A buddy and I are trying to plan a trip to do public land hunting and I was curious if any of the states allowed out of state hunters to access public lands and if so, what kind of pricing I would be looking at. Any help would be appreciated.
all you really need is your non-resident license.....some forests require you to have a parking sticker...some require check-in and check-out, etc.... fyi: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/deer/Pages/default.aspx
Most of the state public lands are open to non-resident hunters, but not all. Your best bet is to consult the IL DNR website for a listing of the locations and their site-specific rules. The ones that are walk-in do not cost anything to hunt. However, you will need to puchase an Illinois hunting license, habitat stamp, and archery permit. Again, you can learn all of this info on the IL DNR website. That's the best place to look. http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/default.aspx
Good advise already given above. there is plenty of public land to check out and it can be rather rewarding if you put your time in. Many of the sites have restrictions to some degree, so make sure you read the "hunter fact sheet" for the pieces you decide to check out. For a taste - here is a buck I got on Illinois public ground in 2010.
Dave S are you actually Michael Waddell? You look similiar. Anyways, please note that there are some public land sites that require you to submit an application for a lottery in Spring. I ran across some non-resident hunters at JEPC/Site M last year at the campground (we were actually hunting another public land about :30 min away) and they were frustrated 'cause they showed up from Georgia and were denied access to the thousands of acres 'cause they did not have appropriate access. Apparently, for 3-4 weeks at that site non-residents get a week-long permit to the public land to hunt if they are selected in the lottery. This group was pi$$ed 'cause they had already spent more than $400 per person on license/permits with no place to hunt!! We directed them to some other sites including where we were hunting and they ended up tagging a couple of does for the week. Please note that in some of these areas of public land the locals have no use for non-residents or even residents from hours away like my hunting partner and I!!!! I do not understand why 'cause we are generating revenue to their local business, but apparently they believe that we are going to kill THEIR deer.
Locals can be 'funny'. I tread lightly and stay polite. Nothing upsets people more than showing up clueless about a piece of ground, scouting during the season, messing up others trying to hunt on their day(s) off, coming into the woods late or leaving early because you don’t know your way out, taking up entire parking areas because you parked funny, complaining about your hunt (bad shot, warm weather, no deer seen). In general be pleasant. If there are a couple of you in the same parking lot, speak to one another and have a map. it will make a world of difference to share a couple vague game plans so your not sitting on each other and provide piece of mind for others sharing the woods around you that day. It’s also important to keep in mind that Illinois has certain CWD laws which pertain to the transport of certain animal parts. You should be familiar with them and have a plan on how to get your harvest back home with you. btw... not Michael.... just Dave : )
