Hey guys. New to the forum. This is my first post. I am planning a public land archery whitetail hunt in Illinois this year. Haven't really narrowed down any locations. What places should I avoid and any tips on hunting Illinois public land?
The biggest tip I can give you is expect to see other hunters so don't get too frustrated. The has only been one piece of public land in IL that I felt had light pressure. That was the first year this property was open to public. Every year after that this little 400 acre property had 12+ trucks in the one access parking lot and that was the weekdays! Shawnee has been the one public property that I feel very little pressure while hunting. Further north u go in the state the more pressure. Have 4+ plans for areas to hunt on any property to avoid others. I have had good luck hunting the other hunters. What I mean is pay attention to where others are hunting and try to get into a position that you can intercept deer before they get to the other hunter while being far enough away that your are not on top of them. A couple hundred yds or more for archery is what I strive for minimum. During gun season I have had others come in and setup as close as 50 yds. Archery I once had a non_resident setup exactly 28 yds from me. I had some strong words for him when we walked out. Everything was good after that. He even had us over at his trailer for filet mignon that night!
I agree with Rizzo. My Family owns a small 100+/- acre farm that butts right up to the Shawnee. The deer down there on avg might be a tad smaller than those Mississippi River / Illinois River bottom bucks, but there are still some nice deer and Gorgeous terrain. Remember this too... aerial surveys confirm 95% of hunters (blaze orange) are spotted within 400 yds of a roadway or established trail so if you're willing to hoof it to a more remote location you will probably have greater success while avoiding the typical public hunt headaches. Good Luck and may your arrows fly tru.
yep, if you are willing to walk over half a mile, you eliminate all that pressure. Where I am, I have Lake Clinton and Lake Shelbyville and hour to the east and Jim Edgar Panther Creek an hour to the west. Lake Sangchris is right here. That is 30,000 acres.
Gobbler, Not sure what state you are from, but if you plan to hunt N IL you may want to consider buying WI tags instead. Way more public land and tags are half the price of IL. If you still want to hunt IL, Google top IL hunting spots. You will find that #2 is public land on islands along the Mississippi River accessable by boat. The area also happens to border Pike County.
Good link....check out Mississippi River Pools 21, 22, 25 in west central region. Said to be full of lightly pressured deer.
Most of the islands are home to giants. Have to know what youre doing in the boat. Have at least 18/60 boat. I hunt mozantine and choteau. Some hard hunting but thats why the biggins are there. The sand around the islands can be very deceiving. If you ar walking in the water use Extreme cauition!!! You can be in ankle deep water one second and take one step into a 6 foot deep hole.... seen it happen. The river bottom is ever changing.
Until the season opens, this link will give you the deer harvest by site for 2013 and 2014: http://dnr.illinois.gov/dnrdirectmonitor/Deer/DeerArcherySHAs.aspx After the opening day, it will give the current year's kill at that moment and the prior year's total kill. You can select any listed site, any county, and whether you wish to see the harvest by sex (bucks, does). Enjoy! Tom
Yikes: Two areas: 1) one I hunt, 2) one I would like to hunt Jim Edgar Site "M" harvested 225 and 222 the last two years Sangchris had 38 and 30 the last two years
I was only looking at Sangchris in Sangamon County....real numbers are 146 and 123 and this is a much smaller park. So the numbers are good for both. Anyone Hunt Ray Norbut in Pike County on the Illinois River?
Doing a Illinois Public Land Hunt soon at lake Sangchris State Park. This was 100% free, just had to go online and sign up. Can't wait!
At Sangchris Lake, the Dove season is winding down. As of Sept. 15th, bowhunters can hang stands. I met a friend out there last night and we got his up. I have a few more I would like to hang before Oct 1st. Sangchris also offers a squirrel hunt and some great turkey hunting. Not to mention the water fowl.
