ilhnter

Hoosier, there is a "dead area" above the lungs and below the spine that you can hit and not hit lungs or the spine and the deer will heal up and live. The only reason I know this is because I've hit it. I shot a doe a couple years ago and hit her high. The was no blood on my arrow, just fat. I thought I maybe just grazed the top of her. Two weeks later my brother killed her. Like I said she was hit right below the spine just behind the front shoulder and the wound on both sides of her body were healed up pretty good and had no infections that we could see. When we gutted her out there was no damage done to her lungs or any other organs. She was with a few other deer and was moving just fine, so the wound wasn't affecting her. I was with my brother the night he killed her so I saw all of this first hand, so it is possible.

Sorry guys.........killed a doe and a spike opening day of Illinois shotgun season, but we had a camera malfunction and didn't get any pics of the tag or me with the deer. I still have until mid Jan to bow hunt, so hopefully I will get a deer and the pics.

Well the opening weekend of Illinois shotgun season was one I soon won't forget. My dad, wife, and I hunt a little 40 acre piece of property and there was deer all over it this weekend. Opening morning I had a spike chasing a doe come out into the field at 20 yds. The doe got out to around 75 yds, but the spike was still around 25 yds so I shot him and he took off, well she turned and ran back towards the woods right at me. I got her to stop and shot her. Thats it my season over at 7:45 on opening day. It wasn't 20 mins later that i look up and here comes a doe up the field and she runs in front of me and then I start to hear some grunting. I look back behind her and here comes a real nice 130 in. buck hot on her tail and behind him a spike. They were heading towards my dad and wife, but must have cut in the woods before they reached them. It was about 15 mins after that another nice buck with his nose on the ground comes up the field, he was a real nice tall racked buck. Well driving out after picking up the two deer killed we saw a deer hanging out at a brushy draw in the pasture but didn't think much of it. 3 hours later when we come back for the evening hunt the deer was still there. So we worked up a plan and my dad put the sneak on him. He got within 65 yds or so and took the shot. Missed He was an absolute giant, one of the biggest deer I have ever seen on the hoof. We met up with dad at the edge of the woods to hear what happened then dropped off the ridge to head to our evening stand. My wife and I dropped off the ridge and made it almost to the hollow when I look up and a deer with his nose on the ground is coming down the opposide ridge. We drop to the ground and the deer comes all they way down the hill to 25 yds and my wife laid the smack down on him. We then started heading back out of the woods when my dad shoots on his way to his stand. He killed a 4 point and almost got a shot at the doe that was with him. Not much sat morning, but that evening my dad had 3 does come by and he shot one of them. This morning the wife and I had three come by and she took a shot at a doe and missed at 60 yds, the deer ran a little ways stopped so she took another shot and hit the deer, but not very good. We ended up jumping her in a 2 acre thicket and missed her. We backed out and came back several hours later and jumped her again and missed another 2 shots. She then made it out across a field about 500 yds to a piece of property we don't have permission to be on. The weekend started out great, but ended on a not so good note. 5 deer out of 6 tags....not a bad opening weekend in Illinois. Sorry about long post but was an exciting weekend and they were rutting hardcore where we were.

Illinois shotgun season this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to add to our score. They were still chasing and cruising as of Monday morning, so hopefully they'll still be on their feet this weekend. Good luck everyone!!

Nice buck Shane! Almost had one that look similiar this morning. He came up the ridge chasing a doe and got to 7 yds of the tree but he was quartering to me at a steep angle and I didn't feel good about the shot. They then took off back down the ridge away from me. Almost had us more points. Won't be out tomorrow, but will be back at it on Saturday - Monday. They are finally starting to move in S. Illinois. Good luck everyone!

Not much happening in Pulaski / Alexander counties. Saw some bucks still traveling together late last week and very few scrapes being seen. Going back out tomorrow so we'll see if anything has picked up yet.

Been slow in S. Illinois. Haven't seen much at all the first month of the season. Hopefully movement picks up in the next week or so. I'm on vacation from the 7 - 15th and plan to be in the stand everyday. Hopefully I can get us some more points......good luck everyone!

hey everyone. I will be bowhunting and gun hunting in southern Illinois. Season opens Oct. 1. Good luck this season everyone!

ilhnter 26 oct 1 - jan 16 - bow nov 19 - 22 dec 2 - 5

Movie Theatre Manager

I'm going to guess that he makes it through. He looks healthy and as long as it doesn't get infected or anything, I think he will be fine. I've seen deer and other animals survive with only three legs.

Congrats on an awesome buck!

Shot him on private land.

These are the first trail cam pics that we got on our camera since we put it out about 2 weeks ago and some nice looking bucks at that!

Shot this buck on Friday evening at 4:00. It was during the 2nd shotgun season in IL. He came out of the woods from behind me into an open hay field and gave me a perfect broadside shot at 70 yds and I put him down in his tracks.

ilhnter team 22 - Dirt Nap Upgrade - 8 pt - When looking at the pic, the left side has no brow tine, but he has a point coming straight off the base that you can see in the first pic.

Congrats on an awesome buck! Nothing to be disappointed about with that buck!

The rut has been slow and almost non existent on the two farms we hunt. Last week I had two nice 8 points, a 4 point and a spike still traveling together and this morning I had a big 8 and a 4 point traveling together. I have only seen 1 scrape and found no rubs. Its just been real real slow. Who knows maybe it will pick up for gun season when the weather cools a bit. Good luck!

Nice buck!!

I had four days off to hunt last week and my vacation started on the 8th and ends on monday. There hasn't been much movement with all the warm weather, been seeing just 1 or 2 deer a day. I've seen a couple nice bucks, but nothing huge. With the weather going to warm back up again over the weekend I told myself that if a decent buck presented a shot that I was going to take it and not eat a tag sandwich. It had to be decent, no spikes or fork horns. Well yesterday evening right at dark a decent 9 point came by the stand at 15 yds and I decided to take the shot. He mule kicked and ran off out of site. The arrow had good blood, but the blood trail wasn't very good at all, very little blood. My dad and I looked around for him, but couldn't find him and the blood tapered off. Went back this morning and found him about 20 yds from where we stopped looking. I hit him a little high and back, but the shot took his liver out. He's a decent little buck, and I'm happy with him. Good luck everyone!!

Well I've been on vacation since the 8th and had 4 days off the week before to hunt and all I can say is that it has been really slow in Illinois. Not much rutting activity and if there is any it has been at night when the temps have been down. Been 70 degrees the last couple afternoons. I've seen a couple good bucks, but just couldn't get them in range. My vacation time ends on Monday, and the weather is supposed to warm back up again over the weekend, so yesterday I decided that if a decent buck came by I was going to take the shot. Yesterday evening right at dark I had a decent 9 pt come in at 15 yds and I decided to take the shot. He muled kicked and ran off, and the arrow was covered in blood, but didn't leave much of a blood trail. Couldn't find him last night, so went back this morning and found him about 20 yds from where we stopped looking last night. I hit him a little high and back, but the shot tore his liver up, so I was lucky. He's not the biggest buck in the woods, but I'm happy with him. Good luck everyone!

Watched a little 4 pt breed a doe this evening at 25 yds. I haven't seen any rubs or scrapes yet.

Well tonight in the stand, I saw something that I have never seen before. I watched a small 4 pt. breed a doe at 25 yds. After it was all said and done the little buck walked to 7 yds of the stand and fed on some foilage, while the doe bedded down 25 yds from the stand. I also heard something that I had never heard before, the buck growl or roar. When the small buck was finished breeding he let out the growl. It was a pretty interesting night in the stand to say the least.

ilhnter team 22 Dirt Nap Doe

Well here she is!