Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Does anyone know any good public land in southern Illinois that is not overhunted? Thanks.

Hunt the thickets

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

You can't go wrong if you hunt public land within the Shawnee National Forest areas. Make sure you carry a compass.

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt...5hfs/index.htm

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt...heet/index.htm

http://gameandfish.about.com/library.../aa121501a.htm



Edited by - c903 on 08/27/2002 21:51:14

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

stay at home

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Do not stay home. That is a pretty typical response from someone in Illinois even though you want to hunt on public land that is open to all of us through the use of OUR tax dollars. The locals complain about the non-residents, but if you look around some of the service roads in the Shawnee you will see them littered with garbage. I guess they think that I drove all the way from Pennsylvania to get rid of my old easy chair and fridge! Enough of that. I have hunted the Shawnee National Forest in the past and you won't run into heavy hunting pressure during archery season. There were many times that my buddy and I had literally thousands of acres to ourselves. We saw some gigantic deer, but we weren't good or lucky enough to take one of these monsters. But, they are there! Good luck and let me know if I can assist you further. Jimmymac :)

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Jimmymac; ( stay at home )is not a typical response from all Illinois residents. Im know there are plenty of us Illinois residents that welcome all law abbiding ethical fair chase hunters.

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Sorry if I lumped everyone in the whole darn state into one pot, but to be honest with you, I ran into a lot of opposition from residents when I was beginning my quest to hunt in Illinois. I always had the feeling that a lot of the locals just barely tolerated us. Sad to say, but I even worried that something would happen to my truck whenever it was parked on one of the service roads on the forest. Maybe that was a little paranoid, but it was a direct affect of the local populace welcoming me with less than open arms. I'm sure that there are plenty of fine folks in the state, but it took me three years just to locate a farmer that would allow me to bow hunt his place. Back here in Pennsylvania, access to land is still easy to come by. Jimmymac :)

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Jim; Ive lived in Illinois for 14 years ad it took me a few yesrs to locate private hunting ground, its hard to find private land around here also. So many farms are already locked into family only or friends or are charging a fee for a lease. And I am sure that there is always some persons that are non local unfriendlys. But dont let them spoil it for you.

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Yep, not a typical answer from a Illinois Resident. Maybe you just had the bad luck to talk to the bad apples.....

If you hunt the Shawnee make sure you get some good maps. The Shawnee is not one large piece of land. It is scattered throughout private land and in many different counties. Study the maps, you can find some nice ground to hunt. 3 years ago i spent a week and a half down there in November and had a great time. Saw lots of deer, some good bucks, and even hunted with a NR from Mississippi that i met while camping there..............

Were all not bad......<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

I think alot of the hard feeling towards NRs come from the recent outfitting pressure in the last few years. Many NRs have begun to try and buy or leases many peoples hunting spots and tempers are starting to flare. Now I try to see both sides of the coin but it is frustrating to loose property you've been hunting for 10 to 15 years because somebody from another state can write a bigger check than several workin' men from this area. Of course I've also grown fond of telling all the residents to stop entering their deer in record books and they wouldn't bring so much of this on 'em. Personally I don't see why any hunter in Illinois would care if an NR is hunting public land however.But loosing the private good stuff has to sting a little.

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Belle Island, I have never hunted the Shawnee National Forest, but hear it is fantastic!

Jimmymac, you must have had some bad luck meeting the people you did in Illinois. I have hunted in Pike Co. for 5 years now, and I can honestly say that I have met hundreds of locals while there. I have many new friends for life, and have encountered one person with an attitude towards non-residents in that whole time! The people I meet while in Illinois are as friendly as you will find anywhere. Every vehicle that passes you will wave, every time! I am ashamed to say that when I get home after spending 3 weeks hunting in Pike Co. every year, I will wave to people on the rural roads around home and about half the time people look at me like I`m nuts!

