This kind of story pulls me temporarily out of retirement and away from bear hunting. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Dawn popped the remaining color at Allerton on my morning ramble. The multitude of oaks helps with late color and also explains the 40 to 50 gray squirrels I saw on my two-mile ramble. The topper was two pileated woodpeckers, stunningly not making any noise, when I finished at the mansion.

The process for obtaining a winter fishing pass at Navy Pier Marina opened on Friday. navypiermarina.com/fishing-pass...

Karyn and I broke up the drive to my youngest niece's wedding tomorrow by stopping at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater over Bear Run just before dark today. Highly recommend it.

Orion the Hunter dominated the sky as I walked out before dawn bowhunting deer not far from Cherry Springs in Pennsylvania, one of the best night sky spots east of the Mississippi. Okay, I like the symbolic nature of Orion the Hunter dominating the sky as I go out to the blind.

Final notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

One of the three ravens at one of my favorite rest stops, the Chautauqua rest area on I-86 across Southern New York. I-86 is just a gem of a drive. I usually try to time it so I can take a lunch break or a rest here. About to disappear for five days to bowhunt deer in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

When all four kids were home we had as many as 10 or 12 around the dining room table on Halloween night for Blood and Guts. Karyn would make three pans. Tonight, we barely dented the one pan she made. Time moves on. Good to see other parents out with kids tonight at our new home in Homewood.

My final column. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column on places done by The Conservation Foundation. One (the other will not open for some years) is a good option if the crowds at Starved Rock or Matthiessen state parks are too much. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with help from readers and those who know. Something to read during timeouts in the Bears game. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column on recent interesting and notable catches in fall fishing around Chicago and kind of answer a question on melanism. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

I've a place in my heart for Fish Tales, first place I spoke after my triple bypass. Tonight Oct. 16, I return. Meeting starts at 7, Worth Township Building, 1601 S. Pulaski Ave., Alsip. Speakers start 7:30/7:45. I'm talking perch, taking questions and have an interactive topic. Not me in photo.

At least in our area, trout will be stocked in time for the opener on Saturday. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

More details and tweaks on winter fishing at Navy Pier. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column on rail-trails, it's almost more of a political story than an outdoors one. The political journey of rail-trails captured in "From Rails to Trails" chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with help from readers and those who know. The rut is near and a freshwater drum for FOTW. Chicago outdoors: Buck rut, trout stocking delay and a big drum chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

I still find it notable to spot pelicans in our area even though it's been going on for a couple decades now. These were sitting at dawn this morning at the wide waters on the Illinois River.

At some point, you have to concede to and adjust for climate change. We're at that point in Illinois when it comes to fall trout stockings. Climate change wins another one over Illinois' fall trout stockings chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column off wandering/birding the Palos area with Joel Greenberg and Tom Schrader. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. Stray Cast returns. Chicago outdoors: Pic of a flicker flight, a sailing Chinook and return of Stray Cast chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Updating what is up for winter perch fishing at Navy Pier with the new marina. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Today's column simply started as a chance to spend some time chasing sturgeon with Erik Brztowski. By the night's end, I had not only caught my PB sturgeon, but my PB freshwater fish. Seeking big lake sturgeon, catching a PB freshwater fish chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package, as always with help from readers and those who know. Good mix this week. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Column for today. Steelworkers Park is for far more than just perch fishing. Interesting concept combining climbing and birding. Birding from the climbing wall at Steelworkers Park chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with the usual help from readers and those who know. There's an insect theme of sorts. Chicago outdoors: Big blue catfish, a walkingstick and a question on a walking leaf chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

All my brothers and I are having a gathering in Virginia. Today we did a nice section of Skyline Drive. Some of us hiked to Dark Hollow Falls, a spot I love. The steep descent and ascent reminded me the years are piling up.

I took in one last Sox game, then enjoyed the downtown view one last time for the year. Heading over to speak at Southside Muskie Hawks at the Village Sportsmen's Club on 115th in Alsip at 7:00 p.m. That makes quite the day.

The Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee has been around for decades, grinding at representing the fishing community. It is a grind to walk stuff through the bureaucracy. We'll see what happens next. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column on some of the wild areas around the Southeast Side, the forgotten side of Chicago. More changes are coming there. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. A reader beat me to the first sighting of a woolly bear. But I did run across my first fallen hedge apples of the fall this week. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Sunday column on consumptive and non-consumptive pursuits. You can and many do. Straddling the two paths into engaging in the outdoors chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with help from readers and those who know. I enjoy the improbability of catching the same muskie by brothers. Chicago outdoors: Catching the same muskie twice and a resting monarch chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Amber Sproul and steward Beckie Green showed me a white obedient plant while we worked this morning at Rock Creek Wildflower and Pollinator Area. First morning in my three years of working there that we started in dense fog as the sun rose. Beautiful morning with other good finds, too.

Sunday column. Desparately seeking spotted bass and other quixotic quests around the outdoors chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package, as always with much help from readers and those who know. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

After being gone for a week, I have more tomatoes than we were going to eat so I made spaghetti starter. But this year I had to make the admission that life has changed, so I only made it in pint sizes instead of the usual quart.

Good travel is about the stops. Coming home from Florida, we stopped at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. A special gallery celebrated 50 years of Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry's quilts, quite unlike the hundreds of basic quilt tops my dad made for the Mennonite Central Committee.

Melbourne Beach These are not the rat-a-tat-tat roll pound roll pound of Lake Michigan waves. No these are langerous as afternoon delight. I'm assuming the waves from the Northeast come sliding off the backside of Erin before pounding the beach, then retreating sucking shells and sand

Sunday column on the O'Hare expansion mitigation turning into expanded restorations, including at a site I've been by many times but never visited before. Plus Gougar Road used to be one of my life hacks for getting around the southwest suburbs. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with help from readers and those who know as summer winds down. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Tonight works out that I can make another News Night, think Q&A with reporters. It's being held at a space I want to see and experience, the South Side Hackerspace in Bridgeport. I enjoyed being invited to opening News Night last year. That was held on the North Side. I'm curious how things are now.

Forward Progress - A Chicago Bears Podcast debuts on 8/26 on 312Sports. Make sure you're subscribed: www.youtube.com/@ForwardProg...

First heirloom tomato I picked yesterday. These days I need stuff like this. I originally got the seeds from my oldest brother's wife a couple years ago. It goes back to her grandmother, the late 1800d I think. Unnamed. It's literally a family heirloom.

Good morning at Rock Creek Wildflower and Pollinator Area with steward Beckie Green & Amber Sproul. Notable was a monarch caterpillar on milkweed, spotted by Amber or Beckie. Also had blazing star, a goldfinch (my first sighting it there), wild senna & a cuckoo wasp, first for me anywhere I think.

Sunday column that ties together a Chicago history, Chicago fishing and the Chicago lakefront. chicago.suntimes.com/outdoors/202...

Notes package with much help from readers and those who know. That vulture photo just gets me. chicago.suntimes.com/2025/08/16/c...

Joy this morning of working at Rock Creek Wildflower and Pollinator Area with steward Beckie Green and Amber Sproul was obedient plants. We found a good number in bloom. We also saw lots of butterflies, especially monarchs and a few swallowtails.