Belle Island,

Silaom Springs State Park in Adams County is where our group holds "Deer Camp" every year. Great buck country, but over near Quincy (western IL).

Jubilee College Park near Peoria and Sand Ridge (between Peoria and Springfield) are also good state parks to bowhunt.

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences w/ some Illinois natives. Might be a few folks around here that go a little overboard to protect their hunting grounds. Ethical hunters like yourself is not the problem...it's the folks who are wanting to take our god-given right to hunt away.

Good luck and good hunting!!