Brand new to hunting so many ????
 

Ok so I am trying to get into hunting but haveing some issues and finding so much conflicting information its rediculous. So I am on here to put myself out there and to get help in anyway I can.

I am 28M, live in St charles, IL (Kane County) Prior military been out for almost 3 years. And I am picking up hunting because I enjoy the thrill of hunting a target and taking it down. I am a decent shoot (longest confirmed kill was at 1000 meters/1090yards) but depending on who you talk to that may differ in opinion.
I am looking to start with coyote hunting in IL because it is year round. I have selected a 22-250 to use to hunt with. Havent purchesed it yet because havent found the perfect deal/fit yet but leaning towards a savage model that comes with the scope.


Enough about myself now all the stuff I need answered.

A) Where is some areas I can hunt Coyote in IL? The only response I find is where ever you hunt deer and I am new to hunting so I have no locations yet. Willing to drive up to 4 hours for good locations, preferably with places to camp nearby.

B) I keep hearing that in some locations you need a Habitat stamp...What in the world is this?

C) What do you do with a Coyote once it is dead? I have heard 3 things to do with it.

1) Just toss it in the truck and sell it to a fur barn. Looked up fur barn and find no such thing.

2) Skin on site and sell the pelts. Cant seem to find anything near me to buy them. But Ill drive where ever to sell them, no biggy

3) Field dress, skin to sell pelt, then give carcass to butcher to prep and eat it. The eating thing seems to be the biggest issue. Some peopl say no, some say yes. Need some clarification here with some proof if you can. Unless your proof is you actually eat it yourself. It being weird doesnt bother me, I have eaten maggots in Tawain and rat in China. So weird is fine.

But please give me your take on it all.

D) Since I am fairly close to WI and IN how hard is it to beable to hunt there as well?

E) Oh an is anyone willing to take me out Hunting a couple times just to show me the ropes on calls or skinning or anything. Dont care about driving far. And it doesnt even have to be hunting just skinning or dressing the coyote after the fact will help enough.

F) I am waiting for my hunters safety card thing in the mail as well...do i have to carry this while hunting in IL, or anywhere?

I am sure there will be more questions in the future. Thanks for the help.

Nobody has any helpful tid bits to a brand new hunter?

Ask away. Hunters are a dying breed. The more we can do to get our replacements in the field the better.

Thanks for responding. I Have been doing lots a research andf even got a digest and 2 DVD's on the subject from my DNR. I will be reviewing these later this weekend or maybe into the week to gather more info. As for local gun clubs and trappers so such luck so far. My area is heavily populated with people that just want to shoot guns and dont care for the hunt. I have run into an old timer that does hunt but he hunts in WI,IN,MI,OH,MS. He doesnt like to hunt in IL due to reguations so he goes elsewhere. And he just bowhunts I believe. He offered to take me with so I can shoot the yotes that interfere with his hunting but he goes for weeks at a time hunting which I cant do. Even with all the set backs I am determined to hunt. I want to start with Yotes cuz it has the least restrictions and move up the like to bigger game when i get more skill and equipment aquired.

I agree hunting seems to be a dying sport. It seems people in my age group (20-30) just want to get an AR to blow up targets and thats it. I tried to get a couple friends to start this up with me but they dont have the patience. They got irritated when I spent the time dialing in a scope on my ruger 10/22. They wanted to blow through the 500 rounds of ammo we got and thats it. So frustratings...anyway I digress.

Anywho, any information that help im open for.

Don't let the lack of responses discourage you, there's a great bunch of folks here with a lot of knowledge, so I'd encourage you to hang around and keep asking questions.

The reason you didn't get many responses is because some of the questions you asked are REALLY specific info about certain states, or really vague (like "where to hunt"). When you ask specific questions about where to hunt in a given state, unless someone from that state sees it, you won't likely get an answer. Where to hunt is infinitely open ended, so you don't get many answers for those questions either.

I'd be interested to hear what specifically you're finding that is conflicted. Hunters are people, human beings, and often very opinionated. Many very entrenched in 'old school dogma', and many others are new and don't know the score (but think they do), so it's easy to find conflicting opinions.

