? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Well for Christmas my wife told me that she was going
to send me on a bowhunting trip. Being a avid bowhunter
and somewhat of a dreamer:) I have always wanted to get
a chance at a nice buck. My wife knows this..... she also
knows that it is not an easy task to do in VT. I have
taken some very nice bucks here, but we just don't have the
quallity bucks as other places do.

I have been looking at outfitters, but really don't know if
one is better than the other. I know that private land is getting
few and far between out there. How hard is it to find private
land to hunt? Is there a outfitter that could be of help, that
I could check out?

I have seen 130 - 140 class bucks before, but nothing in Vermont.
I really don't want to let this oppurtunity go by because Mrs.
Clause hasn't been this nice since she went to Vegas!!

Thanks for any help.
G




Edited by - Big G on 01/04/2003 19:48:29

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G,

Sounds like a good wife there.

Getting private land to hunt on here in Illinois can be difficult. Leasing has taken a big chunk, but you can find some if you have the time to get out and knock on doors. We do have public land here but are ranked at like 47th or something like that for public land amounts and access. There is good public land (quality) though if you take the time to do the research.

There are plenty of Outfitters to choose from here. If you decide to go that route take some time and do plenty of research and checking. There seems to be outfitters popping up every time i turn around. There are some real good ones here though just do the checking before you put down your hard earned money. We do have a new outfitter regulation that is going in to effect to try to protect the hunters and help keep the outfitters on the up and up.

One thing i will say is we do have quality bucks here. They just are not around every tree like some people think. Im not sure what your expectations are.


"Im not a guide, but i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently"

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Don,

I have bowhunted for around 20 years and I know that no
matter where I go, I may or may not see a deer. If I was to
spend $1500 to $2500 I would like a chance at taking a good
buck. But then just sitting in my stand staring down an old
doe gets my blood going or having a forkhorn walking around
my tree not having a clue i'm over him gets me going. So I
guess i'm trying to say is seeing deer and being out in the
woods with a chance a big boy would come by would make me
happy. If he doesn't ......he doesn't.

Thanks for the info.
G
P.S. I also know that to hunt a big buck you have to be in
a state that has such a buck.

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

BIG G,

Go to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website and check out the ACCESS ILLINOIS program. This is what you are looking for. This site is dedicated to hooking up guys like you with outfitters here in Illinois. If you are seriously looking for a good size buck then my advice would be to bowhunt during the rut here in Illinois. Counties? I'd have to stick with the consistent big buck producers like Pike, Adams or neighboring counties out west along the Mississipi River Valley or southern counties such as Williamson, Johnson or Massac, or neighboring counties down there.

I have seen some DANDY bucks come out of public land down south where I hunt (Johnson County). To keep advantage in your favor, I would prepare yourself physically for any hunt you get to pull in Illinois, especially on the public lands where you want to get beyond the walking ranges of most of the other hunters. Let them push the deer deeper to you.

If you respond to this posting, I could set you up with names of public areas down south and you can download (print) the site info and maps from the IDNR website. You can probobly get alot of info from IDNR website yourself too. Do an evening's research and Good Luck to you. Welcome to Illinois.

NOW....."Go Get Ya One!"

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G,

You should have no problem getting a quality hunt for the price your looking at. Just check out who your interested in real good.

Uncle Matt has some good suggestions on Access Illinois. The only thing is this program is for setting up private landowners (not outfitters) with hunting land to access. This can be found at:

http://www.2riversrcd.org/accessil/

Theres a good site that people review outfitters and leave input on what their hunts where like. I will try to dig that up incase you decide to go that way.

If you hunt public land on your own you could do it and save money. I would suggest taking a couple weeks if you decide to do that to allow plenty of time.

Whatever way you go, have fun and enjoy.

"Im not a guide, but i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently"

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G, before you spend your hard earned money on an outfitter let me tell you that there is some excellent public hunting in Southern IL. I hunt the Shawnee National Forest in Johnson and Pope counties and have seen some HUGE bucks there. There are also several State Parks you can hunt also as well the Cache River wetlands. I am from MO. and have been hunting up there for about 10 years and have taken some decent bucks but nothing compared to the ones I have seen.
If were you I would get a map of IL. pick out which counties you would like to hunt, (the southern counties offer the best public hunting) go to the county courthouse and purchase a plat book for the county in which you would like to hunt. The Shawnee Forest is kind of chopped up a little and these plat books will help you recognize the public ground from the private ground.
Hope this helps a little.

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

HC,

I have hunted that same area a couple years. Stayed at Lake Glendale to camp. Hunted both them counties myself.

Don

"Im not a guide, but i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently"

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

If i were to come to Illinois,and want a good chance to take a trophy class deer.I would have to pick Pike and Pope Counties.That also seems to be where most the Outfitters are popping up.I think most us Illinoians would agree they are the top producing class sized deer.


It's not how big the Deer,But the size of the experiance that matters!!

