DuckSouth.com

Hey boys post up some Illinois outfitters yall know of. Buddy and I want to go and most of all wife has given me permision .

Also any tips would help.

try Doug Benefield @ Illinois Connection. GREAT place to hunt. Only takes 4 groups of hunters per year and it is during the pre rut/rut. http://www.illinoisbowhunting.com

This place is owned by 2 Mississippi boys. I havent hunted there nor do I vouch for their services. I have spoken with them about a hunt but have yet to book one. Thats all the info I have on them.


http://www.illinoisxtreme.com/

Try IMB Outfitters. They have alot of land in the same area as my lease. And they kill some monsters. IMB= Illinois Monster Bucks. I don't know their web address off hand.

FINALLY....a post from Scott Co.

Welcome,,,,feel free to jump in more often!

PeeWee,
Try calling the guys at Well's Creek Whitetails. They are good honest folks and will treat you right. I have been there 4 times, and it is not swanky, but all you ever need. The food is great. If you want an honest opinion go to Ohio or Kentucky or something like that. illinois is way overrated right now. I know some guys who hunt public land in southern Illinois that had some good luck this year and were not bothered by a lot of people.

JLT

I booked a hunt with Illinois Xtreme. Got me and four of my Vicksburg comradies going on the same week. I cant wait, this will be my first time to go out of state. I looked into that IMB outfitters too, I have heard nothing but good things from them too. Hopefully one us will be able to stick a pope & young but if we dont we gonna have a good time anyway. Thanks for the responses fellows.

I went this past season on a three day shotgun hunt in Nov. and was little disappointed. I didn't see the numbers I thought I should because the weather was great. It might be better in early Nov. with a bow.

agro where did you go.

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.

Me and six more friends went to Illinois Xtreme, I killed a 132 eight point and only one other person in my group saw a good enough deer to shoot.
The weather was perfect, we couldn't get on any good deer.