OK, it’s official, we’re hunting in the “lock down” period. Those bucks are undoubtedly attached to the does now. Where the does go is where you’ll find the bad boys. If you’re not just hunting for the meat, you may want to allow a doe to pass by your stand now as a big bad buck just may be a minute behind her. For those of you who will be gun hunting this week, keep your eyes peeled farther out before you squeeze off some lead. I’ve seen some big bucks, mostly at night, almost attached at the hip with their does. They’re very active now, even if you can’t see them near your stand, so be patient as they won’t necessarily be moving great distances.

Good luck and lets hear some stories!

Not seeing much here again, although last Friday the action was hot. It won’t be long and these bucks will be holding tight with their favorite does! With shotgun season just days away, I really want to hit it hard to avoid the added pressure from the gun hunters. Even if I don’t score, the period between both gun seasons (first and second) is usually pretty good though. My prediction is that second season will be better than the first due to the late corn harvests! We still have a ton of standing corn here in central, IL. but chances are it will be gone by the second season, that is if the rain ever stops.

Whatever you do, don’t give in to this rain! Hunt it hard! There have been many, many great bucks taken during the rain. Look under downed trees, small ditches, sides of gullies and other inconspicuous places. You’d be surprised to find how tight these big bucks will hold when pursued in really wet conditions! Put on a rain suit, and fight mother nature. This is what its all about!

The greater the pain, the greater the reward! Illinois hunters have what it takes!

Thirty minutes later, a buck screams by me chasing a doe. Another 20 minutes or so goes by and I was snorted at by a buck behind me! That’s twice I’ve been busted this week by a buck coming from behind me! (That’s the risk you take when hunting from the ground). Thirty more minutes went by and I decided to rattle some antlers only to have another buck come in. He was a nice 140 class buck that I decided to let walk. Wow! This is a far cry from the dead zone I hunted in for the last 6 days!

I purposely set out today in the afternoon as I could see the weather changing. Any time the weather changes, especially from good to bad (or at least worsening), it’s a great time to hit the timber! For some reason, this change gets them really moving. I noticed this type of behavior 20 years ago when the weather went from good to bad and have tested this theory over and over. With the rut being on, it just made it even nicer! Not sure what the weather is going to do to us this week, as they are forecasting rain for days but I can tell you this, once the weather hits, get out and hunt when it breaks for the good! (I’m not saying don’t hunt in the rain, just make sure you DO hunt when the weather breaks). When deer are holed up (not so sure they will be for long with the rut going on), they can’t wait to come out once the weather turns good! It’s that first good day that seems to get them motivated. That may just happen to be the gun opener this Friday!

Good luck to all!

I shouldn’t complain but I guess I’m more surprised than anything. Or maybe I’m just used to hunting in October? Or maybe the deer are on to me? Or maybe I’m just impatient? I’d give anything to hunt a brand new piece of property about now! Even though I’ve hunted 4 different pieces this year with mixed results, I’d be willing to bet that any of those places would be better than this piece! I saw a coyote yesterday chase a mouse. I almost shot the song dog but I felt sorry for him working his tail off for a little bit of food. He reminded me of…me. All I really want for crying out loud is a doe to make some jerky from! I gave my KY. buck away and only have 1 deer in the freezer. Not enough for jerky, chili, butterfly chops or teriyaki marinated back straps. I’d really hate to resort in grocery shopping for some jerky meat.

OK, the rant is over. I’m not expecting sympathy, maybe just a bit of empathy. Lets hope next week’s, 4 days of rain forecast, doesn’t make things worse for us!  Either way, I refuse to give up!

Any action your way?

“He put out estrous in two mock scrapes he made, and settled against a huge white pine. Nick thought he heard a squirrel, but then thought it must be a deer because it sounded more like something walking. It was coming toward his direction from behind him, and to his right. He looked over his right shoulder as the deer came through an opening. He was surprised at how big it was. The buck was on the move. Nick mouth grunted and the buck locked up and looked directly at him from 30 yards away. He steadied his 30/30 and squeezed the trigger. The buck fell dead in its tracks. I have never seen or heard a kid so excited in my life. I am pretty sure he is hooked!! Oh. I may have created a monster”!

That’s a pretty good buck for the state of CT! Congrats Nick!

You guessed it, Chuck is family, my cousin to be exact. Nice going Chuck! I’m glad you didn’t give up when things weren’t exciting.

There are many different ways to rattle antlers but the main thing to remember is just to make it sound as close to a real life situation as possible. Some scuffling of leaves, a few hard clanks to get things going, along with some short interlocking of antlers will certainly do the trick! The higher lever of hormone saturation within their body, the less thought will go into caution. It’s kind of like teenage boys! Here in Illinois, you couldn’t be sitting better. You’re in a great whitetail state, close to the peak of rut and whitetails that are on the move. Please don’t think if you are hunting anywhere outside of the golden triangle that your odds of hammering a trophy buck are nil, as that couldn’t be more to the contrary! Your bigger bucks are thriving in smaller areas, in smaller timber patches and in many cases, places that humans inhibit close by!

Grab your grunt calls, rattling antlers, does estrus urine and go out and get some action! This is the time in Illinois that most hunters dream about!

A quartering head-on shot, the kind I really hate to take, commanded this ole boy to take a nap. A big 5X6 with 5 stickers, this 16 pointer will visit the other animals I have hanging around in my home! It’s really heating up out there now and I don’t mean temperature wise. FYI, don’t let the warmer temps hold you back from hunting next week or even this week as these bucks could care less how hot or cold it will be! This rut thing breaks all of the rules.

Good luck to all!   

It’s only going to get better from here! Good luck to everyone.

P.S. Remember, if you kill a mature buck and don’t want to mount it, I may be interested in buying the cape from you! Every year someone cuts their cape too short for a mount!

Speaking of the rut, there’s no doubt these bucks are ready to go here in central IL. Contrary to popular belief, the rut is activated by the diminishing sunlight and not the cool weather. Cool weather will cause the deer to move more but rutting activity is directly related to the sunlight. Something that most hunters haven’t taken into consideration is the fact that we’ve had so much rain and cloudiness in the last 2 months! That means less sunlight and a quicker rut! Proof of this rutting activity was in my back yard yesterday when a buck attempted to mount my 3-d target at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. In addition to that pathetic scene, the bucks that have been coming into my taxidermy studio have been nothing less than huge necked monsters. I’ve also noticed that the deer movement is happening all day, especially in the midday, around noon to 2:00 p.m.

OK, it’s official, time to get some vacation days from work and move your rear-ends outside! These next two weeks are going to show Illinois deer hunters plenty of action, regardless of the standing crops.

Good luck!

Luke Perring
17 Years Old
10-24-09
DeWitt County
Bowtech 82nd Airborne
7 scorable points

This is my second year bowhunting and I made it my goal to kill my first deer with my bow this year, not a big buck, just a deer, thats all I wanted. Having missed alot of oppurtunities on good bucks last year I wanted to redeem myself. The year started well and I saw alot of does and managed to harvest one finally, then it was time to look for a good buck.

We had so much rain the week before and by the time I arrived at my spot I realized that the creek had flooded and none of my stands were on dry land, so one of my friends that hunts the samepiece let me sit in a ladder stand overlooking a large set a side field with about 6 foot tall grass. After seeing several does I could hear another deer coming out of the field but couldn’t see what it was. Finally I saw ivory white antlers, I looked with my binoculars to see a nine point buck rubbing his antlers on the grass and eating, he was a shooter. He finally came of but he was a good sixty yards away and would not respond to my calling and left the area.

