You guys want to see something that will darn near make you cry, check this out. http://www.illinoisbowhunting.com/2009photo.htm These guys hunt a ton of ground virtually right next to where we hunt in West Central IL. Year after year they produce some GIANTS. And they take great photos too, which is good to see. If you like big bucks, you'll enjoy this.
Talk about a group of behomeths... that one that's all palmated out and has three tines coming out of the end is just unreal. Of course, then again... so are a lot of those bucks!
Please tell me this isn't from one season???? EDIT... 2009 RESULTS Boone & Crocketts Harvested (4 in 200 class, 2 in 180 class and 5 in 170 class) 52 Trophy Bucks Harvested 11 Missed 14 Wounded 57 Passed/Blown opportunities at 130 or larger
Illinois Connection offers some of the best bow hunting in the state of Illinois. Arguably some of the best hunting in the world. Having been predominately archery for many years we now offer a limited number of firearm hunts. Illinois Connection operates on over 15,000 privately owned acres located in West Central Illinois, dead in the middle of what is referred to as the Golden Triangle (Pike, Brown, Adams, & Schuyler Counties). Our ground is much undulated offering a mixture of heavy timber (75%) and agriculture (25%).
That's a little over 23sq. mi.. I don't care where ya are....they're harvesting; wounding or passing on 130 total bucks (not to mention/count the ones that don't qualify as shooters). That's just phenomenal. What a place.
22009 RESULTS 0∙ Boone & Crocketts Harvested (4 in 200 class, 2 in 180 class and 5 in 170 class) 0∙ 52 Trophy Bucks Harvested 0∙ 11 Missed 0∙ 14 Wounded 0∙ 57 Passed/Blown opportunities at 130 or larger
For a little bit we actually thought that one of those bucks was Stickers that we saw and I passed up twice the previous year.
those are some monsters. i wonder if it's fenced or something like that i've seen many great bucks harvested only to find out the people who "hunted" them actually just wrote a check and picked their buck. not saying this is the case, i guess i'm just not that trusting
They can't.. which is why we wanted the ground we have so much. Unfortunately.. mother nature said otherwise and kept the "creek" we have to cross at ridiculous levels.. and cutting off much of our deer with her. At one point during the season.. just before the first week in November or so.. our little creek reached depths of 15'+.. and she rages with a force to be reckoned with. The 'little muddy' as I call it.. is EXTREMELY dangerous at flood levels. We've seen it rise 4" in 2 hours... 4' in one night. It's wild. But its got a cool and gruesome history to it (i looked it up). Almost lost my life to that thing.. along with JZ. It would be suicidal for a deer... let alone a man. If central Illinois returns to a less event-full rain schedule this season.. I fully expect JZ to knock down a brute on that lease this year. I can totally see some of the genetics we're familiar with from the previous year out there. What a collection!
"Our larger tracts have a 150 inch minimum with a $1000 fine", that's how you do it! You gotta wonder how many have paid the fine? Pretty amazing stuff
Ours was 80 acres... $4000.. and another $200 for insurance. Its no longer mine.. as I just can't take the 6 hour drive on weekends.. especially with the expected little one due in June. But.. my suggestion would be to get on the east side of the 'lil muddy'... then you'll be on the same side of that outfitter... more or less. If you need help.. Justin or I can guide you to the right areas... more or less.
That lodge is next door to the place that Deb and I hunted for 2.5 days last year. I heard the Doug (the owner of I.C.) paid $100 per acre to lease the land across the street. (eek!) He runs a zillion hunters through but they still seem to knock down some brutes. That's what a minimum size restriction will do for hunting properties.