IL-Cornfed hit on a very good point! There are hard feelings, and understandably so, about non-residents like myself coming in and paying a farmer to hunt his ground. The farm my friends and I hunt every year used to be bowhunted by one man. Then, 5 years ago, the farmer decided to try to get some money out of this hunting thing. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I only get the land for bow season, it is gun hunted by the farmers friends every year. I am truly lucky, because I cannot/will not get into a bidding war over the ground. I have paid the same amount for 5 years, while outfitters have offered much more than I pay. So far, the friendship and trust my landowner has in me and my hunting buddies has kept us there.
And while I am sure it happens, since I have been hunting this farm, NOT ONE resident has tried to lease this ground for personal use, only outfitters.

NRA,UBP,BASS Member
New Stanton,PA

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

try siloam springs state park. I hunted a private piece of land right next to the entrance and saw enourmous deer. These are the kind you see on the cover of outdoor life and field and stream. check it out....the closest big town is quincy.

beej

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

if you want to hunt big whitetail go to northern IL there is a place in loves park IL that is supposed to be awesome lots of hills and cliffs. email me if you need more help.

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

I don't have a big problem with people hunting out of state. I find it annoying that everyone thinks that Illinois is the &quot;mother land&quot; for big deer. It's that muck better than anywhere else. the land it self is not pretty like out west. nothing pretty about a bunch of corn and bean fields. I'm not worried about hunting with out of state hunters because I own my own land and all my neighobrs will not let anyone other than themselves hunt. I like the fact that Illinois raised the out of state tag fees. state's should take care of their own residents first and outsiders later. and last I checked only Illinois residents paid Illinois taxes jimmymac, and don't give an opinion on how/what Illinois residents think or feel if you do not live here. you to would find it annoying if you were driving to you hunting spot and passing trucks, expensive cars, or a four-wheel-drive mini-van called an SUV's, all along the roads.
what does the litter have to do with who hunts where? like Illinois is the only place that people litter. good guys use public land, bad guys abuse it.
by the way, outfitters are a joke. the big deer that they have are bought at auctions and released, or saved to be used as breeders. it happens all the time.

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

You are the one who started this crap by telling Belle to stay home. Notice the word National in front of Shawnee. That means National Forest which also means that yes indeed, part of my tax dollars are also used. As far as the litter, I was trying to show you that the problem doesn't always fall at the non residents feet. Many times locals will complain about the N.R.'s then turn around and do something stupid, like tossing their trash about. So in that case who has more respect for the land they are using? Also, if the sight of a nice vehicle makes you cringe, you have some serious issues. Since you said that you have your own land to hunt on why the heck would it annoy you to see me on the road with my fancy 1996 Ford Bronco while I am on my way to hunt on OUR national forest. Nicest six year old vehicle around I guess. Now if I could only find a good body man to fix the rear quarters. Get a life!

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Outdoorsman, The Il DNR Raising the NR tags was nothing more than Greed also, Those tags sold out in a month! Il cornfed hit on the head...Stop the advertising!

IMO, outfitters need to be dissolved, they are ruining this sport, that along with the hunters who pay thier price.

I am from Southern Il and regretably will not be hunting it this year because of the price hike...I will not patronize it.

Belle, if you can catch the time, do some lobbying in Randolph and Perry counties, still alot of farmers in the area who havent been corrupted by the stench of greed.


Legion of Doom Enforcer

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm trying to plan a week long hunt for next season. I just don't like the idea of a pay hunt. I want to hunt true free roaming whitetails on public land or on a farmer's private land.

Hunt the thickets

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

outdoorsman

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote> .....the land it self is not pretty like out west. nothing pretty about a bunch of corn and bean fields.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Are you sure you live in Illinois? Are you sure you live in Belleville, the lower Ohio and Mississippi valley region?

Even in the narrow corridor of central Illinois, where the glacier cut its swath, though there are many corn and bean fields, there are also lakes and timber, especially river timberlines that run for miles.

Give me a cornfield edge butting a timberline, over open and rolling hills any day. After harvest, what is it you consistently see standing in those harvested fields, and leaving obvious trails to get there and to leave?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..... and the hunter looking for a large grain-fed whitetail.

