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Illinois hunting

TreyB

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Anyone ever hunted Illinois public land? Me and my buddy thinking of getting archery permit and hunting there some. Probably southern portion of Shawnee.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Dude. We are like on the same wavelength this Summer. Crossbows. SNF.

I did some research earlier this Summer on Shawnee. I was focused on firearms (11/19-21 and 12/2-5) and ML (12/10-12). There are parts that are popular with other enthusiasts.

I was also focused on tent camping in the NF and thought these areas might be possibles for hunting and only tent camping: Jackson Falls, One Horse Gap Lake (primitive camping). Those are both in the Hidden Springs Ranger District. Bald Knob Wilderness and Panther Den Wilderness in the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District (those two are steeper).

Hope some others have hunted Shawnee and can give you some good info.
 
I hunted it about 10 years ago. Stayed in Harrisburg. Hunted a place called Sahara forest.
It was exclusively archery only. You have to get a permit to hunt it. The terrain was a bunch of reclaimed strip pits, not like any I had seen before. They more like piles of loose rock that were steep and had trees growing out of them.
Hard to find the right tree in the right spot with a climber. Lock on or a ground blind would work pretty well. There were some large open area's where the deer would bed and come in towards the strip pits to eat acorns and travel in bottom of them. The place has a paved road that goes in a circle around it. It does get hunted, mostly from locals, best I could tell. The game warden in the area at the time didn't care for people from Tn to much, he checked me one evening and there were some locals that had parked close by and I over herd some comments he was making about Hunters from Tn as I was walking up to my Truck with no light. He seemed to think I had a pistol on me because I was from Tn. Go figure, lol.
I saw some deer there , heard one hell of a fight one evening & saw them running in one of the open areas. I could have killed several times. Nothing what I went to Illinois for. it's pretty tough hunting in there. It's not the terrain, it was the set ups. I only had a climbing stand.
If you get a map of the area (Shawnee) and get out and ride around there are plenty of spots.
There's a good spot behind the Indian statue where you get your permit to hunt the Sahara Forest. The locals are nice at least the ones I met even offered me spots. My brother shot a big non- typical up there not to far from that statue. Lost it in the river. He was sick.
My suggestion to you is go up there one weekend in the next few weeks and ride around and get familiar. Good luck.
 
Hunted the southern Shawnee about 14 years ago. Saw the largest deer I've ever seen on the hoof 2 days in a row. Caught him bedded in a depression in an overgrown field and stalked to within 43 yards. He was facing away with the wind in my face just after a rain. Got about halfway drawn and he exploded like a kicked rabbit. Stood at 75 yards and gave me a nice long look. Two of us saw him and the other guy that did was from Illinois. We wrote down our score guesses and we both guessed a minimum of the upper 180's non-typical. That deer lives in my dreams! Lol! Don't remember the name of the campground, but I can tell you we were hunting next to a railroad track. There is also an underpass from a field to the woods on that track that my other buddy shot at a monster 10 on our last day as he came through the pass. He saw over a dozen deer use that pass that day. Our buddy from Illinois had a gun tag and shot a mid-140's 8 point there after we left. Good luck!!!!
 
I hunted it about 10 years ago. Stayed in Harrisburg. Hunted a place called Sahara forest.
It was exclusively archery only. You have to get a permit to hunt it. The terrain was a bunch of reclaimed strip pits, not like any I had seen before. They more like piles of loose rock that were steep and had trees growing out of them.
Hard to find the right tree in the right spot with a climber. Lock on or a ground blind would work pretty well. There were some large open area's where the deer would bed and come in towards the strip pits to eat acorns and travel in bottom of them. The place has a paved road that goes in a circle around it. It does get hunted, mostly from locals, best I could tell. The game warden in the area at the time didn't care for people from Tn to much, he checked me one evening and there were some locals that had parked close by and I over herd some comments he was making about Hunters from Tn as I was walking up to my Truck with no light. He seemed to think I had a pistol on me because I was from Tn. Go figure, lol.
I saw some deer there , heard one hell of a fight one evening & saw them running in one of the open areas. I could have killed several times. Nothing what I went to Illinois for. it's pretty tough hunting in there. It's not the terrain, it was the set ups. I only had a climbing stand.
If you get a map of the area (Shawnee) and get out and ride around there are plenty of spots.
There's a good spot behind the Indian statue where you get your permit to hunt the Sahara Forest. The locals are nice at least the ones I met even offered me spots. My brother shot a big non- typical up there not to far from that statue. Lost it in the river. He was sick.
My suggestion to you is go up there one weekend in the next few weeks and ride around and get familiar. Good luck.
There's a reason they feel that way around Harrisburg. A ton of people from my county go up there every year and ride around shooting deer with rifles from the truck. They've done it for decades, it's a generational thing. I get questioned about every time I'm up there turkey hunting because of my TN vehicle tags and county.
 
I have been squirrel hunting in Shawnee for the last 20 something years, I camp at pine hills camp ground near ANNA-JONESBORO , wolf lake is there also, lot of big deer in the area and I would go there if I wanted to try different terrain. Wear snake chaps if it aint cold weather and watch your step. got the Mississippi river bottoms and the high ridges to hunt so a little of all the good stuff to try . the camp ground is primitive but does have quality out houses lol good luck and have fun, some good folks up that way and never no problems with the locals while I have been there , maybe different for deer like other places but maybe not.
 
I didn't draw iowa so I'll be hunting southern Illinois public this season. Have already done some scouting back in June. Glassed some good bucks first morning.
 
I wouldn't give this damn state $400 for a tag.
I pay $175 for my landowner tag, a little more than 50% off. Resident landowner tags are free. It seems under that logic, my property taxes should be at least 50% off (of course their not).
 
I pay $175 for my landowner tag, a little more than 50% off. Resident landowner tags are free. It seems under that logic, my property taxes should be at least 50% off (of course their not).
Yup, Hellinois.
Been getting screwed for 49 years.
Hunted the Shawnee a few years ago by Alto Pass.
Too crowded down there
 
Didn't find much sign. Saw a couple does. Not sure if a plan b yet
 
Wonder where I can buy a good topo map of Shawnee?
 
Got anybody going with? I wouldn't care to tag along. I've been wanting to get out that way. Actually crazy I'm in Sturgis KY hunting rite now and only about 30 min from Shawnee forest
Just my buddy. Found some good sign at the same track the second time back. Already getting pics of does around the corn. Promising now. And got on a stud of a deer. Fingers crossed.
 

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