There are a lot of different options for 'what to do with coyotes'. On summer depredation control hunts when the fur is worthless, I take the carcass with me and dispose of it properly in a pit on my own property. During the winter when the fur is thick, I either skin them and sell the hides, or sell the whole carcass green. I skin at my fur shed then dispose of the skinned carcass.

I've never heard a furbuyer called a "fur barn". Maybe you're mistakenly understanding the term "fur shed", which is usually a small shed where guys prepare furs for sale, flesh it, stretch it to dry, etc. If you're looking for a furbuyer, there are lots of resources to find them.

Another option would be to find a local trapper and just let him have the carcasses, that way they can deal with the time consuming hide preparation, and you can spend your time hunting instead, and the fur doesn't go to waste.

You couldn't pay me to eat coyote meat on a regular basis. To each their own I guess. I would bet you will NOT find a butcher shop that is interested in taking the meat. For starters, it's a federal mandate that wild game and domestic meat supply are not processed on the same 'lines' i.e. equipment, at the same time, so a small butcher would not legally be able to do so. I'd also be VERY surprised if a typical wild game processor would take in a coyote. Deer and elk are one thing, but 'vermin' are a different story.

If you want to butcher and eat it, go right ahead. What you ate a few times as part of a local culture while you were overseas is very different than butchering and eating coyotes on a regular basis. I have eaten coyote meat a few times, won't eat it again, and I can't even imagine eating the volume of coyote meat that I'd put down in a year...

Thanks for the response nomercy448,

I live in suburbia, which i hate so much so having a fur shed is out of the question. I asked the hunter that hunts in other states and he was firm that a "furbarn" was a location that you can drop of a dead animal non field dressed or skinned and they will pay you for it. I havent been able to get in touch with any hunting/trapping groups out here considering you have to travel 2-3 hours before you get to anywhere that does those activities regularly. Hence why I am on the net trying to pull together resources to start this up. Saying that I did find a game processor near me that processes all sort of weird meats that said they never have done Yote but are willing to give it a try. They will butcher it or make snack sticks or jerky out of it. They process deer, feral swine, bison, buffalo, alligator, ostritch and some other stuff as well. They do have a website as well if anyone wants it. I was shocked to find this place 15min from the house when you have to travel so far to hunt. We are the lowest zone for hunting (deer) in the state us being 100 deer killed in the zone next lowest being 2000. huge difference. Anyway. Just want to try the Yote once to say I did. If all else fails I have some locals saying that they will gladly pay for the meat to eat if i dont want it. And that is one of the conflicting info I have got. In some countries dog is a highly sought dish but just about every american will say no or never try it. From the reasearch I have done they carry less diseases then deer, just as gamey maybe a little tougher meat. Other then that it is like every other carnivour you eat (bear ,alligator, croc). I guess I will just find out when I get one.

I do have a question for those who do hunt Yote. I will be buying the savage arms 11/111 trophy hunter xp in 22-250 caliber but cant decide on the scope. it comes with either a nikon 3x9 BDC with the range finder built in or a bushnell 4x12 standard cross hairs. Its only a $50 difference just seeing which whould be a better option. And I just got my hunter safety card in the mail so I will be getting my hunting permit in the next week.

Here's one option for you to sell your furs:

The Odell Fur Auction (produced by ITA) will be held Jan 11, 2014. Contact Mike Gragert for more information at (618) 637-9061. This auction is about 80miles from you in St. Charles. They only take skinned hides, no carcasses.

(Keep in mind, a fur hunter should have a fur shed, or at least a deep freeze in their garage to store pelts frozen until sale, unless you are going to go through all of the legwork to flesh, salt, and stretch the hides. So waiting until January is only a problem for patience.)

I would also be 100% confident that Mike or anyone else at the Illinois Trapping Association would be able to point you in the right direction to find a local trapper or caller that you could give your hides to if you don't want to sell them at auction yourself.

The North Central Illinois Fur Takers Chapter is based out of Marengo, which is ~30mi from you. They'd also be a great resource for you. Contact Irv Schrimmer (815) 923-2229. Again, I'm sure he can point you in the right direction for a local buyer, or other hunters.

