If you do hunt Clinton Lake and don't have any luck check into Weldon Springs, it's just a few miles from the lake(outside of the town Clinton). I think last year was the first year hunting was permitted there.
I Have hunted there in the past and have faired pretty well. There are some conditions for hunting at the site you need to follow. You have to go to the office at Mascouton to check in and sign up for the season and you are given a harvest report card to carry in your truck and it needs to be in your winsheild area while hunting so they know who belongs to the truck. You can leave a portable tree stand that has your name and address on it in the tree all season but after it needs to come down or they will take it out (no screw in steps allowed) at season end. Also some of Clinton lake is in the Archery deer hunting restricted zone only antlered deer can be taken from Oct 1 to Oct. 15th after that all does are fair game. Otherwise I like the area it is close to where I live (Champaign) and there is alot of cover and good mix of woods and farmground but it gets a fair ammount of pressure but if you are willing to look around alot you can usually find a decent area to hund in.
Hunt on opening weekend of pheasant season and find yourself a nice tight travel route. Pack a lunch sit back and relax and try to hunt the entire day. The pheasant hunters move the deer all over the first day so its a pretty good day to sit.
clinton lake in Illinois