It was almost dark and I began to hear another deer coming from the field, I looked over my shoulder to see a very large bodied buck coming towards me, and he was definitely a shooter! Once he put his head down into the grass I stood up with my bow. He finally came into range but was quartering towards me, I thought about taking the shot in the chest but decided against it since he would offer me a better shot. He began to walk broadside and I stopped him with a “MEH!”. His head rose and he looked up at me and I settled my pin behind his shoulder and squeezed off the trigger, the arrow dissapeared into his vitals and he humped over and took off down the clearcut. I could tell he was hit good, I waited in the stand to settle down because I was in shock.

We arrived the next morning to find him around 9 AM. To our surprise the creek had risen much more over night and we had to wade through waste deep water to find him. We practically swam down the clearcut to see a horn emerging from the water, it was him not more than seventy yards from my stand. We dragged him out of the overspilled creek (he was not a light weight!). Finally I got to admire what I had brought down, I was very satisfied with my first archery buck!

I’ve already seen bucks with swollen necks come into my taxidermy studio, earlier than last year, which could indicate an earlier than normal rut, or at least, activity. Here are some basic techniques for you look at when using scents:

Dragging a Cotton Ball

Good move and works great if you do it correctly. Once you have left your vehicle, have taken your clothes out of that plastic bag, have walked a fair amount of distance away from your vehicle, tie a cotton ball with a couple of feet of string attached to your shoe. Place a SMALL amount of estrus urine on the cotton. Walk towards your stand. When about a third of the way, load a bit more estrus to the cotton, keep walking. Keep “heating” up the cotton until just before getting to your stand, then load it up good! Now before I go any farther, you just created a weak scent and slowly made it more prominent as you walked to your stand. Now you don’t have to worry about which way the buck will go once he finds it! He’ll only go towards the stronger scent, which is towards your stand. OK, once you are near your stand, stop 20 yards before getting to your stand and load that baby up to the sky! Walk in a complete circle 20 yards out all around your stand. Once you completed your stroll, drop the ball at that 20-yard spot and walk back to your stand and climb it. What you just did is created a “scent highway” that will direct a buck to walk to your shooting site, but not to YOU. He’ll walk around your stand 20 yards out in a complete circle, offering you a shot somewhere in that circle, instead of walking directly to you! One word of caution here. If you decide to use this cotton technique, don’t lollygag around! Get the job done and move! During the rut, these bucks can be very dangerous once they whiff your scents.
 
Branch Scents

A unique way of attracting bucks. Some manufacturers make gels that contain pre-orbital and forehead glands from whitetails for use on overhanging limbs, directly over a scrape. This is a great way to keep the attention of a buck as they frequently visit this location over and over.

Working Scrapes

Scrapes can be an asset in aiding a hunter in his/her quest of a big buck, but knowing when to hunt scrapes can make or break the hunt! Hunting mock scrapes that were created by you or working a scrape that was created by a buck, either way, there is a right way and a wrong way. Hunting a scrape can be dangerous, not in the true meaning of this word, but in losing a big buck. A scrape is a cornucopia of scents for the whitetail. His scent, her scent, the other guys scent and YOUR SCENT, if you’re not careful! Don’t think you can get near a scrape over and over again and not leave your scent behind. It happens. When it happens, they go nocturnal and so does your chance of killing him. Most hunters leave branch gels, estrus scents, etc. and sit and wait and sit and wait, etc…..and sometimes they get him. Other times, not. If you don’t get your buck after working that scrape for a long period of time, chances are he went nocturnal. Now what? Well, nocturnal or not, he’ll come back, mostly at night, except in bad weather! This one is missed over and over again by trophy hunters. When it rains, their scent gets covered up and they know it! They can’t stand it, rain or not, they’ll come back. Windy day? Oh yea, count on it. With leaves covering up their scent, they’ll be there. They will guard it with their lives. I can tell you of countless times when I have tested this strategy. A big buck prefers to freshen his scrape every few hours if not disturbed, so be careful!!! I’ve tested this technique in 70 degree weather, 30 mile per hour winds. It works.

