Chicago outdoors: Another wild turkey in Chicago, rabbits becoming prey
Notes come from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.
WILD OF THE WEEK
Bill Savage tweeted on X last Sunday the photo of the wild turkey above, "At 91st and Longwood in Beverly." Wild turkeys have a curious place in Chicago proper. An early report came in the fall of 2020 around South Shore Cultural Center Park from Bettina Rousos. By 2022, a wild turkey died (predator of some sort) not far from McCormick Place. By January, 2023, wildlife biologist/hunting heritage biologist Nicky Strahl emailed, "[We] have a resident flock numbering about 25-28ish over in and around William Powers [State Recreation Area]!"
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 Sunday. To make submissions, email BowmanOutside@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook (Dale Bowman), Twitter (@BowmanOutside), Instagram (@BowmanOutside). or Bluesky (@Bowmanoutside).
DALE'S MAILBAG
"As you pointed out, squirrels are very active socking away food for the coming months. Rabbits, on the other hand, seem to have disappeared. All summer they feasted on our plants and flowers but in the past couple of weeks I haven’t seen any. We have coyotes, hawks and, lately, a couple of owls in the area. Do you think they are the reason?" John Hankes, Geneva
A: Same here. We had a record year for rabbits in our neighborhood, but now predators thinned them out considerably.
WILD TIMES
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, Oct 8: Green Bay guide Capt. Kevin Pischke, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., chicagolandmuskiehunters.org
Tuesday, Oct 8: Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, free, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
Wednesday, Oct. 9: Wisconsin DNR senior fisheries biologist Travis Motl, "Current Status of the Geneva Lake Fishery," Lake Geneva Fishing Club, Poplar Creek Bowl, Hoffman Estates, 6 p.m., lakegenevafishingclub.com
Thursday, Oct. 10: Johnny Wilkins, "Catch in Tough Conditions & Even More All the Other Times," Riverside Fishing Club, Berwyn Moose Lodge 424, 6:45 p.m.
ILLINOIS PERMITS/SEASONS
Saturday, Oct. 12, to Oct. 14: Youth deer hunt
Next weekend, Oct. 12-13: Youth waterfowl hunt, north zone
HUNTER SAFETY
Oct. 12-13: Mokena, (708) 625-8466
Full state listing is at dnr2.illinois.gov/SafetyEd/SafetyEdClassByCounty
U.S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
Next Saturday, Oct. 12: Boat America, Wilmington,Darryl Joseph Haefner, jlyrrad@comcast.net
WINGSHOOTING
Nov. 9: Youth clinic & youth pheasant hunt, Iroquois SWA, Beaverville, (815) 933-1383