If you have someone willing to buy the meat from you, I'd jump on it. BUT, keep in mind, in most states, it is illegal to sell game meat. Those other countries that like eating dogs can keep it. I have a lot better things available to eat. Beef rectum is a delicacy in some countries too, but I'm not jumping on that one either.

How many deer are harvested in a given area has absolutely nothing to do with how many hunters live there. Most cities, especially their suburbs, have very healthy populations of hunters. It makes sense then, in that case, that processors would be closer to the population centers where there are more hunters that don't have room to butcher the game themselves.

You'd be amazed at how many coyote hunters there likely are in the Chicago area. Predator calling has become all the rage in recent years, especially with hunters that live in urban and suburban areas because they can travel out and have instant gratification much moreso than traditional big game hunting.

You'd also be surprised at how far you have to travel to find coyote hunters. I worked in Rochelle back in 2008 and called coyotes with some of the local guys there between Rochelle and DeKalb, which would be about 30min to an hour from you.

Pick one, flip a coin, can't go wrong, both are decent scopes, neither is really better than the other. The 4-12x40mm Bushnell will have higher magnification than the 3-9x40mm Nikon, which is nice for longer range shots on coyotes, but not really necessary. The BDC would not interest me.

The Savage is a good choice. You'll be very happy with it. The 1:12" twist should treat you very well with 50-55grn bullets which are great for coyotes. Look into the Hornady V-max, seldom doesn't shoot well in most rifles, and is fantastic on coyotes.

So my first response is "HOLY CRAP". I have been looking for information like this for weeks and can't seem to find it anywhere. And if I read your tag right your from Kansas and it took you a matter of hours to pour the info out. I am very appreciative and will be using this info to good use.

I didn't realize Coyote hunting was the current "rage". I actually picked coyote hunting for some very simple reasons. One being that it is open season all year round. So I don't have to wait any particular time to hunt them. Two, it has the least amount of restrictions, so as a learning hunter it is easier for me to do without worry of breaking rules/laws. Untill I get to know hunting better I want to stick with something easier. Three, in my state furbearers are the only game you can shoot with a rifle. In my state deer is muzzleloader,handgun,bow,shotgun only. And none of those really appeal to me. Which is why some of my earlier questions were about hunting in other states so I would beable to rifle hunt deer.

I have no problem with patience waiting to sell the furs. I probably will deep freeze them to sell unless someone at those numbers has a better setup. Ill just have hit them up and see what happens.

I did forget to ask one question. You mentioned selling the whoel carcass green.....what does green mean when you say this becuase you used it several times and im still learning the lingo.

Again thanks for the help

It took me a matter of minutes. Google comes in handy when looking for info, you just need to know what to search for. Most states have a "trapper's association", so I searched "Illinois Trappers Association", sure enough, ITA came up. The "Fur Takers of America" is another common spot to look, not in every state, but they're in Illinois.

I just googled "Illinois Fur Buyers":

Here's a link from the Illinois DNR that's a list of SEVERAL furbuyers in Illinois, complete with phone numbers to contact them:

Illinois DNR Fur 2012-2013 Fur Buyer List

Here's another link to a buyer that has a weekly schedule at many locations around IL:

Groenewold Fur & Wool Buying Route & Schedule

"Green pelts" is a pretty common term for fresh skins that have not been prepped. Just skinned off the carcass, not fleshed, salted, stretched at all yet. I usually prefer to sell green if I can, fleshing, salting, stretching and drying takes time and elbow grease, and only gains a few bucks per fur usually. Considering my volume, I'd rather spend my time fur hunting than furhandling.

Forgot about the 'hunting in other states' part...

The bad part about hunting in other states is that it's expensive. Many states also have a draw for deer tags, so it's hit or miss whether you get in or not. Some states also have restricted seasons for non-residents, or only allow certain weapons.

Spend some time running the google machine: look up "Wisconsin hunting regulations" or "Indiana hunting regulations" and you'll find links directly to their state DNR (not all states call it the Department of Natural Resources, Kansas for example calls it Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism). You'll be able to find hunting regs, non-resident license and tag requirements and prices, and contact info if you have any questions.

I hunt in other states a lot, it's a really unique and rewarding experience to be able to hunt different terrain. It's amazing to see how the same species behaves in different regions of the country, and how you have to adapt your hunting techniques and strategies to be successful.

I guess it would help if I knew what to search for. WHat is the average price for a green pelt for coyote?

I am starting to get a little irritated at my state as far as hunting. The state laws says you can hunt coyote with rifle but I have called the 13 closest public hunting grounds to me and all require you to use shotgun. I dont get the point of beable able to shoot with rifle if no one lets you actually do it. I am now branching out to areas that are almost halfway across the state. Hopefully I will find something. If it goes to far maybe I can find some private land to hunt on. My buddy seems to think some farmers out by him maybe willing to let me hunt on their property. Ill be meeting them this weekend, hopefully it goes well.

Public land hunting for coyotes is always a chore in any state. Private property is the way to go. Public ground can be good before deer seasons open up, but usually they get hit pretty hard after that. I don't hit public ground unless I absolutely need to.

Green pelt prices have been really volatile over the last few years. Anything from $5 to $15, sometimes a bit higher for nice pale primes. The biggest and best hides usually have a big enough differential that fleshing and stretching becomes worth it, but not all of them are that way.

You won't get rich calling coyotes and selling hides, even if you do all of the legwork to put them up properly. You might help pay for gas and ammo if you do it a lot. It's a fun sport, and a good service to prevent depredation of livestock in your area, not a business.

Ya I wasn't expected to get rich or anything killing coyote. It was more of a question so when I sell the furs I dont get shorted. I am not really expecting anything out of it really just a starting point so I can progress to bigger better game.

Why is it a chore to hunt in public hunting grounds?

When you hunt coyote do you use calls? If so which ones have you found useful?

Ya I will be looking into Wisconsin and Indiana hunting regulations in the future since i am just hours away from each. Want to practice in a local area and get a feel of the sport before I go out and about. Just trying to get the basics together and buy just the needed items to make sure I will enjoy it before I start investing for some luxury items. Speaking of items do guns and hunting/camping supplies go on sale like everything else for "Black Friday"?

Because they are public. On private property, you don't have to deal with the question "were there 75 guys out here yesterday deer hunting, blasting away?" or "have there been dozens of idiots that don't know how to hunt out here blowing distress calls, sounding like a duck, educating coyotes?" Public hunting grounds can be really productive during early season before other hunting seasons open up, because not many guys are out there just for coyotes. But furs aren't usually worth a hoot yet at that time of year.

If you want a list of coyote hunting essentials, and then a list of coyote hunting 'luxuries', just ask.

There aren't really that many items a guy REALLY needs for calling coyotes. Calls, ammo, camo, and skill. The rest that I carry is either shooting aids (bipod, rangefinder, wind-meter, etc) or 'after-the-shot' gear, like skinning knives, drags, rubber gloves, etc.

I tell everyone that gets involved with fur handling: have multiple knives, and get d@mn good at sharpening them. Once I find a knife I like, I buy 3 or 4 of them so I have the same feel every time, and get to go through 3 or 4 blades before I have to sharpen the lot.

Yes, most bigger hunting shops do offer Black Friday deals on certain items.

Coyote Calls: My favorite subject...
 

For an affordable electronic predator call (assuming they are legal for use in Illinois), the FoxPro Wildfire is the best going. It is LITERALLY the only budget friendly ($200 or less) caller on the market that I would recommend. No other $200 or less e-caller is worth owning, in my experience. A lot of new guys go this route to save themselves a learning curve, but honestly, you have to know how to call before you know how to run an Electronic Call properly too.

Hand calling is a more rewarding pursuit, and much less expensive. Grab a $20 4-drop lanyard, a Primos Randy Anderson Double Cottontail distress call, a Primos Lil Dog, a Verminators Syco Tweety, and a Buck Gardner Ultimate Coaxer. These 4 calls will be a killer combo once you get used to playing them. Add in a Dan Thompson Red Desert Howler to play deeper male coyote vocals for locate calling and challenge barking. With those 5 calls, you can make dozens of different call sounds, and in my experience, a hunter with these 5 calls can call any coyote anywhere in the country.

Hand calls are an addiction of mine, I'm creeping up on 200 of them now. There are TONS of them out there, but those 5 will produce a lot of sounds for you, and won't break the bank. Out of the 5 'classes' of calls these represent, these are the cream of the crop that I have found over the last almost 25yrs of calling coyotes.

That said, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend you look into custom made coyote calls. They aren't necessarily much more expensive than the store-bought factory calls, but ARE higher quality, easier to blow, produce a better sound, and are more versatile. If you are interested, I can point you in the right direction for some custom makers that produce the finest fur-slaying tools ever.

If you so happen to have a basics need and a luxury list for coyote hunting that would be great. I would one very much especially from an experienced hunter.

As for the calls electronic calls are legal in Illinois but I would much rather do hand calls as coyote is the only animal in Illinois allowed to use electronic calls. So learning hand calls will only benifit me in the future. I am willing to go the custom route for a couple calls that you would recommend to start out with and ill pick up a couple store boughts to get the feel the difference. Do you know of any websites or any good youtube videos that will demonstration the proper use on the calls?

And for the record I really appreciate all the info.

I'll break down 3 lists of gear: Essentials, "Nice to have", and Luxuries...

To call coyotes, you really don't need that much, so the essentials list is pretty short and sweet.

The Nice to Have list is pretty much what I carry (not always all of it, mind you), shooting aids, comfort aids, and just handy stuff.

The Luxuries are things you don't really need, but sure are handy if you ever decide to splurge.

ESSENTIALS:

1. Rifle
2. Ammo
3. Calls
4. Accurate/up to date scouting maps
5. Camo - including gloves and facemask
6. Skinning knives

That's literally all you really NEED to call coyotes.

Nice to Have

1. Rangefinder
2. Binos (around your neck)
3. Padded seat/short stool (Cabelas Gobbler Lounger is FANTASTIC)
4. Coyote Drag (Send me a PM if you want one)
5. Shooting Sticks (LOVE Primos Shoot'n Stik Monopod)
6. Rubber gloves for skinning

These are items that really make your hunts or your shooting easier, and I'd recommend you have them, even though you can live without them.

LUXURY ITEMS:

1. Hitch mounted skinning winch and gambrel
2. Wind Meter
3. Ghillie Suit
4. High Seat (Truck or UTV mounted)
5. Electronic Calls

These aren't really necessary, but sure are sweet if you decide to splurge.

If you aren't good at judging wind direction, then pick up a small can of baby powder as part of your ESSENTIALS list.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but that's really all I can think of without looking through my pack.

You ought to consider adding this into the reference section--it's that useful.

Cal

Done... Added the lists in a new thread in the Reference sub-forum!

Thanks so much for the list. I think from here forward it is just pure research and finding somewhere to hunt. I just spent two days calling every public hunting ground in illinois and door knocking about 45 residential/farmers home with no luck. Even though in IL you can hunt coyote with anything, the public lands only allow shotgun and .22lr rimfire. Dont care for shotgun and I keep hearing stories of .22 not being able to down the dog in one shot. And the locals want nothing to do with any hunters because they want no interferance with the deer hunting on their property. So I think its time to start a new thread for hunting coyote in IL. And start researching hunting in WI.

Just a thought but you might ask if you can hunt yotes AFTER deer season is over. If you already did, please ignore the suggestion.

Don't discount the shotgun as a VERY effective coyote killing tool. Check out the thread in the reference section regarding shotgun loads and chokes. It might not have long range capabilities, but in terms of putting fur in the dirt, the 12ga scattergun with a healthy load of buckshot is probably the most effective weapon you can carry.

Like Cal mentioned, check with local landowners about hunting coyotes outside of deer season. There are WELL DOCUMENTED studies of coyote depredation of deer, so if they're really concerned with deer populations, letting you control coyotes in the 'off-season' is probably the most effective herd management practice they could pursue.

One study I read 2yrs ago showed that in areas with predator control, one fawn survived the first year for every 2 doe. In areas without predator control, only one fawn survived the first year for every 27doe in the area.

I will be checking on the locals again sometime in February after deer season is done. I am sure the shotgun is very effective and I will probably get one in the future so I can use it for deer and waterfowl as well. But there is only a handful of locations that allow shotgun in public lands and most of them being 5 hours away with first come first serve policies and and a limit of 8 hunters a day. But thats a different issue. How do you feel about using a 22lr for coyote hunting? Is it enough bullet to put one down?

A .22lr will kill anything on the planet if placed properly. Does that make it good for coyote calling? No way. 22caliber centerfires or larger, that's all you should be playing with.

Figured as much. Wonder why all the public lands dont allow you to use anything larger? Doesnt seem humane.

I got curious and checked Illinois' hunting regs on coyotes. I couldn't find any restriction to shotgun or .22Lr for coyotes on public lands BUT the DNR regs did say to check with the "site Office" for any specific regulations for that site only. If you google search, you can find some guys on different hunting blogs saying they hunt coyotes on public lands with 243's and 308s so the restriction that DNR warden told you about may only apply to a specific public land "site." You should check out a few of the site offices for different public lands and see which ones don't restrict you to shotgun or 22LR. Good luck.

You are correct about the regs. If you read further back in the posts I said that the state regs say you can hunt with pretty much anything you want for coyote but it goes for site specific. I looked at the hunter fact sheets for zone 1-4 in illinois for all public hunting grounds that allow coyote hunting and each one either says shotgun, bow and arrow or .22 rimfire. If you get bored look at the hunting fact sheets on the Illinois dnr site for the public lands and you will see what im talking about. I have started a thread in the mid west section hoping to get some help. I have seen tons of videos and posts talking about useing larger caliber rounds for hunting but all the hunting fact sheets and calling the wardens seem to prove otherwise. Or the peoples version of public land is different then what im looking up. They maybe hunting in zone 5 which is so far south it would be cheaper to pay the 160 for a furbearer license in wiconsin. If you read back a couple posts you will notice that I said I called the public lands. Which I called every one in zone 1-4 to verify their dnr hunter fact sheet was correct and their firearm restrictions where correct. I just think the people are just claiming they are on public land or in zone 5, which I may call tomorrow to see what they say. Either way getting very agitated over the issue.

I didn't catch the fine print you posted earlier and can see where that would create some challenges. My bad. It sounds like the hunting stuff in Illinois is almost as messed up as CA.

Having said that, you said the actual limitation is "22 rimfire." That would include 22 mag which is a substantial step up from a 22LR and is coyote capable out to 100-125 yards. I don't know if that "22 rimfire" limitation would allow you to use the new Winchester .17 WSM or not but it's a rimfire cartridge and packs even more punch. These may not be your preferred cartridge (something in a centerfire .22 cartridge) but they do offer more capability than a 22 LR.

It does state .22 or smaller at some locations. So if the .17 is smaller, which I am assuming it is then I could use it at select locations. Not sure about the .22 mag ill have to look it up.

If the regs do allow a 17, here's a link to a Chuck Hawks article about the 17 Winchester Super Magnum with some interesting ballistics info.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/17_super_mag_first_look.htm

Wow...just did some research on that caliber and damn thats nice. As soon as I get a ok from some hunting grounds I may pick that up instead.

Okay dude, if you put this all together, you have simply got to post a report back with PICTURES. I'm still researching the caliber myself but 50 rounds for around $15 with no reloading would make for a lot of varmint hunting at a pretty affordable ammo price. ;)

Ya ill let everyone know. I will be out shopping for the rifle within the week if I get some answers from the game wardens saying the caliber is ok. Still no responses in the midwest forum about the caliber issues in illinois so we will see.

Illinois (and PA I believe) predator hunters are who the .17WSM is really meant for. As long as the new savage action feeds them to the fantastic savage barrels well, the .17WSM is the best option these hunters have.

In fairness, however, if I lived in Illinois, I'd take a long hard look at a savage 212 or 220 slug gun. 200yrd accuracy, and controllable expansion, I'd be tempted to take that over any rimfire. Not sure, honestly, which one i would buy right now if I were in that position, but luckily for me, I'm not.

