Dale Bowman

Okàn Savanna, a rare high-quality black oak savanna, is the newest addition to preserved natural areas in the greater Chicago area.

Jonathan Hoekstra caught a really big northern pike on the Chicago lakefront while fishing for smallmouth bass to earn Fish of the Week. The story comes complete with a good backstory from his mother.

Finding hints of perch and getting itchy for ice fishing lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

Guide P.J. Smith enlivened the return of The Early Show, the Chicago area's only fly-fishing show, after a five-year hiatus Sunday on a multitude of topics: fly fishing vs golfing, the possibility of native brook trout in Illinois, advice on fishing and guides, and more.

A harlequin duck riding surft at Montrose and a crayfish on the hook grabbing a minnow are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors and beyond.

Pete Lamar, a hunting friend, drew a free upland game permit for Franklin Creek State Natural Area--Nachusa Prairie, which gave us a wonderful morning hunt, and also provided me with the chance to look at ways to increase your odds of drawing one of those elusive permits for what I consider the best hunting program in Illinois.

Mike Murphy arrowed a big buck last week in central Illinois that green scored 208 inches to earn Buck of the Week honors.

Mikey Jotzat, 5, earns Fish of the Week honors with a 5-pound-plus largemouth bass.

Fall crappie and ice fishing looking like a distant thought lead this sprawling raw-file Midwest Fishing Report.

Whether it is regulations on walleye, northern pike or smallmouth bass, or on snagging salmon, there are strongly held convictions on multiple sides of fishing on southern Lake Michigan and the Chicago lakefront.