They are not behind every tree
 

I have to take a second to vent, so please hang with me. I had an out-of-state hunter (NJ) come and hunt here in Illinois with me. He bow hunted the 18th-20th and then gun hunted the 21st & 22nd.

Of course he could not make the drive here to Illinois to scout any property (hunting private land), so I had provided him with some maps (aerial & topo) and also provided him with my thoughts on each piece, as to where would be good stand locations. We discussed several pieces and together decided on a small tract of land with good timber off the property, a 2 acre thicket and a thick creek bed on the property, all surrounded by cut corn. In the off-season I had found two very nice sheds on this piece, one was half of a 10 that taped out at almost 75" and the other was half of a very thick 6 that taped out just over 60". I really liked this piece of property a lot and really wanted to hunt it, but never got the chance, since I almost always hunt with my two boys and this piece is not big enough for three hunters.

My NJ hunter called me on Tuesday the 18th, all pissed off. He had sat in the stand all day for two days and had seen two does and one spike. He was talking to me like I had purposely set him up in an area where he would not kill deer. Mind you, I am not outfitting this guy, he is a member of a hunt club I belong to, I was doing nothing more than trying to help him out since he could not walk the ground himself. We had pretty much the same conversation on the phone again on the 19th. The night of the 20th, I arrived at the apartment I had rented for us all to stay in and this guy was fit to be tied. Four all day sits, he had seen 11 bucks, nothing over a 2.5yo and some does, less than 30 deer all together. I simply explained to him that this was hunting, that there have been days when I did not even see a deer on stand, more less killed a tank. I mean this guy was expecting to come to Illinois, sit in the stand for a week and kill a 150"+ animal.

I have to ask the question. Is this really what people think the hunting is like in Illinois? We don't have 150" deer behind every tree and we sure the hell don't have them tied up just waiting to be shot. I don’t care where you hunt, you HAVE to hunt to kill a 3.5yo or 4.5yo old deer. Sure, there are managed farms that have more 3.5yo deer that other farms, but you still have to hunt. Sure, there are those people that go sit just a hand full of days and kill a tank, but they are the exception, not the rule.

I would like to know what the expectations would be from other east coast hunters if they came to Illinois. This guy truly thought that in 6 days of hunting a150"+ buck would be a sure thing.

Sorry for the long post and vent, but it just amazed me.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

30 deer in 4 days? 11 of them bucks! You do have deer behind every tree! I might not see that many deer in an entire season. Tell the guy to do it ALL on his own next time. Whats that saying...No good deed goes unpunished?

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

I've hunted 74 sits here.....and seen "maybe" 15-20 different bucks. Maybe 15-20.

I like the odds there, better.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

Well first off he shouldn't have taken his bad luck out on you. But I do believe there is a miconception here in the east that 150's are everywhere in ILL. thatnks to all of the publicity that y'all get form the pros.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

Jim, some guys don't realize that if big bucks were everywhere even the residents would all kill one and very very few do. Most never do in their entire life. Nope, some people read or hear of a few nice bucks being taken each year and expect they will do the same.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

I have hunted fairly hard this year and have seen one buck and a total of 9 deer. I am hoping to go to the midwest to hunt and my expectation is to see alot of deer (compared to what i see here) after that expectations and reality arethat as you stated, "it is hunting."

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

I hear ya kickin. There is absolutely a perception that is so much easier, almost guaranteed, in IL. I absolutely do not disagree that there are more big bucks here, but you still have to hunt to kill them. This guy sounds like he needs to do some more high fence hunting if he is looking for a sure thing.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

I come to Illinois every year because I KNOW realistically that thereIS that type of deer SOMEWHERE on the properties I hunt, and it IS realistic that I might just see one or have a legit opportunity to shoot at one.
Coming from PA.........brother that'senough for me.;)

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

I'd say he had a good 4 day hunt. That's a lot of deer to see.

RE: They are not behind every tree
 

From a GA hunter who hunts in Illinois every year, I have eaten my dose of tag soup, but I ate it with a smile on my face. Shooting amature one in Illinois is just as difficult as anywhere else, if not more so. The reason I keep returning to Illinois is because of the potential for a big buck, not a guarantee.Anyone who does not understand the difficulty of shooting a mature buck anywhere (including Illinois) needs a wakeup call.

Headed to Illinois next week for a muzzleloader hunt, my first non-archery hunt ever there. I'll cross my fingers and hope for the big one. We will see!