgiving, an offer John Daley has extended the past few years to those who answer a question I decide on.

]]> Last year, I asked too hard of a question, I think, and only had a couple right answers.

So this year was easier and different.

The question was

What is the best numbers body of water for muskie in Illinois?

The answer I had in mind was North Spring Lake, southwest of Pekin.

In part because of my own curiosity, I posted it on STRAY CASTS on Thursday and in the outdoors page of the Sun-Times on Sunday.

I received about the same number of acceptable answers from both. Not sure what that means, if anything.

Free-entrance winners are listed below, but first here are the event details.

Gregg Thomas of Battle the Beast Guide Service headlines the seminar on Sunday, Nov. 29.

Doors open at 11 a.m. It runs until something like 5 p.m. at Marie's Ashton Place. 341 W 75th St., Willowbrook.

Raffles include guided trips, trips and a boat & trailer from Basa's Marine.

Tickets are $8 in advance at places like Fishing Connection in Tinley Park, Basa's Marine, or JJ's Bait & Tackle in Bridgeview. At the door, tickets are $10.

Questions, call Daley at (773) 704-3401.

For winners, I also ended up accepting Shelbyville, especially below the spillway, Shabbona, Kinkaid, Heidecke and the Chain. BTW, I had about as many who just wanted to weigh-in on the question as receive the free entrance, so they were not counted in the 10.

1. Pat Glavin
2. Sunny Simeone
3. Mike Adams (first to get North Spring Lake)
4. Roger Willard
5. Don Prescott
6. Thomas Stillo
7. James Curin
8. Frank Docekal
9. Bill Norris
10. Mario Chirinos

Any questions, you may reach me at outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.

Illinois bowhunters: Falling off record pace

2009-11-16T15:14:57Z

Weather and standing corn are assumed to be the reasons that the pace of harvest by Illinois bowhunters continues to drop off the record one it was on in October. Through Sunday, bow harvest of deer in Illinois was 49,546, off the pace of the three-year period of 2005-07.

]]> Here are details from forest wildlife program manager Paul Shelton:

Preliminary archery deer harvest totals through Sunday, November 15 stand at 49546, compared to previous year totals of 45844 (2008), 50462 (2007), 50396 (2006), and 52075 (2005). Although farmers were working hard last week when conditions were favorable, significant amounts of corn remain unharvested. Hunting conditions were good until Sunday when rain settled in throughout much of the state. Top five counties are Pike (2830), Fulton (1424), Jefferson (1129), Adams (1122), and Peoria (1053). . . .

Daily harvest rates increased to 1586 deer/day during the period Monday-Friday (1153 previous week), and 2339 deer/day during the weekend in spite of the rain Sunday (1969 deer/day previous week). Overall harvest rates for the week were only slightly below the previous four-year average. Harvest sex ratios for the week were 32.6% does to 67.4% bucks. Overall sex ratios for the season to date are 50.6% does: 49.4% bucks.

Tip of the tale: Walleye on the Illinois

2009-11-16T11:58:01Z

SPRING VALLEY, Ill.--John Mannerino quit tournament fishing. So he has some time on his hands.

]]> I finally got out with the North Side plumbing supervisor on Sunday. As the 18 1/2-inch walleye above shows, it was a productive day on the Illinois River, fishing both upstream and downstream of Spring Valley.

Mannerino caught it on a plain ``Purple Funk'' hair jig, custom-made by Tim ``Hutch'' Hutchinson, a Mannerino mentor and owner of Hutch's Tackle and Guide Shop in Prairie du Chien, Wis. near the mighty Mississippi.

The walleye led to an interesting speculation by Mannerino, who has walleye fished all over the country.

He thought the increasing numbers of walleye being caught on the Illinois River were a result of fishermen become smarter at fishing the Illinois and using more crankbaits, as well as the increasing numbers of walleye in the feeder rivers of the Fox, Des Plaines and Kankakee.

Hmm? Smarter? What's that say about me catching the first walleye?

Overall, it was a good solid day with many story angles (always a good idea for me) and some 20 sauger and walleye caught and released. We had one limit of keepers between us.

Maybe the highlight of the day were the number of these small saugers (that's Mannerino with the day's first sauger) we caught.

It's a good sign of the next couple years of sauger fishing on the Illinois, especially for Spring Valley, ``Sauger Capital of the World.''