Long story short, ready the long story :D ..Here is the story and a couple photos of my Halloween Weekend buck. Shot the afternoon of October 30th in Pike County off JZ's lease, Haven't scored him yet, Justin and I will do that tomorrow morning.. but I don't really care what he scores. I think he's a gorgeous buck. 20 yard heart shot and he was dead within 80 yards. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog/post/Illinois-Buck-Down!-Living-the-Bowhunters-Dream.aspx Super proud of this buck, you guys have no idea !
Welcome to IL, and not sure about the most beautiful views but the hunting is good. Guessing you have been here long enough to be a resident? If so, good luck with that second tag! Congrats
Thanks everyone! I've been here long enough to become a resident, but when I first moved out here the season was just two weeks away so I went ahead and just bought the non-resident license and combo tag so I wouldn't have to worry about changing my residency during the hunting season. If I knew I would have filled my buck and doe tag before November I probably would have changed my residency, but I'm not complaining! I do have an extra doe tag for the late season though! It may just be the particular piece of ground I was hunting, but I thought it was beautiful. Northern Illinois, on the other hand, is pretty desolate and boring, but Central and Southern Illinois reminded me of where I came from in Virginia minus the mountains. Beautiful rolling hills with steep ridges and ravines, winding creeks and farmland. Just something about that place I guess!
Yeah, some of Illinois can have the scenic moments, but for the most part it's flat. Might not be a bad idea to just call the IDNR and check on the residency thing. Not sure how it works but it could keep you out in the field behind a bow a little longer. The price you paid for the non-resident permit/license is pretty steep for a resident. Good luck whichever route you take.
Glad you got to make use of the lease and kill your first buck bro! Happier than hell for you! Now, If I'm not tagged out next weekend, you or JZ has to film me!
