Chicago outdoors: Where frogs go in winter and a buck in winter
Notes come from around Chicago outdoors.
BUCK OF THE WEEK: UNPLUGGED
Fritz Plous emailed that his daughter Julia photographed this strapping six-point buck in Catherine Chevalier Woods on the Northwest Side in late December.
BOTW Unplugged, the celebration of live big bucks around Chicago outdoors, runs as apt 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
Q: "My husband and I were wondering where do frogs go in the winter?We have a small pond in our yard and we had a frog in it but we hope it's not frozen in the bottom." Diane from Monee
A: Allison Sacerdote-Velat, curator of herpetology at Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, texted, "Aquatic frogs like bullfrogs and green frogs typically stay above or atop the muddy substrate or partially buried in the mud on thr bottom of ponds. They can still absorb oxygen from the water through their skin, but their activity will be limited in winter months, but they will often slowly swim to areas where ice is thinner or the water is open, heading for slow moving streams and rivers, to be in a more oxygen rich area.
"Terrestrial species like toads will dig into the soil to get below the frost line. Spring peepers and chorus frogs will find soil cracks and crevices in logs to overwinter in. Finally, wood frogs will make small depressions in the soil called forms, where they spend the winter, just below the leaf litter."
WILD TIMES
OWL PELLETS
Friday, Jan. 17: "Owl Pellet Oddities," Plum Creek Nature Center, Crete Township, 6-7:30 p.m., BYOB, $5, register by Wednesday at (708) 946-2216
FISH GATHERINGS
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Gregg Thomas, Chicagoland Muskie Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., North Branch Pizza & Burger Co., Glenview, 7:30 p.m., http://chicagolandmuskiehunters.org/meetingschedule.asp
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Capt. Harley Goodman, Salmon Unlimited, Thornwood Restaurant & Lounge, Wood Dale, free, 7 p.m., salmonunlimitedinc.com
Wednesday, Jan. 15: Capt. Keith Cortopassi, "Ice-out and early spring tactics for muskie," South Side Muskie Hawks, Village Sportsmen's Club, Alsip, 7 p.m., southsidemuskiehawks.org
SHOWTIME
Through today, Jan. 12: Chicago Boat Show, Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont
Through today, Jan. 12: Tinley Park Fishing, Travel and Outdoor Expo, Tinley Park Convention Center
Through today, Jan. 12: Chicago RV Show, Schaumburg Convention Center
Friday, Jan. 17, to next Sunday, Jan. 19: Muskie Expo Chicago, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles
Friday, Jan. 17, to next Sunday, Jan. 19: Rockford RV, Camping & Travel Show, Indoor Sports Center, Loves Park
Saturday, Jan. 18: Musky Swap Meet, Quad County Hawg Hunters chapter of Muskies, Inc., St. Charles Moose Lodge, Duane Landmeier, dlandmeier@frontier.com
The master list of outdoors shows, classes, swap meets and major ice fishing events is at https://chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/2024/11/28/outdoors-shows-master-list-for-2025-around-chicago-and-beyond
ILLINOIS SEASONS
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Final day, south-central duck season
Wednesday, Jan. 15: Pheasant, quail and partridge seasons, south zone, end
Thursday, Jan. 16: Canada geese, north zone, ends
Friday, Jan. 17, to next Sunday, Jan. 19: Second part, late-winter antlerless-only/CWD deer seasons
Next Sunday, Jan. 19: Archery deer and turkey seasons end
HUNTER SAFETY
Feb. 8-9: Wilmington, https://islandparkdistrict.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs