Bugroof

I am new to hunting and new to Illinois (Kendall County). My sons and I have done our hunter safety course and are eager. How does one get started in hunting? I don't know anybody here and am not sure how to get started. Are there any hunters in my area that can advise?
I am hoping to start what will be a family tradition with me, my sons, their sons, etc...

w123t

I'm not in your area or would be happy to help. Good
for you---wanting to start a family tradition.

Happy Hunting

MZS

In short, to be a successful hunter you need to interpret smells as a deer does, see as a deer does, hear as a deer hears, and think as a deer does. Now all 4 of these are not humanly possible, which makes deer hunting difficult! But, however, you can rely on the experience of others to get a good idea of what the deer senses. For example, their nose is even better than a dog's, so any scent from you can send them running, even if no scent is detectible to you. So you hunt downwind and eliminate scent as much as possible and use a scent killer type spray. The deer have a keen sense of hearing, probably keener than ours, so a single snapped twig on a quiet day can alert them to your presence from far away. The deer see outlines, do not see colors we see, but some studies have shown they see UV and UV brighteners. So you use a non-UV whitener unscented deer hunting clothes washing detergent. And you use branches and other natural cover to break your outline, especially if you ground hunt. And good camo clothes. And finally, a whole host of "thoughts" go through their little deer brains - if they are "on to you", your hunt is generally over. If they have never been spooked by you (or others) they will be far less wary. If it is the rut, they will do things they normally would not. Your library has plenty of books on all this - and those 30 year old books still apply - deer still do the same stuff - none of them text (yet)! Also, there are a lot of articles on the internet and recommendations on this forum.

Good luck with your hunt and welcome to the forum!

Bugroof

Thank you so much for the advice. I have been reading extensively on deer hunting. I am looking at the DNR website for public hunting areas and am definitely doing my homework. Did you guys just go out and do it on your own when you first started hunting? I thought about going to an outfitter and paying for a guided hunt, but, WOW, are they expensive!

sachiko

I was lucky. My husband taught me to hunt. But he learned pretty much on his own.

Go to the library and bookstore. Read some books on hunting. Spend a lot of time on the forums here. You can learn a lot, including the fact that not everyone agrees.

I suggest you spend a lot of time in the woods scouting. Start now. You'll want to know where they are and what kind of movement. We don't use a tree stand. We stalk them so scouting is a great family activity. We take the girls along. Miriam is now five and a half and Michelle is almost three. It's fun to teach them to crawl along through the woods to sneak up on a deer. Miriam was with us when I got my muzzleloader deer last December.

If you have kids, take them along. They learn respect for the wildlife and the outdoors in general. They also learn you can have fun while being quiet.

Miriam is also learning to shoot using the same single shot .22 on which I learned. Michelle watches respectfully and learns.

Excuse me if I rant a bit here. But when my husband and I go out to the range we see guys there practicing, but almost never do we see anyone with a son or daughter. We usually don't see other hunters, but when we do, they're always alone, no kids. I don't understand that.



May The Sheep Be With You

Bugroof

Thanks Sachiko. I have 3 sons.. 18, 14, and 9. The older one has no interest at all... Middle one has some interest and my youngest is very excited. I got my first shotgun last week, a Mossberg 535. Went to the range once so far. We are going to join the local sportsman club. Hopefully, we can meet some hunters there.
We were wanting to go turkey hunting, but the permits for the first seasons are gone. We are going to go to the forest and scout, do some calling and get the feel for it.

sachiko

We spend a LOT of time in the woods. There is a real thrill in getting close enough to a deer to take a shot even if you don't have a bow or gun with you.

Our girls get a real charge out of crawling through the woods like a real predator.

MZS

You might try to find a private landowner willing to let you hunt for a fee or maybe if you split the deer meat with them. You do not live too far from my inlaws in Mokena, a suburb of CHI, so I am sure the public lands near you get a lot of pressure. The sportsman club might be able to point you to such a private land arrangement. Another option are lands that receive tax breaks for wildlife management (if you have them) - these will be open to the public.

buffybr

My Dad didn't hunt so my first hunt was my second year in college with one of my roommates. He loaned me a lever action .32 Spl and I killed a spike mulie. The next year I borrowed an old .30-40 Krag from my Uncle, went hunting with my roommate again and killed a 5x5 bull elk.

That pretty much got me hooked. I then mail ordered a .30-06 barreled action and semi-finished stock from Herter's and I had my own first centerfire rifle. That rifle served me well for many years.

After I got out of the Army, I finished college, moved to NW Colorado where I worked in the woods, and I've been hunting on my own ever since.

Yes, guided hunts are expensive, and I never considered them until I wanted to hunt more than Colorado or Montana (where I now live) has to offer, so after many years of hunting locally, I finally booked a couple of Canadian hunts, a few in Africa, and a year from today, I'll be hunting in New Zealand.

Bugroof

I'm hoping to meet a hunter here in my neck of the woods that is willing to give of their time to take a new hunter out...
Anybody on here in Illinois?