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Not too hot to think about deer

Posted August 06, 2007 11:00 pm

Jeff Lampe

Rambling through the outdoors, sweating and hoping the Sept. 1 dove opener isn't this hot.

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Recent discovery of a deer infected with chronic wasting disease in LaSalle County near Seneca could not have come at a worse time for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. While biologists would like to treat the doe as "an outlier" that wandered away from CWD hotspots, they can't be certain. But increasing sampling efforts in LaSalle and Grundy counties will be difficult since firearm-season policies are set. "We'll just keep our fingers crossed and try to get as many samples as we can to try to clarify the picture," deer biologist Paul Shelton said. ... Rumors keep swirling about a 55-inch muskie caught and released at Lake Shelbyville and a 54-incher hooked at Snakeden Hollow's McMaster Lake. But so far no pictures have emerged topping Washington angler Todd "Alderman" Clanin's 54-inch fish caught last year at McMaster - Illinois' longest muskie. A few documented toothy whoppers this year are Mike Gomez of Coloma's 50-incher at McMaster in July (caught on a Beetle Spin), Nick Cammarata's 49.5-incher Jan. 24 at Crystal Lake and a 49-incher in April from McMaster by Bill Heiden Jr. of Plano.

As if the kids didn't cost me enough sleep, now you readers are getting into my head. The latest mind-stirrer is this: "Do squirrels drink water?" The obvious answer is yes, but so far nobody I know has seen a squirrel sipping. Have you? ... Then again, any squirrel drinking in the open these days better have eyes in the back of its head. Bushytails are fair game through Feb. 15, including during firearm deer season. Note to self: Pack squirrel loads with the slugs come November. ... Word out of Springfield is Rep.

Dan Reitz, D-Sparta, no longer is expected to be named DNR director. ... Cabela's new store in Hoffman Estates, a northwest suburb of Chicago, opens Sept. 21. ... Useless stats: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife figures waterfowlers shot 13.8 million ducks in 2006, while honker harvest dropped to 3.6 million. ... Our Neighbor Ash sez he once worked with a squirrel in the Journal Star sports department who was prone to prattle on about Bradley basketball after drinking.

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Thank goodness for

Mrs. J. Showens, who e-mailed asking, "Last year you told of a lady outside Lewistown, (Hummingbird Haven) was having a festival and banding of hummingbirds. Do you have any information as to if she is having it again this year?" Yes. Sorry we missed the July date. But there's one more event from 2-5:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at Lois White's haven, located on the blacktop four miles south of Smithfield and five miles north of Ipava. There's also a hummer fest Aug. 25 (9 a.m. to noon) at Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights. ... Wolf Hollow Archery in Rome has a nifty new Technohunt video system. Archers can aim at a 10-foot-by-8-foot video screen and run through 714 hunting scenarios. "You can shoot everything from ground squirrels to African big game," said Luke Quinn. Through Oct. 1 Wolf Hollow is holding a Whitetail Challenge, offering prizes for a 30-target shoot that costs $10 for 30 minutes for one person (cheaper for groups). Call (309) 274-9653.

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If you've ever savored a burger, beverage or tall tale at Gilles Tap in Kickapoo, please consider attending the Aug. 25 benefit for personable proprietor

Norma Gilles, who is suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. There's golf at Laurel Greens in Knoxville at 12:30 p.m., followed by food, raffles, auctions and cow-pie bingo at Kickapoo Sportsman's Club from 4-11 p.m. Call (309) 243-5741 or 691-2021. Rumor is they might raffle off one of those musty, dusty squirrels from behind the bar. And make sure to ask Norma about hubby Tom Gilles's one-time state-record channel catfish. ... Birdwatchers see the darndest things: Paul Doughty's discovery of a Wilson's plover at Rainbow Beach in Chicago has birders buzzing. This is the first documented Wilson's plover in Illinois and numerous ornitholonuts journeyed far to see the bird, which was along Lake Michigan on Monday morning. Shows how much there is to learn. I saw a picture and thought it was "just another shorebird."

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Just read a fascinating story in the Missoula (Mont.) Missoulian about the smelling power of bears (link at www.pjstar.com/outdoors). Says scientist

George Stevenson: "I believe they have the most impressive olfactory system of any animal on the planet." Stevenson claims while a skilled hound dog can smell 300 times better than a human, a bear's scenting ability is seven times greater than the hound's. "A polar bear will walk 100 miles in a straight line to reach a female ready to breed," Stevenson said. Hey, that sounds like a guy I knew in college. ... Cryptic hint: Wouldn't it be helpful if there was a Web site devoted to outdoors activities in Illinois? And wouldn't it be great if that site launched before dove season as prairiestateoutdoors.com? ... Peak of the Perseid meteor shower is Sunday and Monday. ... While Illinois' deer herd is estimated at 800,000, Wisconsin's whitetail count ranges between 1.6-1.8 million. ... Parting shot: We shouldn't complain about heat after enjoying the 20th-coolest July on record. Besides, Al Gore needs 95-degree days to keep his gravy train chugging along.

JEFF LAMPE is Journal Star outdoors

columnist. Write to him at 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643, call (309) 686-3212 o

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