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Just got in from a business trip to NY. 14 1/2 hours on the road
so i'm alittle tired. I will check out the site tomorrow. I am sure
I will have ? for you guys if you don't mind.

Thanks a bunch,
G

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G the post by uncle matt is a good one have been involved with the access Ill program before the only thing i can tell you other than that is if you don't hook up with a landowner that meets your expectations contact them and let them know you need more contacts the first time i used them i had one person contact me and that was it. there is another site that i think would be perfect for you that has land for lease in ILL,WI,and IOWA when i find it I'll post it I had to do a system restoration on my puter and haven't got all my stuff put back yet

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G check out www.huntnshack.com

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Well after looking at outfitters and the websites for public
land, I think the best thing for me this year would be to go
with a outfitter. The main reason is time. A good friend of mine
is going to go with me. I think we are going to drive out. I
would like to check out the land and talk to people when we get
out there. I can do this with my truck out there and still get in a
quality hunt. I would like to check out the southern counties such
as Pope and Johnson as well as the public land in that area.
There is just not enough time for me to drive out and scout and get set up in the short time we have.

Don, do you have the site on the outfitters, the one where you
can review input. I have checked about a dozen or so and I think
I have it down to two. Funny thing is the wide range of shot
opportunities that each have. Some say 90% and others say 35%.
From what I gather there is about a 30% success rate with a outfitter.

HC, is there anyway I can get a map of the Shawnee National Forest before I get out there? Maybe we can check it out while we are out there.

Thanks for all the info uncle mike, HOSS and all, it really helps.

G

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G,

The site is http://www.huntinfo.com/

They have a section in there where people leave reviews on outfitters they have used.

You can call the Shawnee office and ask them to send you a information packet. Also mention your interested in buying maps. They send you the information you are looking for.

800-699-6637 or 618-253-7114

"Im not a guide, but i did stay at a Holiday Inn Express recently"

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

big g,iknow a guy who owns some land in pope county right next to the ohio river.i hunted there last year and got an 8-ptr. scoring mid 130's.all you do is pay a trespass fee and you do your own thing.he does give you a place to stay.he also has some food plots planted.you can hunt for seven days for $800.he will allow groups of up to 6 per session.he only allows archery hunting and no one hunts once the first gun season comes in.if you're interested post your e-mail and i will give you more info.i liked it so much i'm going back next year.

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Big G, just a regular Illinois state map will show you the Shawnee National Forest, but a plat book comes in handy because there is a lot of private land mixed in and not all of the Shawnee is marked with signs.
If I were you and I was gonna spend the money for an outfitter I would definately check out the ones in West Central Illinois. They seem to be the more consistent producers of trophy bucks.
Good luck.

HC4runner
MO. bowhunter

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Hi Big G,
I book hunts for a guy in Greene Co. Ill. I may have what your looking for. I was going to email you with some info, but I see you don't have an email address listed. If you would like to email me I would be happy to send you some info on his operation. He runs a top notch hunt that I'm sure you would not be disappointed in. He had a 70% success rate for archery last year. They took bucks ranging in size from 130 to 180 class.

If this sounds like what your looking for, drop me a line.

God Bless & Good Hunting
LM/NAHC
Member NRA
Member P&Y CLUB
Member QDMA
Member Ducks Unlimited

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Bowhunting North America Videos has a informational video WITH maps package covering public Bowhunting in Illinois, Iowa & Wisconsin. Public access of areas "Managed" for trophy Bucks & public access. They seem to have covered all the bases for out of state Bowhunters. Tons of information for the do-it-yourselfer & for less than $30.
1-563-243-7877

always thankful

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

I would hunt at Siloam springs state park in Brown county. It is public land with huge deer (I have seen them). this county borders adams and i believe pike county as well.

I tried access illinois and never got a call. In fact, I called up the DNR on numerous occasions and even after DNR told me they would get someone to call me, noone ever did.
I guess the state got my ten of fifteen bucks for nothing!

There are plenty of state parks to hunt in and if you do your homework, find a state park next to a hunting outfitter and hunt the border areas!

beej

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

I' ll second Siloam Springs. It' s a beautiful area. However, NR' s are draw-only at that site for certain times of the season now.

JRW

RE: ? about Bowhunting ILL.
 

Yo Big G.....I live in southwestern part of Illinois and we got gobs of public hunting around here that is free hunting and light pressure. I will tell you right now plan to be here the first two weeks in November.......the bigguns will be ruttin and there is no firearm deer hunting until the 3rd weekend in November. You can usually catch me in the chat room at nite if you want to ask any questions. I can hook you up with a friend of mine who owns a bed and breakfast and he has lots of deer on his property and it borders around 200 acres of Nature Conservancy Land. He won' t charge you a dime to hunt just for the room.

Be sure to get your tags ordered......they only sell x amount to out of staters and they usually sell out by August. If you decide to try this area I' ll be glad to show you around. I am in Union County about 15 minutes south of Carbondale.

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