RobinAim Low

Kickin: I still have my IL NR archery tag. Set me up like that and I'll come over and be grateful for the help even if I never see a deer! LOL...

I hunted southern IL tues-wed-thurs before gun season and saw two deer. One little buck while setting up my stand, and a decent 130 8pt that came trotting in minutes after getting in the stand that first day. That's it. It happens, even on ground I have hunted for 15 years straight. I felt fortunate to have seen that 130.

densfbs

You have to do your homework to kill a 150 class deer unless you just happen to get lucky which is a 1 in 1000 or higher odds one just walks by.I would say he had a great 4 days seeing 30 deer. I have seen 31 total for the season and I have hunted hard. I would not be complaining at all if a friend located a spot for me to hunt on PRIVATE land in Illionis (no less)and I saw 30 deer without scouting the area for myself. I would be buying him a few rounds just to say thanks.

buttonbuckmaster

I've lived here all my life and I don't see the number or quality of monsters that most out of staters expect. I've seen 2 this year that would go P&Y, I missed one with the bow on November 1st and killed one on November 8th. I haven't even SEEN a decent buck since then.[&:]

crenshaw

take it with a grain of salt, people like that just will never understand. Tell him to pay a lot of money and go hunt a high fence place. It sounds like you have plenty of deer, and just because he didnt connect shouldnt mean that its your fault.

I hunt a lot and all over and I see a kill as a bonus, not something that just happens. Ive been sticking close to home this season and i have had run ins with countless bucks and some of them way up in the 180 range but i still havent connected. That doesnt mean that where i hunt sucks, or I suck. This guy just needs to realize its not like a DVD. They get in there stand and 15mins later they shoot a monster, The hunting shows need to start telling people that they hunted for 60 days straight had close calls and spent all spring and summer getting ready for the chance to fill one tag.

Im with you though its frustrating when people think it should be easy and the deer should be "sitting behind every tree".

sounds to me like if this guy wants to shoot a 150 he should start taking hunting more serious and do the work himself. He should just be blessed he has a place to hunt.

bloodcrick

your right, the guy was expecting something that is not a guarentee anywhere. I know they are not everywhere behing every tree but i also know Illinois potential, and work right on the river on the Indiana side across from Ill. So i work with alot of Ill hunters. I can say this though, i see the pics EVERY YEAR of the deer these guys kill and it is mind blowing. I have one co worker who kills 1 if not2 p@y bucks every year in Illinois, last year he killed a 160" and a 150" five minutes apart via bow. a big part of Illinois sucess IMO is the short fire arm seasons they have. I talked with another Illinois co worker today, he has not shot a buck but has had three encounters with a 170+ eight point and has been turning down 130" bucks on a regular basis. dont get me wrong, im not siding against you, i know how hunting is Like i said it is never guaranteed. But Illinois is in my book, a top end state And im jelious you live there and i dont
ps:: These guys i speak work there nads off for what they accomplish its not handed to them.

hc4runner

I know what you mean, everyone thinks there are a bunch of dumba$$ mature bucks that cant wait to be stuck with broadhead in Il.

stikbow26

deleted for skirting the profanity filter. Used $

IAhuntr

Sorry to hear you were being unappreciated by an obviously lazy hunter who wanted to be spoon fed. Even if he was guided, which he wasn't, he still needs to evaluate his situation and adjust accordingly.
Regrdless of the state you hunt you need to be hunting in an areathat holds thehighest deer numbers. There are areas here in Iowa that look like gold, but don't hold squat for deer numbers. Likewise there are areas that 99% of the hunting public would drive right by that hold tons of deer or at least have deer pass thru regularly.
Scouting before and during a hunt is the key and is often overlooked. Quite a few big name hunters will tell you if you have 5 days to hunt, spend 2-3 of those scouting to make the last 2-3 productive. You can sit five days and see nothing and have the bulk of the local herd passing within several hundred yards without you having a clue. Also, hunting with minimal impact is just as important. You can have the best set-up in the world, but in more cases than not, the deer have the hunter patterned rather than the other way around.

Cougar Mag

bloodcrick, don't deny it but the Hoosier state is becoming a top end state as well. One buck limit a year should help a lot. And though I don't personally know any of the land around Evansville and a little farther north, the Wabash/Ohio river bottom grounds should be dynamite! This coming from an ex-Hoosier now living in Illinois.

HNI_Christine

Folks come here and use outfitters or hunt ina couple of selectareas and think that's what it's like in all of Illinois.

I know lots of IL residents who put their time in the woods and have yet to kill a p&y buck.(heck, they're just happy to get a deer) I hunted hard at the nearby fish and wildlife management area and had exactly two deer come within range all of last year. A doe and a bb. I killed the doe.

Four days and 11 bucks... that's a pretty good piece of property.