Hey there everyone. I have been shooting guns and archery for 6-7 years now and have decided to make the jump from just target shooting to hunting. I live in illinois and have taken the required hunter safety class, but I have no idea where to start. I was looking at permits and right there my confusion started.
There is the lottery system and then land only permits and nothing seems to be clearly stated and its just confusing.
So I have a bow and a 12 gauge slug gun ready to go but I don't know how you pick the counties you want to apply for in the lottery, or I'm not even super keen on the lottery system. I have quite a few farmer friends in northern illinois that will let me hunt their property but I dont see the option for that permit since the land only states that i need to own or lease land.
essentially I am looking for a brief overview of how to get started, pick the proper counties to apply for the lottery and which permit to get if I'm hunting a friends land. All the basics for bow and gun hunting deer in illinois