Actually, all of the private land in some areas of Illinois is not as locked up as you would think. In the county where i am from, leasing has not yet really taken over YET and there are still quite a few landowners who will give people permission to hunt. However, they are starting to limit the number of people that they will allow to put up stands because the number of people wanting to deer hunt has risen so much. That is a good thing because there is not much public land in the immediate area.
In some areas of the state, purchasing land also remains feasible, IF you are willing to make some financial sacrifices. But that option will likely be gone in another decade.


I really dont see a downside to increasing public land hunting opportunities. The alternative is most hunting ground being tied up by a small number of deer hunters. That doesn't bode well for other deer hunters and especially other types of hunters.