Hi all, I just got back from my week long trip at rack and wing hunt club in lanark illinois which is in the northwestern part of illinois. my hunting trip started off really slow on the farm i was assigned to but i was determined to sit dark to dark each day. with warmer temps and coming out of a full moon phase, it was hard at times to keep myself seated in my climber all day. three and half days i spent hunting the eastern side of a patch of woods between two corn fields. by sunday morning, my guide told me to try the western edge of the woods overlooking the other corn field and thick bedding area. this turned out to be my best move ever. Monday morning came with just a low of 57 degrees. it was definitely not feeling like hunting weather. but as always, i was determined to hunt no matter the circumstances. at daybreak i caught a deer walking along the bottom edge of the corn field. it was a small 8 pointer. i grunted just to get some entertainment. he turned and took a trail 11 yards from my stand. no more than 15 minutes later i hear something walking in front of me. i leaned out around the big group of trees in front of me and spotted this giant 8 pointer no more than 30 yards away. i quickly grabbed my bow and clipped my release on. the buck had to take just a few more steps for me to get a broadside shot. he did just as i wanted him to. i drew back, anchored, and steadied the pin and in no time, the arrow was on its way. the arrow hit its mark and the deer took off crashing. i watched the buck as far as i could before taking my eyes off him. when he was out of sight i thought i heard him crash but could not be certain since i didn't see it. after i calmed myself down enough to talk on the phone, i called my guide. he said to sit in my stand for 2 hours so as not to jump him. those 2 hours felt like an eternity. finally, my guide arrived and we picked up the blood trail at the point of impact. there was a steady trail that we followed for about 50 yards before the buck jumped a fence. since we did not have permission to hunt the adjoining property, we had to contact the landowner to obtain permission to continue tracking this deer. after about 3 hours of trying to get in contact with the adjoining landowner, we finally were able to meet the guy and explain the situation. after a little discussion, the landowner and i got on his fourwheeler and he took me to the area where i thought my deer headed. the fourwheeler path he took was about 40 yards from where my buck jumped the fence. after parking the fourwheeler, he said that we would follow me. from the path, i honestly took 3 steps and there my buck laid just 30 yards from the fence. i was ecstatic! my lifelong dream of taking a giant mid-west whitetail with a bow had finally come true. The buck had crashed right where i thought i heard him. From this point, i sent a text to all my wife, buddies and family to tell them that my illinois buck was down! I was so thrilled to have successfully accomplished harvesting my lifelong dream. The sport of bowhunting has taken my by storm ever since i got my first bow on my 13th birthday. I am 27 years old now and i love bowhunting more and more each year. I owe a huge thanks to matt (guide) and dan (owner) for everything they do for hunters to experience something as great as this. No words can describe how much fun i had at rack and wing hunt club. I hope the pictures were uploaded correctly. the buck scored 131 1/2 with a 21" inside spread. it is by far the biggest buck i have ever killed. thanks again rack and wing.
Congrats! That hunt club is very well known in that area for some Giant bucks. Good to see you got on one quick.
Congrats. I was there last year, without taking a deer. Still had a great time and saw one of the biggest bucks I ever saw while hunting. He just did not come in for a shot. I have plans to return next year.
