So I've heard stories of guys going to the Shawnee national forest and seeing, missing, hitting not finding, etc... some nice bucks. I've seen a few pictures but just from some guys that don't work in the winter and hunt all the time. I'm going to start putting in for Iowa next year but wanted to take a stab at Illinois... just wanted some feed back about it.
Shawnee is good hunting but gets pressured early and often. Carlyle Lake area has several public hunting options with good trophy potential as well.
Like most Midwest public land it gets hit hard by the Orange Army/Brown Down crowd. Probably hard as any considering the number of Chicago-area guys who hunt it b/c it's one of few open public options in IL. My co-worker gun hunts down there. FWIW, 5 of past 6 years he's killed a deer on Opening Day of gun. All does except a nice 120ish 8.
Yeah... the public land in hunting here has its hot spots for hunters. I've managed to find a large tract of land (over 3,000 acres) that you have to walk or bike to. It was my strategy going in but actually doing the work sucks lol I'm also going to hunt hard during the early archery season and late in December (if I haven't tagged out by then). Mainly, to stay out of all the traffic. So I dunno. Going to hunt this here in arkansas before I go out on a limb in Illinois. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I've hunted a lot of public land around Carbondale/Marion. It's crab orchard lake area, the hunting is better than a lot of private land I hunt. Multiple deer over 140 seen, including two 170+ Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Man, I honestly would stay in Arkansas. I love hunting Arkansas mountains. I shot a nice 125-130 inch 9 point last year in the Oachita national forest.
I've hunted the Shawnee since I was a little boy. It is getting more and more pressure from out of state bow and gun hunters. There is no shortage of deer and big ones at that but the ground I hunt and never used to even see sign of other hunters has been under pressure the last few years. Outfitters are bringing people in in from everywhere and dumping them in. Oh well it's still some beautiful country and terrain to hunt. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
When it comes to out of state Midwest whitetails. Why bother applying for a Illinois and Iowa tag. I'm not saying it's a bad idea. But tags are expensive and who knows when you're in. To me id go Missouri. Off the counter.
You can get Illinois bow tags over the counter. There are normally a lot leftover. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Yea but for out of state they're over $400 for a buck tag I think Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
475$. If it was an outfitter or private access to hill country and farm country, I'm in, but public land. If it's marshes, I'll pass. If it's hill and farm country. Definitely getting a tag. If it's me