Working Gullies

Works well! Loading up some rags with estrus and hanging them at the top of the gully closure will push that scent throughout the gully. The gully acts like a ducted vent system in your home and really pushes and confines that scent within. This is a very concentrated scent push and will get the attention of any big buck holding out deep in a crevice. When the bucks travel to your destination (at the top of the gully), they usually have their noses towards the ground giving you the ability to get a clean shot.

Also remember…

1. Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be sick. Contact your state game and fish department if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.
2. Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing your deer.
3. Bone out the meat from your animal. Don’t saw through bone, and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord (backbone).
4. Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
5. Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
6. Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. (Normal field dressing coupled with boning out a carcass will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.)
7. Avoid consuming the meat from any animal that tests positive for EHD or other serious diseases.
8. If you have your deer commercially processed, request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.

After the kill!

Field dress your deer quickly for great tasting meat! Remember to also cool down the meat and the hide (if you’re going to mount the deer) quickly to avoid damage to your cape and to the meat.

Every book needs pictures and I’m horrible at taking pictures, just ask anyone who knows me. I always get the wrong angle, too much light, not enough resolution, etc. So now, I have to learn how to get better shots! Then there’s the content. It absolutely cannot be the same material that you read in the other 50 million whitetail books!  Creativity? Style? Maybe I should just sit down and write and in the end, I’ll just somehow put it all together. One nice thing is I can go in my game room and look at any one of my heads and the entire story just seems to come back naturally. That’s just one thing that some spouses don’t understand. I’ve heard wives from some friends of mine say “How on earth can you remember that hunt in detail but not our….” to their husbands. Some people just don’t seem to understand! I guess that’s one thing that makes hunting so enjoyable. I can still remember the laughs, the bad weather, the good times, the restaurant food, etc. and all of the other memories that came with all of the hunting trips. Isn’t that one reason we all fight to keep this alive for our kids?

Well, I think I’ll start off with the title! Maybe in a few months, I’ll lock that down! From there, we’ll just take it as it goes. Who knows, between now and then, I may just have another story to tell that will be worth writing about.

After receiving numerous emails about posting a picture of my latest buck (and me instructing them to go to Tim’s blog), I just gave up and posted my 2009 KY. buck here. It rough (gross) scores about 182” as a typical and will net in the 176” range or so. Thanks for asking though.

On another note, I’ll be speaking on live radio over the XM, Sirius and VOM radio networks next week on the 22nd. at 9:15 am. regarding whitetails. It will last about 30 minutes or so. I hope they don’t ask me questions that are too tough!

Is anyone else going to Wolf Hollow this week for the Utah concealed carry class? How about the Whitetails Unlimited banquet in Eureka?  Looking forward to both!

I was surprised to find two real bruisers roaming the land awfully early, compared to the last several seasons. Although I mentioned earlier in one of my blogs that all indicators were pointing towards a great season, I really didn’t expect the activity to happen so soon. The does were very active in the morning and into the evening and the bucks came out of the woodwork, long enough for me to identify 2 studs that would tap into the 160” typical category.  OK, I’m officially pumped again! This year could just be my most exciting year ever hunting whitetails. The Kentucky trip was what dreams are made out of and taking a buck of a lifetime there, was just the icing on the cake. The Ohio trip was a ton of fun but I still have an unfilled tag there, so I’ll try to get back there as soon as I can. Now I’ve got Illinois to look forward to! I love to hunt deer!!!

On another note, I’ll be speaking at the Eureka High School this week, in a new science class that was just created not so long ago. I just wanted to say that this is a really neat thing here and I’ll explain why. This science class is going to incorporate HUNTING, that’s right HUNTING in it’s curriculum! They asked me to come and speak and deliver a message regarding many aspects of hunting and animal identification. They also plan on teaching a basic archery session in this class! What a neat idea. If it goes over well, this could be the beginning of school sponsored hunting classes that will allow today’s youth to have the basic skills and knowledge on how to hunt. They even are attempting to get a safety instructor here from the DNR to offer the hunter’s safety certification. As you can probably guess, the DNR hasn’t returned the call to the school regarding a safety instructor, so if any of you know how to point us to a state certified safety instructor that can help us in getting this scheduled, it would be appreciated! This is a really big deal as the response is already overwhelming with the students AND the teachers! If we can launch this with success, we can carry this idea to the other schools across the state. From there, who knows?

