Southern Illinois first season
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,828
Southern Illinois first season
Alright Illinois Boys. Keep your fingers crossed. Looks like a beautiful weekend for the opener in Southern Illinois. Cold crisp mornings and not too bad temps in the afternoon. I'm leavin Thursday morning.......
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USIL0471?from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_undeclared
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USIL0471?from=36hr_fcst10DayLink_undeclared
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago Burbs
Posts: 141
RE: Southern Illinois first season
Where you guys hunting in southern illinois? I will be in St. Augustine (near Galesburg). I will also try and film my hunt this year. I hope to have a video to post as well as pics.
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 139
RE: Southern Illinois first season
Im leaving PA and heading to Illinois on Wednesday evening to hunt in north Bureau county during the first firearm season. I am guessingI will be north of where you guys will be. Very, veryexcited, but really do not know what to expect. This will be my first trip out and the anxiety is starting to build. We will be hunting on a private farm that is about 80% agriculture. I sure hope the state of Illinois lives up to what I keep hearing about.Friday can't come soon enough!!! Anyone have any idea what I am getting myself into??
#7
RE: Southern Illinois first season
ORIGINAL: Huntingtherut
Im leaving PA and heading to Illinois on Wednesday evening to hunt in north Bureau county during the first firearm season. I am guessingI will be north of where you guys will be. Very, veryexcited, but really do not know what to expect. This will be my first trip out and the anxiety is starting to build. We will be hunting on a private farm that is about 80% agriculture. I sure hope the state of Illinois lives up to what I keep hearing about.Friday can't come soon enough!!! Anyone have any idea what I am getting myself into??
Im leaving PA and heading to Illinois on Wednesday evening to hunt in north Bureau county during the first firearm season. I am guessingI will be north of where you guys will be. Very, veryexcited, but really do not know what to expect. This will be my first trip out and the anxiety is starting to build. We will be hunting on a private farm that is about 80% agriculture. I sure hope the state of Illinois lives up to what I keep hearing about.Friday can't come soon enough!!! Anyone have any idea what I am getting myself into??
#8
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,828
RE: Southern Illinois first season
ORIGINAL: tremolo
Where you guys hunting in southern illinois? I will be in St. Augustine (near Galesburg). I will also try and film my hunt this year. I hope to have a video to post as well as pics.
Where you guys hunting in southern illinois? I will be in St. Augustine (near Galesburg). I will also try and film my hunt this year. I hope to have a video to post as well as pics.
I'll be in Pope County.
#10
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 90
RE: Southern Illinois first season
We had 5 hunters in our camp 1st season...Jackson and Union public land...3 bucks (4/8/8)and 1 nice doe. The big8 pointer was a brute...biggest bodied deer of the 100 or so deer I saw in various camps during 1st season. I saw longer antlers and more points but this8 was very nice, thick mass, I would take this guy to dominate in the woods. It was the coldest 1st season I have experienced (20s)...no rain or snow...wind was not too bad...overall could not ask for a much better weekend.
The bucks were definitely in full chase mode. The big 8 just came bull rushing in with his nose to the ground going right for a scent. The smaller 8 was chasing a doe.
When I hung my stand thursday at noon I saw a really nice 8 about 75 yards from my spot...was hoping to see him again opening morning but the 4wandered by late opening morning andI took him from ~60 yards. Spined him...first deer I have had just drop where he was shot. I am mostly in it for the meat but would love abig deer...if I took a doe first I would be selective on a 2nd deer. Being on public land you have to kind of take what you can get...neverknow when other hunters will start moving and clear out an area.
After quartering my deer saturday afternoon I hunted the evening from the ground overlooking a ravine. ~3:30 2 other hunters set up on the opposite side of the ravine around 100 yards directly in front of me. I can't understand why when you see someone hunting an area thatsomeone could think it is ok to compete for the same deer...it is not like these particular woods are that crowded and I know theydo not normally hunt the area as it is the first time I have seen other hunters in this spot in the past 3 years. I basically stayed for another 10 minutes and left...was not really looking to get another deer at that point anyway as I had to get on the road early sunday...my main goal was to retrieve my stand. I was going to sit the evening and not leave until dark just so I would not f up someone elses hunt while I was going in...but I was not going to stare at two other hunters for another hour...I kind of knew where other hunters where on my trek back and stayed at least a few hundred yards away.
Anyway...really great 1st season...
My 4...good eats...
8pointer
The big 8 pointer...going to be a nice mount...was really happy for the guy who got it...he definitely deserved it.
The bucks were definitely in full chase mode. The big 8 just came bull rushing in with his nose to the ground going right for a scent. The smaller 8 was chasing a doe.
When I hung my stand thursday at noon I saw a really nice 8 about 75 yards from my spot...was hoping to see him again opening morning but the 4wandered by late opening morning andI took him from ~60 yards. Spined him...first deer I have had just drop where he was shot. I am mostly in it for the meat but would love abig deer...if I took a doe first I would be selective on a 2nd deer. Being on public land you have to kind of take what you can get...neverknow when other hunters will start moving and clear out an area.
After quartering my deer saturday afternoon I hunted the evening from the ground overlooking a ravine. ~3:30 2 other hunters set up on the opposite side of the ravine around 100 yards directly in front of me. I can't understand why when you see someone hunting an area thatsomeone could think it is ok to compete for the same deer...it is not like these particular woods are that crowded and I know theydo not normally hunt the area as it is the first time I have seen other hunters in this spot in the past 3 years. I basically stayed for another 10 minutes and left...was not really looking to get another deer at that point anyway as I had to get on the road early sunday...my main goal was to retrieve my stand. I was going to sit the evening and not leave until dark just so I would not f up someone elses hunt while I was going in...but I was not going to stare at two other hunters for another hour...I kind of knew where other hunters where on my trek back and stayed at least a few hundred yards away.
Anyway...really great 1st season...
My 4...good eats...
8pointer
The big 8 pointer...going to be a nice mount...was really happy for the guy who got it...he definitely deserved it.