Wild Things: Pacus calling Illinois home?
Maybe there's a breeding population of pacu in the Illinois River.
Most likely not, though the latest pacu caught out of the Illinois weighed 4 pounds, 5 ounces and was 18 inches long. Jerry Segler of Sparland caught the South American fish while angling for Asian carp using doughballs upstream from the Illinois Route 17 bridge on the east edge of Marshall's Sparland Unit.
On Oct. 9, Cecil Lowery of Peoria caught a 2-pound pacu out of the river while catfishing. And last year, biologist Ken Clodfelter saw three that were caught by river anglers.
By the Numbers: 47.8
Millions of Americans who called birdwatching a hobby in a 2006 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey.
Quotable
"A fisherman in Somerset, England, has requested in his will that his friends use his remains as bait."
- A Sign of the Apocalypse in the current issue of Sports Illustrated
Birding Bits
A group of Chicago hawk watchers spotted 1,880 raptors migrating along Lake Michigan on Oct. 11. Might one of those hawks have been the one that grabbed a chihuahua from the yard of a co-worker of Darrel Shambaugh of Somonauk?
Trout and Ducks Ahead
Last Saturday marked two openers: North Zone waterfowl season and catchable trout season.
Trout will be stocked in this area at Mineral Springs Park Lagoon in Pekin, Argyle Lake, Siloam Springs State Park and the pond behind the Hennepin Canal visitor's center.
North Zone duck season runs to Dec. 18 (Canada goose to Jan. 12). Oct. 21 also is a Central Zone youth waterfowl hunt date. Most public areas allow hunting, and special events are scheduled for Banner Marsh and Sanganois.
Miller-Anderson Access
An additional 93 acres added to the 500-acre Miller-Anderson Woods Nature Preserve this year are open to deer hunters. Actually the entire site is open to deer hunting, including either-sex archery hunting.
Bowhunters will be pleased to note a new parking lot on the Putnam County side.
Miller-Anderson is also open to either-sex hunting during gun seasons for Bureau and Putnam county permits. Call (815) 447-2353.
Duck Hunt for Women
Spaces remain for a women's duck and goose hunt Oct. 25-28 at the Okaw Wetlands near Sullivan. For $300 participants get lodging, food, two days of hunting and a sporting clays shoot. Call Tracy Rowe at (217) 620-4486.
Outdoor Answers
"I have been checking the Department of Natural Resources waterfowl survey site, and it has not been updated since Sept. 26. We start hunting (ducks) in the North Zone next week, and it would be nice to know the count. Will they be flying soon?"
- Bill Allen, Peoria
A: Yes, a survey was conducted Friday and numbers should be available by Monday at noon. Plane problems delayed the flight.
Depending on weather, biologist Aaron Yetter is scheduled to count birds every Monday through early January. Visit home.grics.net/~forbes/ or dnr.state.il.us/waterfowl/for results, typically posted by noon on Tuesdays.
This 'n That
While Powerton Lake has been added to a list of lakes that can receive stockings of hybrid striped bass, production at the Jake Wolf Fish Hatchery was not strong enough to facilitate a release this year. ... Last September was the 12th driest since 1895 in Illinois, and much of the state's southern half is in a severe drought.
Peoria Journal Star