Hats off to Eureka High School teacher Matt O’Hanlon and principal Rich Wherley for initiating and working outside the envelope by bringing our heritage in our schools! My objective will be to instruct and to explain why we need to hunt, manage animals, ethical procedures and safety. My purpose will also be to educate the non hunters, the adverse effects of no animal population control. I hope we can educate the public and give them a better understanding what our sport is all about.

I just wanted to mention that teacher Matt O’Hanlon is not a hunter, yet he initiated this idea! He’s all for hunting, just has never done it. Rich Wherley is an avid hunter and is fully in support of this curriculum.

When it rains like it has been, try still hunting close to downed timber. Deer like to crawl up and under downed timber when it rains for a decent amount of time. Many times you can approach downed logs slowly as deer usually hold tight until almost stepped on.

If anyone drops a mature buck and doesn’t want to mount it, contact me! I’ll buy the capes! Every year I get someone who cuts the cape too short thus ruining their chances of a mount. I BUY CAPES!

Reminders:

Wolf Hollow will be holding a concealed carry class on Oct.16th and maybe the 17th. Don’t forget to sign up!

Whitetail Unlimited will be having their banquet Oct.17th in Eureka @ 5:00 pm for social hour and 7:00 pm for dinner.

Vital Gear makes drop away rests and sights for archers. Their stuff is top-notch, hands down! Before I go any farther, it’s important for my readers to know that I’m on their pro staff, so you may want to read my article with scrutiny. What I want you to know is that I’ve accepted this position BECAUSE their products are so great, something I won’t do unless I am totally convinced of their performance. Having said that much, I’ll let you know why I like their products.

Their sights.

I’m going to sum up a quotation from Larry Pollack from Wolf Hollow archery who says “Once anyone tries a Vital Gear sight, nothing else even interests them”. Vital Gear’s sights are made with 3 feet of fiber optic material in addition to glow-in-the-dark tape. What an ingenious idea! These sights glow like an electric site when it’s near dark out! In fact, Vital Gear’s sights are so bright, they even make some light reduction rings to go over them if needed. I was reminded last night when I took my son out bow hunting and as we stood there on the ground, he looked over and said “Dad, your sight is awesome”! I recently bought my son a used bow and the sight that was on it was another brand as I haven’t switched sights for him yet. Using 3 FEET of fiber optic compared to a couple of inches with other brands, maybe you can see what I’m talking about. The glow-in-the-dark tape also holds the light when the sun goes down for a sufficient amount of time making those last minutes, when deer are active, really count! Simply a great idea.

Their rests.

Vital Gear holds the patents for the drop away, the arrow hold clamp and many other features. In fact, many companies have tried to steal their ideas only to wind up in court and lose, every time. There’s a good reason everyone has been trying to copy Vital Gear’s ideas, they’re great! The Vital Gear drop away rests actually capture your arrow and clamp it, preventing it from falling off the rest. So, in essence, you can stalk, move, etc., without having to worry about your arrow slapping around making noise, etc. Once in full draw, the clamp releases the arrow and the drop away feature is activated once the arrow is launched. I get consistent groups even at 40 yards with my Vital Gear rest. I haven’t tried shooting past that point yet as I don’t plan on taking any game farther out that that. My rest uses two magnets, arranged in opposite polarity, to push the rest out of the way instead of using springs. Ben Afshari, the owner/inventor of the Vital Gear products, states that the magnets are good for 50 years +. Every part is machined to a “press fit” with no slop, so all movement is totally quiet. Ben is an extremely smart individual. A degreed physicist and an avid hunter, let me tell you, this guys knows his stuff! He’s invented some outstanding arrows, sights, rests and many other things that he hasn’t even marketed. I was fortunate enough to have visited him at his research facility in Lexington, when at that point, he showed me some new ideas that he’ll be incorporating into some of his next products. His ideas are amazing!

