Illiniois Archery Season Thread pros please help the new guys
 

I have started this theard so that for preseason and opening day, prerut , rut and post rut. Us Illiniois archery hunters can keep in touch and new guys can find help from more expreinced guys. mostly because I have a season under me but I am still very new. So lets keep this thread going all season.

Last year I started a youtube outdoors channel and Normally I am the go to guy for unbiased gear review because i have a lot of knowlege but I am still very new to deer hunting and I want to make sure I have people that I can get in touch with when I have a question that I don't have the answer to.

So my first question is how early should I set up my active scrape dripper?
second question is, does that buckbomb acorn scent work for a crap? Because I am half tempted to buy a box of it and blow a can very time I am out hunting.
I know not to use the estrus till the rut. but how about #1doe-P and Trophy buck lure, how is that for early season?

i am a little green myself but ive got 3 seasons in and i wouldnt use anything until at least mid to late october. you dont want the deer to know you will be hunting them before season starts. but if you wanna use something, thats up to you. as far as a scrape dripper. i would wait til velvet is off and the deer start using the scrape(s) every day. like pre rut. you shouldnt have to use lures with as many deer as there are in illinois. some people swear by the stuff but for me, i wont be wasting money on a $10 bottle of chemicals that the smart deer are going to stay away from. the only thing i will actually use is a scrape dripper with the active scrape stuff in it. i wouldnt leave it for long though. maybe a few days then take it down for a few more then put it back. i would not waste money on the buck bombs but thats just me. as far as early season goes, go scout and watch where the deer move the most and set up there, then when the rut starts maybe move where the activity is highest then. IMO i wouldnt use any lures or attractants or whatever you may consider them. just scout and pattern the deer as good as possible. be where they wanna be dont try to bring them where they dont want to be because they wont go there. trust i learned my lesson my first season trying that.
P.S. buy yourself a good grunt call for the rut.

shoot me a PM for more ? you may have. good luck and happy hunting

Morgan Wolf

During the first 2 or 3 weeks of the season I just try to be as scent free as possible. I won't use anything that comes in a bottle to try to attract deer. Once the bucks start to make scrapes is when I will either make a new scrape or freshen up thiers depending on the location and shooting lanes.

well guys I am hanging my stand saturday... I will report more when I know. I am open to any and all advice.

however I plan to throw out a halfassed food plot of oats ryegrass and winter wheat into the weeds around my stand... so that when the tall weeds are brown the winter wheat will be green and it will protect it from the deer untell the right time. which do not know know why i bother because there is 30 acres of alphalpha to the south and east of my stand and i am 50 yards from the end of the funnel.

i think this illinois only thread idea was great

then make sure to keep it alive.

We did some scouting (in the rain) on Friday. We also set up a trail cam and checked our stands. The corn looked really good and we saw a couple of small bucks and a ton of tracks...

I also started a tread in the midwest section...two are better than one...

Come on October!