This shooter must not have any personal pride. To think that he would display to the world that he shot this buck while hunting ugly cornfields. :)


PS: Why would you want to own ugly land? :)







Edited by - c903 on 09/03/2002 21:32:21

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

I spent a week hunting the Shawnee back in 2000. There were 6 of us hunting the week before shotgun season. Saw some enormous bucks and no other hunters until the shotgun season opened. Even then we only saw a handful. I came back empty-handed but overflowing with memories.

Turc

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Shawnee National Forest would be my first choice. I still hunt there! You can see some real bruisers during the rut.

SNF gets a lot of attention from in state and out of state bowhunters in the fall, but if you use your maps you can scout out a few spots to yourself. My experience with most other bowhunters is that they will work with you once you get there to avoid everyone hunting the same general areas. Most guys will tell you the general areas they are in (not the exact spots) so you can avoid cutting each other off. Many will even share their &quot;general knowledge&quot; of the area with you. Also, if you talk to DNR agens they can give you a bit more insight when you get there.

It is absolutely beautiful in the fall! Maps are a must! Also, if it is warm you may want your snake boots. We've seen a few timber rattlers over the years.

Good Luck!

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Amen to map and compass. The first year me and my bud hunted there we most definately got lost. Not turned around...But flat out lost. I made sure that my orienteering skills were vastly improved the next time around. A lot of those valleys in the Shawnee look the same. I found that a GPS used in conjunction with the compass and map were the ticket. A good tip is to enlarge the scale for the portion of the map you are using. You will only be using a small portion of the topo map while hunting anyway. The scale on the map gets messed up, but with the GPS it is no big deal. Belle, if you want to, send me an e-mail and I will dig out the old quadrangle maps I have and give you the their map numbers. I probably have some GPS coordinates that I would be willing to share with you also. They show trails, hunting spots, etc. You can get way off the beaten path if you choose. However, in doing so, please remember that on the Shawnee if you have to drag a deer out a couple miles it will be brutal. Some serious mountains and valleys. A deer dolly would come in handy. The one big downfall that I experienced while out there was that some of the locals were using ATV's to get in and out of the forest. Even though they are not allowed on the forest it didn't stop these guys. It was disheartening to have some yoo hoo ride by my stand at first light when it took me 35 minutes to get to my spot by foot. Good luck.
Jimmymac:)

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

Belle Island,

Silaom Springs State Park in Adams County is where our group holds &quot;Deer Camp&quot; 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!!

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

I am a IL resident and most of the ground I hunt is public groud. I really get irritated when it comes shotgun season. Out of staters always show up by the dozens and don't care who they make mad. I saw one guy last year from my stand riding around on his atv with a loaded gun in his had looking to jump a deer. They will come and sit 50yd from a stand with a local hunter in it and won't think twice. One year my uncle had two of them sitting within 40yd of him. That's why there is a lot of hard feelings. It has got bad enough I don't even shotgun hunt there anymore. It is not uncommon to see 4-6 hunters from your stand in one evening. Now would that make you guys mad?

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>I am a IL resident and most of the ground I hunt is public groud. I really get irritated when it comes shotgun season. Out of staters always show up by the dozens and don't care who they make mad. I saw one guy last year from my stand riding around on his atv with a loaded gun in his had looking to jump a deer. They will come and sit 50yd from a stand with a local hunter in it and won't think twice. One year my uncle had two of them sitting within 40yd of him. That's why there is a lot of hard feelings. It has got bad enough I don't even shotgun hunt there anymore. It is not uncommon to see 4-6 hunters from your stand in one evening. Now would that make you guys mad? <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

Yep, it sure would. But are you checking their ID in the woods or how do you know they're out of staters? Secondly, you can't judge everyone from the actions of the few. No, I would be willing to bet that there are just as many residents as out of staters walking around. I don't blame you for being mad but it has been that way in every state that I ever hunted on public ground during the gun season. To a lot of guys walking around is their idea of hunting.

Protect your hunting rights, &quot;Spay or neuter a liberal.&quot;

RE: Good Public Land In Illinois?
 

The way I know they are out of staters is I see the trucks they drive. They all have out of state license plates! I know all of the locals that hunt out there too, so most of them are non-residents. Hopefully now that the price of tags and licenses have come up more people,like the ones I deal with,will hunt somewhere else!