I spoke with Larry Pollack, from Wolf Hollow archery last month and he explained to me that Vital Gear’s products are his cream of the crop. He stays in contact with Ben, the owner of Vital Gear as to keep up on the latest factory methods, updates, etc. When I hear a seasoned pro-shop owner like Larry Pollack speak highly of a product, I take it to heart. Larry has been in business for 16 years at the same location and he knows his stuff. Larry was the only person who knew anything about my 20 year old Oneida when I was looking desperately for someone to fix it. He knows the equipment he sells, keeps up with the latest upgrades and techniques and his customer service is second to none. You can’t put a price on experience and Larry has plenty of it!  It’s comforting knowing that when I take my bow in for anything mechanical, it will be done right, the first time and ready for the woods. Larry commented on Vital Gear’s products when I visited him: “Marc,  I’ve sold VG for many years. Starting with the first drop rest with a built in arrow holder. It didn’t take long for the word to spread and it became our number one seller. VG has always come up with new and innovative approaches for the archery industry. All of VG’s accessories are built tough”. He also mentioned to me that anyone buying a bow from him gets 10% off their accessories (excluding arrows) and a life time service agreement. Bring your bow back once a year and they’ll lube it, set them to specs and paper tune the bow for free as long as they own it. Larry stated to me: ” I’ve been in business for 16 years at this same location. I started this business with customer service and satisfaction as my two top priorities”. So if you want a winning combination, you won’t go wrong with Vital Gear and Wolf Hollow archery!

You can visit Vital Gear at http://www.vitalgear.net

You can contact Wolf Hollow Archery at 309-274-WOLF (9653)

Off to the timber…

Contact Darel Martin at 309-389-4988 or at 309-369-8265. You can also go online at http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com 

Tickets will not be sold at the door.

It was a great day to hunt on the ground though! This light breeze makes it very easy to draw your bow without being detected! The deer are so used to the trees and brush moving in the wind, it doesn’t spook them when you make the move to crank your bow back. It was also a very “fall” like day and the deer were moving very well. I love these kind of days! I have other plans tonight, so I won’t be in the woods later. My youngest child just turned into a teenager this morning, so it’s official, I have 3 teens and no more “children”. Actually, I’m looking forward in celebrating her birthday, so the deer are safe tonight! Tomorrow may be another story!

Usually, I make some stupid mistakes every opening week of bow season but this year, I’ve already made them out-of-state. So, I should be ready to go! Unfortunately, I don’t have too much patterned here where I hunt, so I’m going to have to hunt differently. I don’t have anything big on trail cameras, nothing worth mentioning that I’ve seen recently or any massive sign that’s worth looking in to. Given that much info, I’ll have to switch strategies. Although I did see some nice bucks in the vicinity earlier in the late summer, they weren’t really dominant to my hunting area, so maybe I’ll see them in the rut.

It’s time to wipe the rust off everyone. Remember, clean clothes, safety harness, wind direction, noise control (especially when you approach the woods) and of course, patience. If you are lucky enough to harvest a deer, gut it quickly to preserve the flavor and if it’s a mountable buck, COOL down that hide fast! When cutting the deer, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, cut away from you! Unfortunately, there always seem to be a serious injury every year. Lets make this year different! It’s just not worth it to leave family and friends behind all because of laziness. The same goes with the safety harness!

I think we’re going to have a good opener. That’s my gut feeling and I hope it unfolds that way. Please remember, if anyone needs advice, recommendations, etc., please contact one of us here at PSO. Tim Walmsley and Kevin Chapman are both official scorers and will happily assist you if needed! We can also point you to some local taxidermist (central IL is blessed with several great taxidermist), meat processers & packing facilities and so forth. Of course, if you have a story worth sharing, we all here can assist you with that also!

Good luck and let her rip!

