Here’s a sneak preview of this Friday’s Outdoor section topics
Free Fishing days about a week away
SkyWatch measures the Summer Triangle
ISRA chief concerned about priest’s comments to “snuff” shopkeeper
“Monster pig” trophy questioned
FISHING: Hunting the legendary honey holes of the Kankakee River. Click here for the full story.
HUNTING: Spring turkey hunt falls short. Click here for the full story.
Other headlines
Next generation of walleye arrive
The prairie wind rustles through the branches of elm, oak and cottonwood as birds add their song to the woodland chorus high above Forked Creek.
It is music out of time — a melody enjoyed by the native people and earliest settlers to this region, once known as Nabenekanong, and later simply as Twelve-Mile Grove.
Such prairie groves were landmarks for early travelers across the broad grasslands. They often birthed the settlements of modern-day communities.
Twelve-Mile Grove, just south of present-day Manhattan, was “along the arduous trail between Joliet and Kankakee,” according to Jan Schultz, a Wilton Township trustee.
Travelers who found fresh water at the cottonwood grove would later rename the area Wilton Center; but the name Twelve-Mile Grove remains in common use for this tiny community.
Today a remnant of the historic grove is part of the 430-acre Laughton Preserve. The preserve includes “portions of the 1832 Ce-Na-Ge-Wine and Joseph Laughton reservations and the historic Wallingford Settlement in Wilton Center,” according to Bruce Hodgdon, of the Will County Forest Preserve District.
Read the full story here.
Related story: Protected woodland named for early settler
Reports are starting to trickle in on emerging cicada nymphs in The Daily Journal area.
Eric F. Ulaszek, a horticultural specialist at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, reported that shed nymph skins were found this morning along the Jackson Creek woodlands. Corey Anco, a restoration crew member, found the first signs of the new crop of cicada.
Ulaszek said he hasn’t yet heard the tell-tale “chorus” of the 17-year locust but expects that will be coming soon.
Nymph shells were also reported earlier this week at the Kankakee River State Park.
Feel free to post comments on any cicada sightings of your own.
Congratulations to the winners of the recent X-Line Youth Trapshooting Day.
From Copley News Service today
Deer-hunting hours would be extended to a half hour after sunset under legislation the Senate passed and sent to the governor on Wednesday.
From the Associated Press today:
GREENSBORO, Ga. (AP) — An 86-year-old man didn’t want anyone getting too close to his fishing lines, so he allegedly took a few shots at a pair of fishermen competing at a tournament, authorities said. One of them was hit in the arm.
Registrations for the 24th annual Kankakee River Fishing Derby will be available at local bait shops later today.
Those who register by June 19 will be eligible to win $100 in the Early Bird drawing.
This year’s derby features 108 tagged fish with prizes ranging from $200 to a new fishing boat, motor and trailer rig.
Also back this year are derby favorites such as the Big Board contest, Dollar Days and the daily Mystery Catch.
Click here for full details.
The next two months are critical nesting times for pheasants and for the fall hunting season.
Hens are on the nests incubating eggs that will hatch out the next generation by mid-June.
As we enter this critical period, Pheasants Forever is urging landowners and highway engineers alike to reduce mowing along rural highways.
The strips of grassy cover along roadside ditches and buffers can add up to five acres of nesting habitat for every mile of roadway.
In some areas, “40 percent of pheasants in the fall population are produced in roadsides,” says Rick Young, vice president of field operations for Pheasants Forever.
Delayed mowing and spot mowing or spraying in roadsides will not only help accomplish weed control, but will do so at less cost. Hens then nest undisturbed while roadsides achieve their maximum wildlife potential.
Click here for more information.
BOATING: There are several safety checks boaters should make before hitting the water for the season. Click here for the full story. Click here for a boater’s checklist.
FISHING: A record $21,400 to help fight epilepsy was raised at Braidwood Lake last weekend in Exelon Nuclear’s Fishing for a Cure tournament. Click here for the full story.
Other headlines …
ARCHERY: Open shoot at Clifton club
BIKING: Ride the Rock tour
NATURE: Plenty of activities this weekend at Midewin
SHOOTING: Youth trapshooting day at Exline; DesPlaines hosts wingshoot clinic for youngsters, women
ILLINOIS: Bring your mystery objects to Thorn Creek Nature Center; Fort Massac marks 250th year
WILDLIFE: Eagles on the increase
Click here for the full stories.
