I've been to Illinois with an outfitter for two years now. First year we got a great buck that grossed just over 160. Last year we had a tag sandwich on the way home. The advantage I see to an outfitter is they know the land and you have a place to sleep and eat. I do like the information that ASitkiewicz provided and am planning to go hunt public land in Kansas this fall along with the trip to Illinois. Let me know if you've got any questions about the outfitter, one of the best in my opinion (and a lot more reasonable than others I had found).