When planning my hunt to Kentucky and Ohio recently, I used the internet. Often, I get emails from readers that ask this or that, or are simply responding to questions I’ve asked them. Before you know it, relationships were built. Building relationships are the key to anyone’s success when obtaining future places to hunt. With the added frustration in trying to find a place to hunt for most people, a different approach can achieve amazing results. People who live out of our state, often express their desire to hunt whitetails here in IL. Many hunters here in IL. dream of hunting big game, far from the flat fields of golden, that we call corn.  Can there be a solution here? I think so. Trading places to hunt can be very rewarding! Some might say “I don’t have a place to trade”. My advice to you is, “Not so fast”.

Illinois, despite it’s political infiltration of our sport, still has a lot to offer. Everyone knows our Midwest, corn fed bruisers are some of the most sought after game animals anywhere to be found. Most out of state hunters aren’t necessarily looking for private land to hunt on, as they are for a location.  Inside advice can be worth it’s weight in gold if it is obtained from a reliable source. That’s where you come in! Believe it or not, Illinois DOES have many promising state owned parks (although keeping them open could be an issue) that are easy to access and provide quality whitetail hunting, without the crowds. Any person doing some basic due diligence, can easily find these parcels I’m referring to. Don’t expect the DNR to do your homework for you as you probably won’t find more than the technical data on their website but use the information they provide you as a starting point. If you can locate a quality, low traffic state park to offer for exchange, bets are you’ll have an interested party on the other end. After all, it’s Illinois you’re talking about here! My bet is and experience has proven, most out of state hunters look at Illinois hunting as an opportunity. Use this tool! Believe it or not, many of our state parks have little to no traffic during many parts of the season…..FIND THE TIMES!

When working on a deal, try to put yourself in the other’s position. Would you want to open the door up to some well mannered, respectful hunter who shares the same goals that you do, or rather a haphazard type who spends much of his time bragging about how many deer he’s killed in 1 week, how he/she has “tricked” the system, etc? It doesn’t take long to capture another person’s ideals or goals. It’s the first step to building a respectful relationship! Once achieved, most relationships are ever lasting and can be very rewarding. The relationships I’ve built over the years with other hunters has been nothing short of enjoyable. I was amazed by the hospitality and the willingness to help, by the very strangers I met WHILE hunting out of state. One would think there would be some animosity between the local hunters and the out of state hunters, especially once a trophy buck was harvested. If there was, I surely didn’t see it! In fact, it was quite the contrary! I don’t think I could have met nicer people hunting afar as I did recently. I hope I can return the favor to our out of state guests!

Words of wisdom that I can recommend to anyone who might be fortunate enough to hunt another’s property would be, stay in tuned with THEIR goals for THEIR property and to respect the fact that they might have different opinions than you with regard to what to shoot! Also remember, don’t think for a minute that you can get sloppy on your last days with them as I’ll almost guarantee, you’re behavior is being monitored for any possible future visits! One example happened last night when I passed on a 140 class buck that came within shooting distance from me. Although the landowner gave me his blessing to shoot anything over 130”, it was evident through discussion, his goal was to save as many bucks that would have possibilities to become 150” class next year. Low and behold, as the evening was coming to a close last night, a buck matching the aforementioned description came strutting by me with no clue that my arrow was aiming right at him! It was tough but I opted to let him pass. Although I captured most of it on video, SO DID HE! He expressed his gratitude later for that decision to respect his property. Little did I know he had a motion detected video camera running not far from where I was on the ground. After watching the video, I could see on his face he felt good about what had happened. Another relationship built!

I’ll be back into the woods here shortly, so hopefully, I’ll see that buckeye bruiser I’ve been waiting for! This was a great time on the road hunting my dream animal! The nice thing is I’ll be able to come home and do it all over again! Looking forward to hunting my home state!

Going to take a well needed nap! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Updates will follow!

UPDATE: I passed on a 140” buck but I did get him on video pasing by me by holding my bow. Other than that, I saw 5 does but they were too far out to shoot or I would have dusted one of them. Will try it again tomorrow!