Dek, while I am done hunting for this year, I hunt a lot of these public lands. Some are good, some are bad and some are pretty interesting. Ive hunted a bunch of the public spots within an hour and a half of the city. Most of the time I don't have dogs but have been lucky to make some friends on some outdoor forums that have let me hunt with there dogs. If you need any information, shoot me over a PM. Im a couple years older than you and have only in the past 4 years started hunting public land in Northern Illinois. Through my trial and errors Ive found some good spots that produce birds and/or rabbits pretty consistently with and without dogs.
Equipment wise, I started young with a .410, then moved to a 16 gauge and in HS moved up to a 12 gauge. If you start looking, I'd suggest looking at the Remington 870 Combo or the Mossberg 500 combo (Combos include 2 barrels, basically one for upland game and one for deer). This way you have a gun for pretty much anything you can hunt in Illinois including deer. I mainly hunt with the 870 but have used the 500 for deer and birds and like them both.
If you do enough research on the internet and ask for help, getting into deer hunting can be a little easier than you think. Getting one, well, that can be a little tougher.
Ive sat for a month everynight and never saw one and Ive gone out sat on a stump and shot one within 15 minutes.
Again, if you need any help on spots, shoot me over a PM. I'll try to give you an analysis on what spots I like and dislike for pheasant/rabbit hunting.