Hey guys, I'm basically just posting this to vent, as many of you can probably relate to my situation. So 2 years ago I had permission to hunt a 10 acre piece of property that was filled with rubs/scrapes and had lots of activity through it. Well come this year, I go to the piece of property (I didn't get a chance to scout this year) and a section of timber had been leveled out and a house has been built on it. This was my only private piece of land I was able to hunt, and now it's gone. I've knocked on hundreds of doors asking for permission and even offering half of the kill to the land owners. I feel extremely down in the dumps right now and very discouraged. I think it's a few factors that causing this, because frankly, I don't have friends or family that are hunters or own any property. The one friend I do have that also hunts, doesn't care to take me or teach me anything because I'm a newer hunter. It's just extremely frustrating because I am the type of person that would drop everything to go help out my friends, but when I want something as simple as somebody to show me the ropes, it's too much to ask. I know I'm rambling, but how did you guys start out? What suggestions do you have for me since I have no friends or family that are into hunting? I have a 1 year old son and want to teach him how to hunt for his food and to respect the land/animals and god will treat you well. Nobody has taught me this stuff, but I feel like I was just born with these morals, and I want to pass them on to my son. I dream of the day he's old enough for him and I to sit in the stand and I teach him how to become a hunter, but that will never happen if I don't have somebody to show me the ropes. I'm in Central IL, so if there is anyone out there that wants to show a new hunter the ropes, I'm all ears. I don't expect anyone to say "Yea man, come hunt my private property!", but someone to talk to about this stuff, or just a hunting buddy in general. The last resort I had was hunting public land, but it's so over hunted that I see 2-3 hunts walking past my stand every hunt (I've moved it multiple times with the same results sadly). Again, I'm so sorry I am rambling, but all of this stuff has just put me into a funk and I can't seem to break it. Appreciate your advice guys!
Youre in the right place. Im no expert by any means but know a little about alot. But incan tell you there are alot of people on here that do. What questions did you have in general?
its too damn bad you younger fellas have to deal with this. growing up, i could walk miles and miles of private riverbottom property and never a care. i still can hunt more land than i can hunt a year.
i was in a similar position with my inlaws. They are huge hunters, and i came from a family that knew nothing about hunting. I had always wanted to hunt from a young age but never had anyone to show me anything. So to make a long story short, the inlaws took me on a few hunts, put me in the crappiest of places, and in the 3 years i hunted with them never saw a single stinkin deer. This year i took all my gear, went out on my own, found some land and smacked 2 does early in the season. Meanwhile, they havent seen **** cause of a coyote infestation. Karma comes around my friend. Google earth has been my best friend. Stay patient and talk to the guys on the forums, they will point you in the right direction.
joining us here is a great start. plenty of people to learn from. read the posts, you'll learn a lot. be patient as the others have said. I was self taught, but i asked questions and still do after hunting for 25 years. When you go knocking on doors to hunt on what do you look like? presentation is everything. are you dressed up? If your dressed up lookin like a gangster, ain't nobody gonna let you on their land. do you offer to work the land if a farmer owns it? if they say no, be gracious and thank them for their time. check with the stated DNR and see if they have private land leased out for hunters to use. as for hunting experience, each day you spend in the woods, each encounter you have with a deer is a learning opportunity. Don't fret you'll screw up like the rest of do. but that's the fun of it. don't expect a monster to walk up and give you a shot on your first day out. as questions here and you'll get plenty of answers. don't be bummin. you'll find land and opportunity soon enough. you never know when it'll happen. good luck. let us know how it goes.
Lots of people on here from your area it seems. Maybe one of them will P.M. (private message) you some public land info their aware of that isn't highly pressured, if that even exists in Illinois. Come on guys help a fellow bowhunter out! I've seen people on craigslist before looking for a hunting partner to split the cost of a lease. Maybe that's something you could try in the future. Best of luck to you!
I have asked at about 15 farms this year and only landed one. I'm learning there are a few people that use the land but it works for me this year. Go ask around and keep asking. Gotta do the homework. I'll be back to the drawing board in the spring for more land. Just keep trying. Doesn't hurt to ask any questions.
I appreciate all of your help guys! I've been hunting a hand full of times, and I've pulled back on two ~120" bucks and both times my bow delimbed when I released because I was shaking too much from the adrenaline. It was such a disappointment when that happened, I felt like all of the odd's were against me.. When I go door to door, I am dressed up nicely (almost like church attire) and am very curtious and humble to the owners, after all, I'm thankful for there time to even talk to me! I wouldn't say that I have questions specifically, but more or less just need a hunting buddy to show me the ropes. I learn best from experience and I'm a visual person, so I think having a buddy or something show me the ropes would be absolutely perfect, but we're not all fortunate to have buddies that do go hunting and know what they are doing. I have a family friend who owns 80 acres in Montgomery county that told me this morning that I could not hunt his property this year because he believes the deer population is down. So it just seems to keep getting worse and worse as far as trying to find a piece of private property to hunt on.. Like I said, I want to be able to pass all of this potential knowledge and experience onto my son, but I can't do that if I don't have somebody show me the ropes. Man, I really need something to bring my spirits back up, it's so easy to get discouraged.
Your best bet is trying to find farms with deer problems like orchards or vineyards. I also start out by asking for trapping permission first get to know the farmer and they will most likely let you hunt. Most people are gun hunters too so if you say your only going to bow hunt they could be more willing. Hope this helps.
