Soko,

I don't lease my land since i let a number of friends and family hunt it. If you lived reasonably nearby, I might be inclined to let you hunt it a time or two for free. BUT, I have at least two friends that are already planning ontrying to call turkeys this Spring.And then, I may have to be out there to play referee since turkey and morel mushroom hunting season often overlap.

Lanse-

I certainly don't want to take away from your friends and family.

I'm in the Chicago area, so likely not nearby, but I do appreciate the offer.

Soko,

If you are interested in driving two hours over to the Quad-Cities area for turkeys, I can give you a tip on some public access Army Corps of Engineers land that you might want to check out.

Lanse-

I may wind up heading to Missouri to hunt public land. I have to be in Iowa on Mother's Day weekend for a stag party, so I am thinking about heading out early and hunting the last week of MO's season.

Is this Army Corp land on the Illinois side or Iowa side? If it's on the Illinois side, I would love to get some info. I've been looking at the Mississippi Pool areas, but don't know how much pressure they get and how productive those areas are.

Its Army Corps right of way on the Illinois side of the river from Andalusia westward. It is instrips that can be anywhere from 50 yards to several hundred yards wide. I used to live on a spot where the Corps landwas about 200 yards wide and situated at the bottom of the river bluff. Turkeys used tomove thru there all the time.All the houses except one in that area were bought and bulldozed because of flooding. So, it would now be an even better spot unless it has been redesignated.

Hmmm... I may just need to apply for a Rock Island county tag.

I assume you can enter at the Andalusia Slough, and work the river bank.

It is on the slough side of the river,but you coulddrive to within 150 yards of the sport.

Yes it is expensive.....but Illinois can grow some dam big bucks!!! [:@] I have hunted it for five years now and paid the big ticket and have not hit the big one yet, but my brother killed a huge buck out of my stand in western Illinois, Nice Pope and Young!!!! I guess I'll never go on vacation again during deer season.