ILL has gone downhill
 

Who here from ILL or whoever hunts ILL thinks that the DNR should make things the way they used to be? By this i mean bring check stations back. Cause how many deer get killed that dont ever get called in, i know alot of people do it. I honestly dont think the deer herd has recovered 100% from the blue tounge we had a couple years ago. and then the DNR goes and opens up like 4 gun seasons this year. Id say have the two shotgun seasons and maybe one late season and leave it at that. Next thing you will see in ILL will be an open season year round. And i heard that residents licenses are going to go up. kinda ridiculous

The people who don't call them in will not go to the check stations either, honest people will follow the rules.

I have no problems with the gun season being a few days longer, I like having more days in the field.

I guess it depends on where you hunt, there is no shortage of deer in my area.

Cut back on bow season or make it draw only.

Check stations are not the cause or answer. Iowa doesn't has never used check stations and has been using the call in system for years. They seem to be doing fine.

"Poachers" can forego a check station just as easily as a call in system. The larger issue is probably that Illinois does not have the resources to crack down on the illegal hunters not tagging their deer.

Check stations just seem like an unnecessary nuisance to me.

I think things are pretty much fine the way they are.

There should be check stations in high harvest counties if they can get biology students to run them - but they shouldn't be mandatory.

I would like to see a season or 2 of EAB.

I think the seasons are pretty much the same as always, which means they're not doing much to improve the quality.

I'd like to see 1 gun season called "december".
I'd like to see "Earn a 2nd buck tag"
Ditch the youth OCT firearm season
Allow the use of Blaze Orange Camo.

We have way too many gun seasons, too many regs etc..., month long december season would solve alot of BS, use whatever weapon you want, slug, bow, ML, pistol. I think it'll space out the pressure, plus allow more guys to hunt according to their schedule.

I think Earn a 2nd Buck tag would be great, would still allow a person to take a buck opening morning without already having taken a doe, yet limit them to 1 buck til they take a doe. Way too many people are shooting 2+ bucks a year without taking any does. Perhaps allow non-residents to buy a 2nd buck tag if they take a doe or two? I'm not too up on non-res regs though, but I think probably overwhelming non-res come, at least those who book guided hunts, come to IL, harvest a buck, and never take a doe.

I have to agree with Matt, I think that things are pretty much fine the way they are. We have one of the best deer herds in the Nation are the bucks that come out of Illinois are fantastic. I agree with you that the 2nd buck tag should be a EAB but not the first. The way that WI has screwed things up with the EAB program I don't want to see the same thing happen here as what is going on in WI. I do like you idea of the blaze orange camo as well. I in no way think a month long gun season is a good idea. I think 7 days of shotgun is fine. Maybe an extra day in the first season but that is the most I'd like to see. I don't mind the youth season the way it is but I wouldn't mind seeing it "Doe only" but Im sure once I have kids I'll change my mind on that.

From whats going on in other states and how poor the quality of the deer herd is I think were doing pretty good.

get rid of a youth season hell why not just get rid of bow season and only give out one tag . then you would have a real good chance . i wish every body should have to take a child hunting and see the smile on there face just for being in the timber , and that smile is guna be there no matter if they shoot a monster or not those moments are what hunting is all about , not how much stuff you can kill .

What?????that makes no sense to me

Many of the top hunters and voices in Illinois truly do believe that our IDNR needs to go back to the Edgar days of management practices here and not todays crap of selling out our herd for more cash flow! It's all about money, more tags.... more cash flow for the IL fat cats sitting in the Capitol! More NR tags, more gun tags and more seasons.... not a good thing for quality herd concerns but more cash for one of the worst economic states in the union.... a sad affair indeed!

All these added dates/seasons so the state can profit more and yet IL reports THE WORST SEASON TOTALS SINCE 1999!!! Just over 99,000 deer killed during our entire general firearm season, the worst in a decade.... that shoud be sending up a red flag!!! Enough is enough IL!

It's time to look at the best states for quality whitetails, IOWA and KANSAS. The one drastically different factor these state have is NO GUN HUNTING IN NOVEMBER! I would love to see IL make that change, but of course it would never fly over because of tradition here. I also would love to see a ONE BUCK LIMIT put into effect as well. After these seasons stats, I see the need to reduce tags, not increase them!!!

There can be no doubt that IL faces many challenges in the years ahead and we certainly all need to voice our concerns. Perhaps someday, someone will listen.

Agree with you Cornfed..and guys im not saying that check stations were going to change anything but i know of kids that i go to school with who are animal biology majors who say they could benefit big time from bringing check stations back. I think the youth season is ok but make it doe only. It always used to be when i was a youth. I think the 2 buck rule isn't too bad but all these stupid seasons illinois has now just seems like they want the deer mopped up. I mean way back when it was just a pistol late season how many people do you think actually went? Hardly any. Now that you can use a shotgun more people are going to go out. For me only being 23 i can tell a huge difference in IL. All this state is anymore is money hungry SOB's and here in a few years this state will be ruined. I think IL-Cornfed will agree with me. ANother thing about the youth season make it doe only because if theyre out there youth hunting during that season then they can go and try to tag there buck during the regular gun season.