1sagittarius

Since the IL state legislature has taken deer management away from the DNR and handed it over to the Illinois Farm Bureau .... begining in 2005, deer licenses can be purchased at ...

Illinois Farm Bureau, 1701 North Towanda Avenue, Bloomington, Illinois 61701.

Phone: (309) 557-2111

http://www.ilfb.org/

IL Rancher

The Farm Bureau is absolutely about business and money and really do not do as much as they should in other areas to help farmers. We had the local FB come by here the other week and do their typical sales pitch as to why we should join and how we could get discounts at such and such resteraunt that we don't ever want to go to, and a whole bunch of perks that were worthless as far as I am concerned. I asked them, hey, how about doing something usefull and working out a health insurance program so the farmers can buy the insurance in bulk and have it be like a company works so we could get lower premiums and better coverage as study after study have shown how underinsured the American farmer is. No, they would rather bend over backwords for the corporate farm industries and other high enders in the industry. No thanks...

BTBowhunter

Update!!

The DNR website promises details on NR archery licensing procedures on June 15 2005!

duramaxlt

i hear its going to be a lottery.

BTBowhunter

Apps are supposed to be available June 15, We will probably be able to apply online. The first 7500 will be drawn from outfitter clients and then all others will be elgible for the other 12500. The drawing is targeted for July 15.

At least thats the story for now

Cougar Mag

I wonder how many non-residents use an outfitter. What I really don't like about all this is......nevermind, I ain't going to say it again. []

What if other states did this(maybe some do), give preference in drawing a tag to those paying an outfitter. That would stink having the thought of not drawing an elk tag for instance in Wyoming or another western state because I wasn't using an outfitter.

BTBowhunter

I'm absolutely not trying to start a fight. I'm going to do my best to ask this with all due rspect, but what do you have against outfitters? I wouldnt use an outfitter close to home but I have used many when I hunted far from home. IMHO ethical outfitters provide a service by helping facilitate hunts for those who want to hunt areas and/or animals that they cant hunt at home. Most , but admittedly not all, outfitters are locals just trying to make a living. Unless he is a scrooge who needs no maney and simply puts his earnings in a vault, money paid to a resident outfitter (by the way Ill resident outfitters are the only ones who get their clients in the early drawing) winds up being spent in your state or gets added into your tax base. Considering the investment an outfitter makes in advance by leasing ground, reserving accomodations, advertising, promoting etc etc etc it seems only fair that DNR and the legislature should consider those expenditures when they pass a law imposing a quota that DNR has said is not biologically necessary.

I wouldnt be pleased if an outfitter leased a place I previously hunted for free but guess what? It's happening everywhere.

If you want to pick on thr rogue, bandit outfitters please feel free to do so. But legitimate outfitters have a right to do business and any business has the right to not have their businees hurt by laws and regulations that are that are purely the result of poltical pressure

alwyshntn

I personally don't have a real problem w/ outfitters in general but ran into a not so ethical one while hunting in IL. I was hunting a timber strip that ran through the middle of a large CRP field. I was hunting the head of the strip and the strip ran another half a mile or so and continued onto private land that was leased from a outfitter. The ground I was on was public ground and I made the effort to contact the outfitter before hand and ask him what the situation would be if I were to shoot a deer and it run onto him. He assured me it would be no problem and to just contact him and it would be fine. The next day I let my little brother sit in my stand in the strip. While sitting there he observed two gentlemen cross out of the leased land and onto the public ground circling the strip. They came upon the head and spread apart walking the strip out all the while throwing something out of a bag in their coats while wearing latex gloves. He walked upon my brothers stand and noticing him began grilling him as to whom he was and where he was from. He introduced himself as the gentleman that I had talked to previously. My brother then said I think you talked w/ my brother two days before he acknowledge that he had talked to me and said good luck. I knew this was the beginning of trouble and the next morning we decided to go back and pull the stand. While pulling the stand I looked around where my brother had said he had seen them throwing things from their pockets. I soon found the ground littered with MOTHBALLS. This outfitter had 13,000 continous acres to hunt on and in my opinion ruined several days of our hunt. My first emotions told me to find this [:@]hole and let him have a piece of my mind and maybe a little more. We let the IL authorities handle it though and once we mentioned his name they knew just whom he was and said they have had alot of problems w/ him and he is not on the up and up. I check out his website when I returned home and man he really preached ethical hunting and so on and so on. He boasted high success rates which now I can see why when you drive off pulic ground you know is holding good deer and litter the boundaries w/ mothballs. This guy is a disgrace to hunting and has given me personally a bad impression of outfitters and the lengths they go to make there money sometimes at other sportsmen expense. I know BT and you are probably reading this saying not me. I am not aiming this your way because I do not have any idea of your situation and ethics. I also am not trying to label all outfitters because just like there are unethical hunters doesnt mean they all are and the same for outfitters. Just had to get that off my chest.

alwyshntn

I really got off of the subject there but BT the bottom line is you are not a resident of IL and nor am I. Here in MO outfitting is beginning to pick up but not like in IL. Its out of control there and getting worse all the time. You are not going to win this arguement w/ the folks in IL because it is the land they have hunted since children in some instances and not ours. So it is VERY understandable that they be upset. Don't you think? I would not rub salt in the wound by asking HEY whats the big deal why don't you like outfitters ;because I think we all know the answers already. I know you are trying to protect your investment but at the expense of who or what? Do the needs of the few (outfitters) out weigh the interest and needs of the many (IL sportsmen) or is it that the needs of the ones with the deep pockets matter the most today? I know outfitting is here to stay but the way they are taking over all the good hunting ground and pushing more and more people onto state lands and combine that with development you have to wonder if your children or your grandkids will ever be able to enjoy the outdoors the way it was meant to be.

BTBowhunter

alwyshntn

I hear ya and I do understand the Ill resident hunters who arent happy with outfitters to a point. I'll only say this. The guy who has never traveled away from home and paid to hunt has far more right to complain than anyone who has gone somewhere else to hunt with an outfitter for whatever species. After all, any hunting pressure anywhere from a NR takes something away from the residents. A NR using an outfitter anywhere at anytime could be stepping on the toes of some local.

On the other hand, anyone who has ventured away from home and has used an outfitter anywhere else is being a hyprocrit if he then complains when it happens in his back yard. Plain and simple.