Honestly I would rather hold off all together and figure out where in IL these people are hunting yotes with larger caliber rounds. I have a while before deer season ends and I would much rather hunt with a rifle Im comfortable with then a slug or rimfire. I have been searching for about a week now and have started several threads on various websites for where these people are hunting with no luck. I'll keep looking till I get a positive answer.

I think the new .17 WSM would be a great Predator/Coyote Caliber along with the .17 Hornet,.22 Hornet or the .204 Caliber!

Maybe You need to find an affordable Lease so You can Hunt Big Game/Deer and Coyotes in the Off Season?Here in Missouri we can go to several different Public Areas to hunt all types of Game.....it seems Illinios wants to get into the Hunters pockets for money before You can even begin to Hunt or learn the Sport of Hunting,they have so many Rules,Regulations,Tags Stamps and guide lines it's mind boggling! :(

How close are You to Missouri.....seems like You need to find a more Hunter Friendly State?

You may need to find someone that will take You Hunting or Mentor You into Predator Hunting.Most Farmers would love to have someone thin out the Coyotes...usually if You know someone for a while or earn their trust they will let You Hunt on their Property,others may require You to have some type of Insurance since they are in fear of getting sued!

Hang in there and keep at it....hopefully You'll get a straight answer about what Caliber is allowed and on which Public Land?

I may end up purchasing 2 rifles. The 17 wsm for hunting on public land and a 22-250 for private property. I dont have anyone to mentor me on hunting. Well no one in my area. I am about 5 hours from st louis. I am trying to keep this going but with minimal progress mostly from lack of local help and hunting grounds. The forums from many sites have helped but it doesnt help me get into the field.

I have a few feelers out to predator callers in your area. One guy is just down in Oswego in Kendall County. I'll let you know if any of them answer back.

Have you made any phone calls to the guys at the Illinois Trapping Association or the Fur Takers? You should have tried the fur buyers too, they could point you in the right direction for some callers in your area.

If you haven't already done so, you should also try calling those fur buyers I sent you, they should be able to hook you up with some of their 'regular customers' that might be able to help you out.

I have made a few calls and left some voice mails. No one has gotten back yet. Im sure everything will start picking up as the season gets closer. I have a question on skinning knives. How do folding skinning knives compare to the non folding. I have seen 2 knives i like, both are gerber. One is folding with a sharpener built into the sheath and a non folding with no sharpener. Only difference I see is the non folding is .25" longer.

Difference between fixed and folding blade knives for skinning is subjective. More or less up to the user which is better.

Here's how I feel about knives:

I have both, use both. I generally keep fixed blade knives in my fur shed, since they're a bit easier cleaning. For my pack knives (i.e. knives I skin in the field with, and keep in my pack), I keep folding knives, mostly to store and haul them more securely.

Fixed blades are easier to clean and often a little lighter weight than a similar sized folder. Fixed blades can often have blades longer than the handle, whereas getting more length out of a folder means having a longer handle, more weight, more bulk.

Folding blade knives are nice to just throw in a pack or pocket. Blood, fur, fat, etc gets plugged down into the blade groove, so plan on extra diligence to clean that out.

Don't get caught up in long bladed "hunting knives" for skinning either. You'll only ever use a few inches of blade for skinning small game & predators, so no sense in handling 10" of extra weight.

I prefer about 4" of a nicely curved blade, preferably a drop point or straight back blade. Lightweight, good grip, and high quality steel. Up to you whether you use a 'skin hook' version or not. I don't really like hooks on a folder, since it inevitably snags on stuff, but on a fixed blade, it can be nice.

The Gerber knives I have now are just fine (7-8yrs old?). They're plenty cheap, rubber scales, and hold an edge nicely. Kershaw makes fairly affordable knives as well, I've use a Kershaw "Blade-Trader" for about 15yrs, ordered several extra blades years ago, have only had to have the grip replaced on warranty once as the unit wallered too much and the blades got 'wobbly'. I just picked up a Buck Knives "Omni" fixed blade, figure I'll get another one soon after I get to see how it holds an edge.