Postby Jeff » Sat Feb 25, 2006 8:49 pm
I have no info on outfitters, but can give you a few tips. First off you DON"T have to go to Pike or Adams CO for big deer. Most of the rural counties in IL, have big deer. Some aren't manage like some of the places in Pike or Adams, but big deer are there. I killed a 157 on my familys place out there this year and it was not near the biggest seen on the farm this year. We always hunt the week before the gun season with a bow, and then the first gun season. If you go during that time period you are almost assured good rut hunting. We have also hunted the second gun season and done well. However in my opinon most of what you hunt up there is small woodlots and the deer go from one wood lot to the other. Therefore after the first gun season a lot of the mature bucks move onto ground that isn't hunted and believe me they know where it is. There is a place on my inlaws that they border a farm that gets hunted by guys that shoot the first thing that moves. We always station someone on the two escape routes out of there to our property and you almost always see big deer coming out of there headed straight to the land that adjoins us that isn't hunted. So if you can hunt before the big push of pressure arrives, you will be better off in my opinoin. Hope that helps somewhat.